Is a hamster or gerbil a good pet to get a mild mannered, animal-loving 5 1/2 year old?

Question

My 4 year old is allergic to dogs and cats, but my 5 year old is a big animal lover, so I was thinking about getting her a gerbil that she can look after.

Answer 1

Gerbils are a little more squirmy then hampters so a hamster might be a better choice. If you do get a hamster don't get a dwarf they bite more. I would recommend a teddy bear hamster. My sister had one and it was such a great pet. For a five year old I might reccommend a rabbit, guinea pig, or rat because they live longer and hamsters and gerbils only live 1-3 years and the death might be hard for her since shes so little.

Answer 2

A gerbil is a good pet for a five and a half year old, if you are the one doing all the cleaning and supervision of the food changing.

The only problem I see is that they tend to be very fast, as are mice, and if let loose, it may take you forever to catch is again. A teddy bear hamster would probably be the better choice.

A guinea pig is not a good pet for a five year old. Guinea pigs require a lot of work. They have a strict diet, and must be taken to the vet if anything goes wrong.

My suggestion to you would be to research each idea as much as you can, then go to your local humane society to see what is avaliable for adoption. You can also check online by going to www.petfinder.com or www.craigslist.com. It would be a great learning experiance for a five year old to see adoption over a pet store animal.

Answer 3

A pair of gerbils (you need to get two) is a much better choice than a hamster. They are awake in the day and fun to watch. Your five year old can give them presents like a sunflower seed, a folded piece of paper to gnaw into a snowflake, a playhouse made out of wood and nontoxic elmers school glue and a paper towel roll.

Five is much too young to hold any small animal on her own. Since you'll need to handle the gerbils with her, they should be animals you are interested in and like too.

Gerbils are also more bold and curious than hamsters and don't stress out as easily. You should get your pair from a breeder so they are well-bred and socialized to people from a young age.

Try the breeder listing at www.AGSgerbils.org

Answer 4

I have had gerbils and my little brothers (one was like 7 and the other4...i think) loved them!! (except they kind pulled their tails off....when my mom wasnt looking and i was at school in first grade...im in highschool now) I have a hamster and he is amazing!!! He is a "robo" dwarf hamster. Named Twinkie. But for a 5 year old i would get a syrian or a teddy bear. The people at the stores will tell you that dwarf hamsters are LESS likley to bite. This is true but because of their small size they are not easily handled with. They are verryy fast. Fun to watch though but a 5 year old probably wants to be able to hold it. Dwarf hamsters love to be petted though. (Twinkie loves it right behind the ear) They dont bite as much because they are more curious then the bigger hamsters. The down side to a bigger hamster though is that they get frightned more easily and will bite more. Also hamsters are nocturnal. and are veryy cranky when they are woken up. Gerbils on the other hand can play durning the day, sleep durning the day, play at night and sleep at night. Gerbils also dont like to go on wheels as much. But they love to roll around in plastic balls on the floor!! (hamster love to do both)

Also some advice: Dont get a plastic cage because i have one and trust me...they are a pain in the butt to clean. Get a glass cage. But be sure it not near a window. (make sure to get wire to cover the top because both hamsters and gerbils tend to escape when they dont have a lid and can sqeeze into small spaces)

If u need any info on hamsters or gerbils feel free to email me (about what they should eat, certain types of food, bedding (hamsters are allergic to all kinds except Aspen), toys, prices etc.)

Good luck and i hope this helped!!


Ps. did i mention that gerbils are fast too?

Answer 5

If it's understood that you'll probably be the one actually caring for the pet, and that you'll supervise any snuggling/playing, then, sure, let your 5 year-old have a small animal. A gerbil is a good choice, but they do tend to squirm quite a bit.

If you get a hamster, make sure to avoid the dwarf hamsters. They're very aggressive and tend to bite.

Mice can be amusing to watch, as they actually "play" in their cage. You're taking a gamble on most rodents doing anything interesting in their cage, but mice will get restless quickly.

Answer 6

I have no experience with gerbils (they are illegal where I live), but I wouldn't recommend a hamster for a 5 1/2 year-old. I think a guinea pig is a bit more durable, easier to find if loose, and less likely to bite. They sleep at night, whereas a hamster sleeps during the day.

Answer 7

The answer above is right about hamsters being easier to handle than gerbils. Gerbils are more active and less docile than hamsters. Our children were 4 and 5 when we gave them two Teddy hamsters (Bubbles and Blossom) who had babies, (oops, thought they were both females) which was lots of fun, though.

Whichever you choose, make sure to get them an exercise wheel so they don't become frustrated from lack of exercise. Have fun.

Answer 8

I wouldn't get her a hamster or a gerbil. To begin with, you cant just get 1 gerbil. You should always get them in pairs. Gerbils in the wild live in huge families, so keeping just one is cruel. Also, gerbils are notorious chewers. My two little boys just love to chew on everything. They chewed up the ramps in their cage, their wheel, their food dish, their igloo and wooden hideouts, and their water bottle. They were in a ten gallon, but they kept chewing their water bottle, so now they are in a wire cage, with a rock for their nails, a ceramic food dish, a glass water bottle with a steel lid, and a hideout they are supposed to chew on. Also, my gerbils had chew sticks, cardboard tubes, wooden chew blocks, and carrots; but they liked the plastic better apparently. Gerbils are pretty jumpity, and very fast.In my opinion, they are better suited for at least an 8 year old. Now the reason I wouldn't get a hamster is that they are nocturnal. My 14 yr old sister has a hamster, and she gets pretty grumpy if you wake her up a lot. I have a 4 soon to be 5 little sister, and neither of these pets seem to be safe around her, I don't know why, maybe because she is at such a you age where if it tickles her she jumps, and she could possibly land on the critter. This is what I would get her, two rats or 1 guinea pig. When I turned 5, for my birthday my parents got me and my sister 2 female rats. Mine was Ratcy and hers was Cindy. Rats are such fun pets, they loved to be held and want attention. They can be trained to do tricks like come when called use a litter box etc. They are just as smart as dogs, they are the most intelligent rodent. Just be sure to get 2, because unless you are taking it out for at least 5 hours a day, it will get very bored. So get a same sex pair. Males are better for lap pets, calmer, but do have an odd smell. Females are very energetic, don't like to sit on laps much, but very fun to watch. So I think rats would be a good option for her. Now guinea pigs, I don't know much about them, though my family had one for a month before we realized that at the moment; he wasn't getting enough attention, so we found him a new home. One thing I remember about him was how social he was. Guinea pigs are just as social as rats, just not as smart. They are easier for younger kids because they are not as likely to be squished, climb through a hole, etc. But if you cant give 1 at least 5 hours of attention everyday, than get two. You will have a much happier guinea pig then. Oh, to crush a myth, if you get 2 of one rodent' they will bond the same as if there is only one, just be sure to give them a lot of attention each.
Hope This Helps
Good Luck!!!!!! :)

Answer 9

yes. Hamsters and gerbils are pretty good pets for younger kids. Just make sure you handle the pet first, and get them used to you.

You don't want your kids getting scared of them... but they are good pets.

Answer 10

I have a teddy hamster, and their the best. Their easy to take care of, and I think they would be good