Should I buy my sons a hamster or gerbil?

Question

What is the difference?

Answer 1

They are one in the same

Answer 2

Get your son a hamster beacause I had both at on point of my life
I prefer hamsters -hamsters are clean neat and very organized!
And very easier to handle then a gerbil

Gerbils kick and know all there bedding out of there cage and on the floor. Gerbils live longer then hamsters and are very jumpy at all points of there life even if there tired. A gerbils Pee stinks more than a hamsters pee. Gerbils require more nutricision in there diet and there ment for older Childern and young teens

Age groups!

Hamsters live 2-3 years
Gerbils live 3-5 years

Hamsters are recomended for young children aged 5-10
Gerbils are recomended for older children aged 10-17

Please base your answer on my answer

Hamster and gerbils are equally alike in different ways so
gerbils require a bit more work but there so adoreable and I can aggree with that on hamsters too but the choice matters on the childs age


Getting pets {other then fish} for children under 5 is a terrible idea
my sister had a hamster before and squished it to death so we vowed she could neverr have a hamster again! so No critters for the little kids!

Good Luck with a new little critter
Kate!

Answer 3

a hamster is 6-7 inches long and has a short stubby tail, a gerbil is 4 inches long and its tail is as long as its body. gerbils are better jumpers tham hamsters. both can hear and smell well but gerbils have better eye sight. hamsters perfer to live alone and gerbils perfer to live with other gerbil. hamsters have pouches in the cheeks gerbils do not. both make for an exellent pets but BEWARE hamsters are most active at night can be VERY annoying if put in your sons room due to them running on a wheel. Gerbils are active during the day and might be more amusing for your sons to play with.hamsters sleep 14 hours a day! ALSO BEWARE when chosing a hamster if thats what you choose that it is not a peregnant one because they can become canibals and eat their young from stress and lack of structure. not very pretty when your a young child watching your new pet eats its young!!!!! trust me!!!!

Answer 4

I would have to say get a rat too, but most people have 'issues' with rats so go with a hamster. Gerbils are very very small and hard to hold or tame, rats are great because they love to be held and they wont bite like a hamster, but anyways....I would say a hamster over a gerble. Hamsters are more hardy, and can take some abuse, (being handled by young rough boys) wich a gerbil cant, Rats can also take abuse and they will still hapily be cuddled or held despite being roughed up some.
So hamster or rat

Answer 5

Hamster

Answer 6

it depends on the age and a few other factors...hamsters are solitary for the most part and will NOT get along with other hamsters...while gerbils are very social and should be kept in same sex pairs to keep them happy...i find hamsters make more noise at night as well but not always....gerbils are very hard to handle for little kids because they squirm and are very quick little guys..hamsters are alot slower and fatter which makes them easier to handle....gerbils are also more active and will zip around the cage and much more interesting to watch than hamsters...my personal opinion having bred both for years is that a hamtser is a better pet..but thats just me

Answer 7

Ugh, neither one. Get a rat instead. Hamsters are known to bite. They are very nippy and not nice. They are also nocternal which means they sleep all night. Gerbils run away. Rats are more intelligent, nicer, don't bite and are more friendly. I have owned rats when I was little then got a hamsters. My first and last and now own rats again. Rats are awesome and are more recommended. But if you can't handle rats, out of the two I say gerble, hamsters are evil.

Answer 8

Despite what some people are saying, they are not the same thing. They are completely different species.

Hamsters are nocturnal, so they're not very entertaining during the day, and they make a lot of noise at night. I have one in my classroom, and I just love her. Make sure you get one with a good temperament.

Gerbils are generally more active and social than hamsters, On the other hand, they can other be much sassier than hamsters. They are known to nip quite a bit and to be much too active to hold a lot.

Neither lives very long...just a couple of years if healthy. They can get sick easily if their cage is not cleaned and disinfected regularly, meaning weekly or biweekly.

Answer 9

I think they are the same thing... i'm not sure though, google it. All I know about rodents are that both of those two are pretty dumb animals, frankly I'd get a rat... at least then if it gets out, it'll come back to the cage cuz it knows where it's food is. Plus they are just like scilent dogs... u can teach them anything you can a dog and take them out for walks. Hamsters and gerbils on the other hand... watch out they eat their own young

Answer 10

It really depends on you.

I have kept both Gerbils and Hamsters, and I can say, Gerbils are better. But you decides something yourself.

Hamster.
- Drawfs or Syrian? Drawfs love to be in pairs, while Syrian wants to be alone.
-They needs to be cleaned out once a week.
-They have a reputation for biting. Are you sure you want your sons to get bitten and thus them hating the hamsters?

Gerbil
-Gerbil HAVE to be in pair, if not they can be VERY aggressive and unfriendly.
-Gerbils would run than bite.
-Gerbils live in desert once, so, they produce little smell in urine. You only need to clean out once per 2 weeks.
-Gerbils chew and gnaw more than Hamsters. They just gnaw on anything.
-Gerbils tails break easily, so you should never pull their tail. Is your sons old enough to understand this? The gerbil losing its tail would sometimes mean nothing, but sometimes could be very serious.
-Gerbils love to eat from your hand once they trust you.

Answer 11

Gerbils are more sociable than hamsters, hamsters are nocturnal and solitary, gerbils live in bunches. Either way it depends on how old your sons are. If they are too young they will only squeeze it or throw it.