no permission for a gerbil?

Question

my parents won't lat me have a gerbil, i've printed pages off the internet about them but my dad keeps on making exuses, saying they smell to much, but it clearly says in the printed page ' they do not smell as much as other animals.'
has anyone got any advise or help please??

also my dad says when they are very poorly, it would cost alot of money to pay for an oporation, and he says it would also cost alot of money to put them down.
any other adice?

Answer 1

If you are still living at home, there isn't a whole lot you can do. They pay the bills and make the rules.

One thing you can do is prove that you are mature and responsible enough to take care of a pet. Start pitching in around the house, keep your room clean, get your homework done, etc. Do all these things without them having to remind you and maybe your parents will change their minds.

Please don't go behind their backs and get one! That's not the way to build trust.

Answer 2

Hello Holly - as an ex gerbil owner I can assure your Dad that they don't smell, are very little trouble and fun to have. However, having said that, the final decision must lie with your parents since they pay the bills, and would have to look after it if you were unable to for any reason. Have you tried luring then into a pet shop where they have gerbils so they can see (and smell!) them? Or how about promising to e.g. wash dad's car every week if he lets you have one? Good luck!
Operations? In the unlikely event of your gerbil needing one, I think most vets would recommend euthanasia because a gerbil's life span is pretty short anyway - and for a gerbil that would cost very little (£20-ish at the surgery at a guess - ring the vets to check).

Answer 3

Gerbils are great pets, I've always loved every single one I've had. Here's why: They don't poo all over the place, they only have one corner of the cage that they choose (this is true of all gerbils when they are older than one month, before that, you will have to put up with the messiness and clean them out a little more often), you can give them as much love and attention as you like, they hardly ever bite, and if they do, they don't hurt and don't do it very often and they aren't nocturnal, so you can play with them in the day without disturbing them and they won't keep you up at night! They are fab! When I was younger, my parents wouldn't let me have one, but when I finally persuaded them to let me, they loved him so much that they agreed to buy three more fot me and they now have two of their own in their home (this was entirely their own choice!). If you show this letter to your parents, make sure YOU are the one who is looking after them (except when you are on holiday) and don't let the cage get so dirty that they smell, then I'm sure your parents would agree!
Hope this helps!

Answer 4

I used to have a gerbil and can't say I ever noticed any smell. In fact, I've never owned a pet that liked to clean itself as much! You can get some great cages from a firm called Habitat that are basically plastic tanks with little breathe holes, so there wouldn't be much chance of smell escaping anyway. You can also buy 'build-ons' like tubes, wheels and 'tree' houses so they are interesting for your pet. Point out to your parents that pets are a great for teaching about responsibility and the benefits of caring for animals.

Answer 5

What ever you do don't get one without permission. It would just prove you are not mature enough for it. Ask your father if you get a job and save the money just for the care of the gerbil if you could have one. Explain in an adult manner how much it would mean to you and ask him to think it over before making a decission. Plan out what you will say ahead of time and think about how you could overcome his objections. Usually hearing that you are willing to work for it makes them happy and they won't actually make you get te job it is the thought that counts. Good luck

Answer 6

My advice for you is to do more research, find out every fact about how much it will cost to care for a gerbil. Food, cage, supplies, etc, plus find out how much it costs for vet care, How you would care for the animal and your plans for the animal if you had one. Show it to them(Just hand it to them so they can look at it) but do not nag, nagging makes parents even more mad. And then drop the subject. Then do not go behind your parents back and make them mad, it will cause them to distrust you and make it worst for you to get one. Show them responsiblity by helping around the house without asking. Always keeping your room clean and keeping your grades up. If you show them that you can take care of responsiblities for yourself without them asking after a few months, they will notice and might start talking about it with each other without you knowing. If that happens and they start bringing up the subject, make a agreement with them and stick to that agreement. It will help out in the long run. But in the end, if that doesn't work, then the problem is that they must not like gerbils to allow you to get one or truly can't afford one, and that's why they would be denying you. And if that is what the case may be then there would be nothing you can do about it.

Answer 7

ive had over 10 gerbils and i loved them. there so much fun most of them never bite. ive breaded them ive carried mine around town, there the best alot of people just think that all animals smell but thats not true gerbils dont smell hardly at all there really easy to clean. they dont need to be held dayly if you cant all they need is a wheel water and food and there so much fun. so tell your parents to let you have a pet!! goodluck

Answer 8

hey i have had loads of pet gerbils and they were great easy to care for, made great paper shredders and cost very little to keep.

i kept mine in an old fish tank with a little, they make very little mess and only needed cleaning out every few weeks because they make very little mess (this can vary between gerbils) i didn't need to by bedding for them as they loved shredding old bill and newspapers which meant you don't need a paper shredder.Tell your dad that they are cheap and easy to keep and that they don't smell as much as a hamster.

hope this helps

Answer 9

You'll have to go with what your dad says, he and your mum pay the bills and keep the house up so it's really up to them.

If you like animals, maybe you could do a couple of hours at the weekend at a shelter- you'd learn about different animals and show you can be responsible. Most shelters look for volunteers.

Answer 10

i went through that same thing!! my mom allowed me to get one only if, "dad says it's ok". like you i wanted gerbils, and i did sooooooo much research on them. here's what i did that really got my dad:
make a powerpoint presentation using a lot of pictures, facts, info., and stuff like that. after he saw that he let me get 2 gerbils. he still wasn't happy about it, but he saw that i was dedicated to them. also i agreed to pay for the gerbils, and anything i got for them. and you're right they don't smell at all!! my tank sits right next to my bed, and i don't smell anything :)
good luck, and i hope everything works out!!