Love my Hammies, but what about Gerbils?

[HamSamich]

I have been wanting to adopt a new little fuzzy into my home. I have 2 Chinese Dwarves, right now, and have been wanting either a Winter White or a Cambell. But I've also been reading up on Gerbils, and was wondering if any of you have any experience with keeping them.

Are they that much different than hammies? I know that they are diurnal, and they're a little more hyper, but supposedly their still easy to tame. They're more ratlike, have long tails, and live longer (up to 5 years). I think their diet is similar, but they're more prone to gas and diarrhea if they eat too many greens.

Anyway, just wondering if any other hammy addicts also keep gerbils.

[racinghamster]

I used to keep gerbils (all rescues) and they are very different from hamsters. Females should not be kept in more than a pair because they are the more prone to fall out and although males can be kept in larger numbers, I wouldn`t advise it for the same reasons of de-clanning, or falling out. Gerbils in pairs (or singles) would prefferably require housing in a glass tank at least three feet in length or longer. The main thing you have to consider is, if you have two chinese hamsters already and they ever need splitting up, would you have the time and the space for individual hamsters and perhaps gerbils, if they ever de-clanned? That`s not to put a negitive view on things, but just to make you aware that gerbils can and do fall out at anytime in their lives and especially if one becomes old or ill. The cagemate seems to pick up on that weakness and can attack the weaker gerbil, even if they have lived together for a long time. I`ve had this happen twice with two different groups of gerbils, all males.

I used to be a member on here before it changed to a new look:

eGerbil | For everything gerbil!

There is also The Gerbil Forum - Home

Gerbils are diggers and tunnel makers. Moreso than even hamsters are, so they need deep substrate and a tank that gives them the space to dig and play. So sourcing something large before you get gerbils is always appropriate. Anything too small would not be suitable. Even if you find some people on websites doing so or saying they don`t need a large tank. Believe me, they do.

In the UK, a perspex cage like the Zoozone 2 would be a good size for one or two gerbils as it has a deel base and if the lid is never taken off, the substrate can be made even deeper.

The links above should give you loads of gerbil info.

[MissGSFL]

I loved having gerbils but I found them harder to care for than hamsters. They were a lot noisier and kept me up more at night. Also they made a mess because no matter what cage they have, they WILL kick out the bedding.

I found their behaviour similar to dwarves. They jump a lot more easily, so I always felt guilty if I made sudden noises or movement. Also they are a lot faster than hamsters so they are less cuddly.

Buut!! They are very cute and rarely bite. And from experience their bites are loads better than hamster bites :L Also they have some very cute habits, like eating treats in front of you because they have no pouches.

[fluffymunchkins]

I have two gerbil boys that I 'adopted' off my sister when she went to uni, lewis and Button
They are sweet, curious little guys and they love to watch me while I go about doing things in the hamster room. But they are certainly very different to hamsters in many wayd, the main reason is that they won't still still on your hand at all, mine prefer not to be handled.
Gerbils I have been told have less tendency to bite than hamsters, which I found true with my first pair, however lewis had a habit of nipping when he was younger. Hes since stopped, I'm not entirely sure why he did it as they could be quite hard nips.

Gerbils are a lot of fun to watch and sit with whilst they use you as a climbing frame As a child they sparked my love of rodents as my pair then would play with me on the sofa all the time. I had a father and son pair called Frankie and Benny. Unfortunately they are prone to seizures and that can develop into epilepsy in some cases. I experienced a seizure with Frankie, but luckily he recovered immediately without any noticable affect.

I do reccommend having the largest tank possible, they will dig and chew like crazy, so giving them lots of bedding to make tunnels with is a good idea x

[chulasweetchica]

I have two gerbils boys from differnt pet stores and they are together and are soo cute,they play,clean each other and goof off and in winter keep each other warm and they are soo friendly and soo cute but yea differnt than hamsters and bigger,we have a white one Chino and black sheen one Gobusters....I love them they are soo adorable and love treats!

[purple_x]

I have had gerbils for years, I have a pair of girls right now.
They are very social animals so have to live in a pair or group.

Make sure you get them as large a tank as possible (I had a 3ft tank for my pair and now the largest falco from zooplus)
They love to dig so they need tons of substrate to make tunnels in. They love to destroy cardboard....and anything else! So never give them plastic toys.

I've found that my gerbils were easy to tame but they dont sit still long enough to be held, they just want to be running about all the time.

They are lovely, low maintenence pets I think and they do live for a pretty long time, my last boys were 7 when they passed.

[Queen Of The High Teas]

I love gerbils, I have 3 boys at the moment. I keep them in a zoozone 2 tank as it's a hell of a lot lighter to manage than glass is! I never take the top off, I just scoop out all the old substrate with a dustpan, wipe it down with a damp cloth and disinfectant spray, dry with an old towel, replace the bedding and chuck in as many toilet/kitchen rolls, card food packing and pieces of cardboard I can find. Cos I don't undo the cage I can put loads of bedding in it so it doesn't need cleaning that often, usually once every 4-6 weeks, with spot cleans inbetween. Mine get annoyed if I clean them out more often anyway as it destroys all the tunnels they've dug days before! My boys love each other, always curled up together asleep and never far apart when awake. All 3 of mine, and indeed those before them, are cuddleable, yes their fast and love to be on the go, but their holdable and whilst being held, love being petted on the nose and the top of their head. Their not as cuddly as hamsters but I wouldn't say they weren't holdable. And mine aren't breeder ones who've been held since tiny, they're p@h ones, so it's not to do with their breeding. I love mine and I wouldnt be without them, their fun to watch, friendly and if nothing else, they're great for recycling stuff - your recycling box will never be as full if you have gerbils!!!

[HamSamich]

Thanks for all the replies! Its still a hard decision! Knowing me I will end up getting a Gerbil and another dwarf hammy later on. I noticed most of you recommend using glass tanks for Gerbils, which I have spare 10 gallons, but that's too small. What about bin cages for them?

[chulasweetchica]

Oh mine are in a glass tank 10 gallon bout to get them a bigger one,I put a large wood in there and those lil guys climbed out,soo funny they were free having a blast chewing up some of my papers,lol....they are soo much fun to watch and really sweet too!

[racinghamster]

I have no idea what 10 gallons means, but if you put it into centimeters or inches, it gives a better overview of the tank langth/width/height. It wouldn`t be fair to get gerbils and house them in too small a cage/tank because they really do need stimulation and that means digging space aswell as enough space to run around. So just taking a small glass tank and filling it halfway with substrate wouldn`t be what I would call a habitat.

The boys I had loved running around the floor in the landing and getting up my trouser legs, nipping my leg and then running out again! I would bend over and say `kisses` to them and they would lift their nose while I gave a quick kiss (before having my nose tasted!) and then offer a treat like a sunflower seed. If you have the time and the devotion for gerbils, they are true companions and buddies. I had a little male called Grub and he was the sweetest little man I have every known. I miss his greatly.