Gerbil or Dwarf Hamster?

Question

I have changed my mind about getting a bunny because of the smell and I would have to change the cage very often!!Should my next pet be a Gerbil or a Dwarf Hamster?They both seem very nice pets and I can not decide.Can someone do a vs on both of the animals to compare and see which pet is right for me.I have experince with Syrian Hamsters and I have one right now and had my another syrian died of old age.I have a critter trail one cage and was wondering if it is right for a gerbil or a dwarf hamster.Thanks!!

Answer 1

critter trails r perfect for those 2animals because they usally r very slim and everything!!dwarf hammies are very frightend but there r many types of them that are very sweet sociable and everything.dwarf hammies r tiny so they r a lil harder to handel than a syrian.but once u train the they are sweet as ever!!!they need food and fresh water like every other pet but a good thing is they dont chew alot.usally critter trails are made of plastic like the tubes and the bottom of the cahnge so they r perfect for it and u never ever have to worry about them with alot of stuff because they can entertane them selves alot and it's funny to watch.my dwarf (i have a robo) is a sweetie and rolls over and loves popping her head of of tubes and dont need much human interaction.gerbils although u can have more than one love to bite and try that best to get out of cage by chewing through them and u have to clean it once a week and while a dwarf hammie is tiny u have to clean it once every 2 weeks but usally both are messy and perfect for any liffe style and both love to run on a wheel and in a ball so just rember that and u will be a grreat pet owner!!!=)



good luck!!!

Answer 2

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RE:
Gerbil or Dwarf Hamster?
I have changed my mind about getting a bunny because of the smell and I would have to change the cage very often!!Should my next pet be a Gerbil or a Dwarf Hamster?They both seem very nice pets and I can not decide.Can someone do a vs on both of the animals to compare and see which pet is right for...

Answer 3

if you are using a critter trail cage I wouldn't recommend a gerbil
I have a gerbil (his brother died last year) and I had to put them in a 10 fish tank with a metal wheel, a wooden house (which has to be replaced every month or so) and a ceramic food dish because the gerbils chewed up everything, including their plastic cage
a dwarf hamster might be okay in a critter trail

Answer 4

I own two gerbils! Gerbil people are very jealous of hamsters. Hamsters have the popularity that rightfully belongs to gerbils. While hamsters have cuter faces and softer fur, they are just not as nice or fun as gerbils. They are nocturnal so usaully all you see is the back of your hamster sleeping in a ball in one corner. They are not ready to play until it's time for you to go to bed. Then they obsessively run that wheel, th-th-tha-thumping all night long. Hamsters smell up the cage very quickly and will pee on you. Hamsters are solitary animals, so you need to keep one per cage. This makes keeping them more expensive and breeding them more difficult than gerbils.

Gerbils are great. They are dinural, so are awake night and day. They get very excited about any new thing you put into the tank for them and will immediately explore it. You can make cardboard buildings/tunnels for them and they will love crawling into, through, over, and on them. Then they will gnaw it all up. You can house two for a $25 10 gallon set up. They are by far the cleanest of all the small pets, so bedding is not a big expense. They live in clans and groom, nest, play together. You can house up to seven boys in one tank (five gallons of space per gerbil). They are easy to breed and both mother and father are great parents. Gerbils come in about 40 colors and varieties. They are not a big commitment as the life span is about 3 1/2 years. I have twenty something gerbils. One tank of four colorful boys is in the family room on top of the television. They are more interesting than the majority of shows, so I'll sit and watch "Gerbils TV" instead. Cats also love gerbil TV.

So, ya, get a gerbil!

Good luck!

Answer 5

Gerbils:
-Desert animals, they poo/pee less
-Do not smell as much as any hamster
-Have very powerful legs, they can easily escape your hands if frightend
-Will "loose their tail" if you grab it, causeing many medical issues
-Once tamed, are not as likely to bit as a hamster
-Social animals, like to have a cage mate but have to be from the same litter
-Females stay smaller
-Both sexes make good pets
-Can be kept in a Kritter Trail, but you may have to secure some of the peices because they may fighure out how to open it

Dwarf Hamsters:
-VERY MEAN...no matter the sex or age, pretty much all Dwarf hamsters are mean, they will bite!!
-Aren't as messy as larger hamsters, but still smell
-Can be social, males are mose likely to accept a cage mate than females...but you have to get them at the same time
-Get sick pretty easily
-Can fit in a Kritter Trail with not problem.

From my experience, Gerbils make the better pet.
Have you thought about a Rat? Rats make better pets than gerbils.
If you are interested:
http://www.petrat.info/
http://www.fatratcentral.com/

I hope this helps...GOOD LUCK!!!

Answer 6

Grr... DWARF HAMSTERS ARE NOT MEANER THAN SYRIANS!! I wish people would figure that out!!! I have been bitten by many, many, many syrian hamsters, and only a few dwarf hamsters as a breeder.

Gerbils are very smart. They are better escape artists than hamsters. I do not have a lot of experience with gerbils, this is about all I know! But, I would think a Crittertrail One looks a little small for a gerbil; they are playful and chew like mad.

Dwarf hamster, however, I know quite alot about. They grow to be 2-3 inches long and come in three species: Russian, Roborovski, and Chinese. I recommend Russian dwarf hamsters from personal experience. They are incredibly smart and very funny! They prefer to live in pairs or small family groups, but it is not easy to introduce dwarfs who are not from the same litter. A Crittertail One looks like it would be adequate for one or two dwarf hamsters without a problem.

Dwarf hamsters come in a variety of colors, from white to cinnamon to dark browns and blacks. They are inquisitive, like to explore, love to have snacks and toys, and are terribly amusing to watch play. Taking care of a dwarf is similar to taking care of a Syrian, and they eat the same foods and treats as Syrians. Dwarfs tend to not enjoy chewing on wood to keep their teeth down, but that can be taken care of by offering them bits of MilkBone dog biscuits to chew on (good for Syrians, as well). Please feel free to contact me through Yahoo! Answers if you have any questions.

Answer 7

I would choose the Dwarf Hamster over the gerbil, but i have a golden teddy bear hamster and mine hasn't bit me once and also is very cute....

I would recommend a male because females can be very nasty when they get older

Answer 8

You only have to clean a rabbits cage about once a week to once every week and a half. You would have to clean the hamsters cage atleast once a week. Rabbits really dont smell that bad, but anyway. I would go with a gerbil. Gerbils are friendly, they like attention, rarely do they bite and they are not going to escape through your cage bars as they are bigger than a dwarf hamster. Dwarf hamsters like to be in pairs, are quite tempramental, are known to bite and would most likely escape through the bars.

Answer 9

Dwarf hammies are quite mean. The smaller the meaner~ probably because they need to protect themselves. Gerbils are mostly good pets because as desert animals, they don't need lots of cleaning as they pee/poo less. Critter Trail cages are good for any rodent as big as a hamster. I find those cages the best and so many other people do. A gerbil is probably your best bet.

Answer 10

I have had more experience with dwarf hamsters. But you should change the cage quite often. I change mine every day or every other day.