Hamster vs Gerbil

Discussion of all things non-11 Plus related

Moderators: Section Moderators, Forum Moderators

11 Plus Mocks - Practise the real exam experience - Book Now
Me2010
Posts: 46
Joined: Fri Oct 22, 2010 9:19 pm

Hamster vs Gerbil

Post by Me2010 »

Does anyone have experience of either. We are thinking of one of the above for my 7 year old DD for Christmas. Fr. Christmas did bring guinea pigs a couple of years ago but they only lasted about 6 months (I think he got them from a rescue centre) and the girls are all asking for a "long lasting pet". Anyway we dont want a pet that will live for years and years but do want one that will be amendable to being played with.

Any advice gratefully received.
Fran17
Posts: 1440
Joined: Sun Mar 07, 2010 10:16 pm

Re: Hamster vs Gerbil

Post by Fran17 »

I would go for a hamster. We have had a few and as long as you start handling them from an early age they make great pets! I found gerbils a bit fast and they didn't seem to like being handled as much.
solimum
Posts: 1420
Joined: Wed May 09, 2007 3:09 pm
Location: Solihull, West Midlands

Re: Hamster vs Gerbil

Post by solimum »

When I first read the title of this thread my instant image was of a battle between the two hapless rodents - remember the younger boy (Ben) in "Outnumbered" constantly coming up with new hypothetical battles such as "who would win if a T Rex was fighting a robot?"
Marylou
Posts: 2164
Joined: Sat Feb 25, 2006 2:21 am

Re: Hamster vs Gerbil

Post by Marylou »

Hamster every time! If you get a Syrian hamster used to being handled at a very young age, you'll end up with a very tame and sociable little friend. The only drawbacks are a) their penchant for escaping b) incredible ability to chew through just about anything - see (a) above :lol: and c) the fact that they don't live very long - 2-3 years max. :cry:
Marylou
Marylou
Posts: 2164
Joined: Sat Feb 25, 2006 2:21 am

Re: Hamster vs Gerbil

Post by Marylou »

solimum wrote:When I first read the title of this thread my instant image was of a battle between the two hapless rodents - remember the younger boy (Ben) in "Outnumbered" constantly coming up with new hypothetical battles such as "who would win if a T Rex was fighting a robot?"

...it made me think of Harry Hill!

(I like the gerbil, but I also like the hamster - there's only one way to decide this..... :lol: )
Marylou
Kiwimum
Posts: 188
Joined: Sat Mar 19, 2011 10:46 pm

Re: Hamster vs Gerbil

Post by Kiwimum »

I'd vote for hamster too.
We had a lovely one called Twinkle and she was always a hit with the DC's friends when they came around.
She lived to the grand old age of 3 and even though she died around 3 years ago my DC still talk about her sometimes.
We have a crazy dog now - so much more work than a hamster!
mike1880
Posts: 2563
Joined: Sat Sep 27, 2008 10:51 pm

Re: Hamster vs Gerbil

Post by mike1880 »

Marylou wrote:...it made me think of Harry Hill!
+!! :lol: "There's only one way to find out..." - get one of each and ....

Mike
aargh
Posts: 406
Joined: Mon Oct 10, 2011 7:00 pm

Re: Hamster vs Gerbil

Post by aargh »

I find Hamsters were quite often asleep when I wanted them to be awake (Both hamsters and gerbils are nocturnal in nature)
My Gerbils turned out to be male and female so we quickly ended up with babies in all directions heading off to all my friends. They do not like to be handled but like to explore complicated runs.

For both Hamsters and Gerbils, the best sort of abode is a large aquarium with a good depth of sawdust/wood chippings into which they can make their own tunnels. This is great for them and good watching fun. Other than that, those complex structures you can get with podules and tube sections which end up looking like a sci-fi space city. Never a metal cage, they will always try to gnaw the metal bars which is bad for their mouths.

I would go for a rat.
Rats Live longer than the hamster or gerbil. They don't smell. They are naturally diurnal. They are very bright. They love to be handled and play with your DC. My friend used to sit at the computer with her rat on her shoulder.
Last edited by aargh on Sat Dec 03, 2011 1:21 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Thingsbehindthesun
Posts: 463
Joined: Wed Apr 13, 2011 11:25 pm

Re: Hamster vs Gerbil

Post by Thingsbehindthesun »

Fran17 wrote:I would go for a hamster. We have had a few and as long as you start handling them from an early age they make great pets! I found gerbils a bit fast and they didn't seem to like being handled as much.
+1
;D
push-pull-mum
Posts: 737
Joined: Thu Nov 11, 2010 2:52 pm

Re: Hamster vs Gerbil

Post by push-pull-mum »

aargh wrote:I would go for a rat.
Rats Live longer than the hamster or gerbil. They don't smell. They are naturally diurnal. They are very bright. They love to be handled and play with your DC. My friend used to sit at the computer with her rat on her shoulder.
I vote Rat too. We had gerbils and my sister's family had a hamster - both too nocturnal for the children to really enjoy them.
My best friend has a rat - never thought I could get used to the slippery tail but he's gorgeous - also much less likely to get lost. Sister had to knock a hole in her plasterwork to get Fifi Trixabelle out of the wall!
Post Reply
11 Plus Mocks - Practise the real exam experience - Book Now