We just aquired a rodent pet from a co-worker who says it's a gerbil. But he's pretty chubby, black & white, with a stubby tail. His ears stick upand he keeps food in his cheeks. I say he's a hamster, my fiance says gerbil.
They're so similiar it's hard to tell the difference...anything else I should look for to determine what it is?
2007-06-30 15:17:38 · 21 answers · asked by morningview3 3 in Pets ➔ Rodents
There's a really big difference between a gerbil and a hamster... and the easiest way to distinguish from the two is that a gerbil has a long tail and a hamster barely has one.
What you have is a hamster.
2007-06-30 15:21:46 · answer #1 · answered by Daisy 6 · 2⤊ 1⤋
Gerbils have long tails covered with fur. They don't have cheek pouches.
Hamsters have short stubby tails and hold food in their cheeks.
Congrats on the new hamster!
2007-06-30 15:24:04 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
It's most definitely a hamster. Short tail and storing food in cheek pouches is a hamster thing, not gerbil
2007-06-30 18:18:11 · answer #3 · answered by Susan C 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
it has to be a hamster, they are the only rodents that hold food in their cheeks and gerbils have long tails, not short and stubby ones
2007-07-01 01:49:45 · answer #4 · answered by truly yours, kadie 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
i dont think gerbils store food in their cheeks not sure hamsters do that either...chip munks do. hamsters have short stubby tails, and gerbils have long tails thats fuzzy on the end. its possible its a gerbil and the tail somehow got cut off.
hope i helped
2007-06-30 15:46:53 · answer #5 · answered by She's Batty 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Hamster
2007-06-30 15:37:56 · answer #6 · answered by voiceinthehills 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
They look nothing alike. It sounds like you have a hamster. Gerbils have a long hairy tail, big black eyes and big ears. Hamsters have shorter legs, fat soft bodies, stuff food in their cheeks and short tails. see:
http://www.hamsters.co.uk/ for hamster pix. Gerbils do come in black and white also.
2007-06-30 15:23:39 · answer #7 · answered by KimbeeJ 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
sounds like a hamster. Does it sleep all day? If so, it is a hamster. Does it like to chew cardboard like a maniac? It is a gerbil. Does it have a furry tail? If so, it is a gerbil.
You have a hamster.
Post a picture of him in your question. It will help.
2007-06-30 17:05:48 · answer #8 · answered by dnott.geo 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Gerbils tend to have a fairly long tail, so from the info you provided I'd say hamster.
2007-06-30 15:24:19 · answer #9 · answered by Dustin H 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I beleive gerbils have long tails and resimble a mouse. Hamsters are hamsters. Find photos on the internet and compare your animal to the gerbil and hamster photos. Or go to Petsmart and ask them.
2007-06-30 15:21:50 · answer #10 · answered by Annastasia 2 · 0⤊ 1⤋