hamster and gerbil?

Question

What is the difference between a gerbil and a hamster? I just yahoo imaged both and they look the same to me.

Answer 1

gerbils are better in my opinion. gerbils are friendlier, and live a little longer usually, plus gerbils have a tail.
here is a site that compares hamsters to gerbils, it's really cool, and true! check it out:

http://www.abcgerbils.com/versus.html

trust me, hockey4ever, definitely lacks facts...... mice are snake food, not gerbils, and hamsters bite kids, while gerbils snuggle with kids.

Answer 2

I have had 3 gerbils and 1 hamster but not since i was in 4th grade (im in hight school now and about to get another hamster!) I think both make great pets. There are Pro's and Con's to both. For example Gerbils can live together in pairs and hamsters dont do that well in groups. Gerbils seem to use the restroom more which make u have to clean the cage more. For hamsters its differnet on which sub-species you get. (i perfer Robo dwarf or winter white siberian dwarf) I dont like the bigger hamsters because they tend to bite more when they are scared and dwarfs are more curious about things. The con for dwarfs is that they can run. So you must becareful and if you get a wire cage they can slip out easily. Though they do like to climb on the cages.

Also hamsters are nocturnal compare to their cousins (gerbils) who are active during the day.

I say choose either. Dont decide until you see both. you never know what little guy will catch your eye!! =] good luck!!

-Kay and Momo the hammie

Answer 3

No species "is snake food"; snakes will eat them all, I'm sure, and each species has its merits as a pet.

Physically, gerbils are more streamlined, with long furred tails. Hamsters in general are more chubby, with short naked tails. Gerbils also have long back feet and strong back legs, which help them to jump very well. Hamsters climb, rather than jump. Hamsters have cheek pouches for storing food, while gerbils do not.

Gerbils are highly social, and need to be kept in same-sex pairs or trios. Syrian hamsters need to be kept singly. (I'm not sure about dwarf hamsters.)

Gerbils are crepuscular, meaning they are most active at dawn and dusk. They sleep and play in shifts, like little kids, and they rarely resent being woken up. Hamsters are nocturnal, being most active at night.

Gerbils are more active, especially females. Unlike hamsters, they will not be content to sit and cuddle; they want to move and explore.

Gerbils are desert animals, and so are more economical with their water usage. This means that they produce very little waste or odor. With the right type of bedding (aspen and/or corncob is best), tanks should only need cleaned once a month. Hamsters need to have their cages cleaned much more often.

An interesting pet rodent (kept mostly in Europe) is the Duprasi, or Fat-Tailed Gerbil. It is closely related to the Mongolian Gerbil (the most commonly kept gerbil species), but it looks and acts more like a hamster!
http://www.sensi-media.com/gerbil/duprasi.htm

Answer 4

A gerbil is a small mammal of the order Rodentia.

Once known simply as "desert rats", the gerbil subfamily includes about 110 species of African, Indian, and Asian rodents, including sand rats and jirds, all of which are adapted to arid habitats. Most are primarily diurnal (though some do exhibit crepuscular behavior), and almost all are omnivorous.

The word "gerbil" is a diminutive form of "jerboa", though the jerboas are an unrelated group of rodents occupying a similar ecological niche.

One Mongolian species, Meriones unguiculatus, also known as the Clawed Jird, is a gentle and hardy animal that has become a popular pet. It was first brought to the United States in 1954 by Dr. Victor Schwentker for use in research.[1]

Gerbils are typically between six and twelve inches (150 to 300 mm) long, including the tail which makes up approximately one half of their total length. One species, however, the Great Gerbil, or Rhombomys opimus, originally native to Turkmenistan, can grow to more than 16 inches (400 mm) in length. The average adult gerbil weighs approximately 2 1/2 ounces. As of August 19, 2003, officials in western China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region began releasing eagles to combat the damage they say the great gerbils have done to eleven million acres (46,000 km²) of grassland.[1]

Pet gerbils have an average lifespan of 2 to 4 years.

A hamster is a rodent belonging to the subfamily Cricetinae. The subfamily contains about 18 species, classified in six or seven genera. Hamsters are indigenous to the Middle East and southeastern Europe. Because they are easy to keep and breed in captivity, hamsters are often used as lab animals and pets.

The best known species of hamster is the Syrian or Golden Hamster (Mesocricetus auratus), which is the type of hamster most commonly kept as a pet. It is also sometimes called a "Fancy," hamster. Pet stores also have taken to calling them "Honey Bears," "Panda bears," "Black bears," "European Black bears," "Polar Bears," and "Dalmatian," depending on their coloration. There are also several variations, including long-haired ones that grow hair several centimeters long and often require special care. Golden Hamsters will fight to the death if kept with others of their kind once mature, so an important rule of Golden Hamster keeping is "one hamster, one cage".

Note that there are some rodents which are sometimes called "hamsters"; that are not currently classified in the hamster subfamily Cricetinae. These include the Maned Hamster or Crested Hamster, which is really the Maned Rat (Lophiomys imhausi), although not nearly as marketable under that name. Others are the mouse-like hamsters (Calomyscus spp.), and the white-tailed rat (Mystromys albicaudatus).

Answer 5

A hampster has a short stubby tail, walks on all four feet and has soft fur. The gerbil is has a long furry tail, can bounce on two legs and has stiffer fur. From a personality standpoint, all my hampsters, once reaching maturity, slept all day and were somewhat active at night but mostly being a curled up furball. The gerbils were often active during the day and were much more fun to watch.

Answer 6

Gerbils are less fluffy and sit on two feet like a little kangaroo. Hamsters look like little fluffy bears. I prefer hamsters but both are cute.

Answer 7

hamsters are little bears...gerbils are more like small rats. hamsters have better temperments and are more suitable for kids..gerbils can be cranky and are more suitable for feeding large snakes.