# Buying a small furry advice.



## Taecia (Nov 10, 2015)

Hello,

Growing up I had hamsters. My mum always made comment on how smelly they were and wished I had Gerbils.

My daughter is 7 now, same age as when I had my first hamster. I know I'll end up cleaning it, but never mind! I love small furries.

I've been looking at gerbils, but unless anyone can convince me to continue with the line of Hammies, I'll be happy to listen.

I've been looking online at cages. I remember as a child that Gerbils like to climb and burrow. 

I don't want to be ignorant and get something like the Princess Palace from Rotastak because I know my daughter would love it, it's about the happiness of the Gerbil.

I'm hoping someone can help me with the sort of size of cage I would need for a Gerbil to be happy and contented - and if possible at the same time, be pink or something, lol - (Links to cages would be greatly appreciated if possible.)

I also vaguely remember someone saying Gerbils are better in pairs? Also, is there any difference in behaviour between genders? (No I do not want one of each!!!!!! lol).

Thanks so much to any advice.


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## Hanlou (Oct 29, 2012)

Hello. Gerbils make great pets - they were my first rodents when I was about 10. They are diurnal so they are much more likely than hamsters to be up and shout at reasonable hours!

However - they really need a glass tank. Cages simply aren't suitable for gerbils. A 3ft glass tank would be great for a pair of gerbils - 2 1/2 ft would be ok but 3ft would be better. Gerbils need to be able to burrow so they need a nice, deep glass tank that can be filled with substrate for them to tunnel in.

Gerbils kept in cages will burrow sending substrate flying through the bars and they often end up gnawing bars in depressing stereotypical behaviour. They are also excellent chewers and are more than capable of chewing their way out of a plastic based cage! 

Google 'gerbilarium' to get an idea if gerbil habitats. The small one sold in Pets At Home is far too small. Zooplus do sell a larger one that is ok. 

Male gerbils tend to stay happily paired up more easily than females.

Have you considered rats as pets? More handle able, easy to tame and great characters! Minimum sized cage I'd use for rats would be 80cm x 50cm x 80cm and they need to be in groups - a pair of rats being the bare minimum.


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## cava14 una (Oct 21, 2008)

Another vote for rats here but please don't get them from a pet shop either from a rat rescue or a good breeder. If you say where you are someone will be able to suggest some contacts.


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## catpud (Nov 9, 2013)

I too would say rats, especially for a younger child.

They are interesting, highly social animals with both their people and their rat friends, interact and play often, are happy to snooze on you too. They are also larger than the other rodent pets commonly kept making them a lot easier for little hands to handle (supervised until older of course)

Still a short life span, which is sad, you do get attached to them very quickly, they are all such interesting and amusing little characters.

Oh and you can clicker train them to do some really impressive things - they have a dog like intelligence, it's possible to teach them to come to their name, tackle an obstacle course, and perform tricks - a great introduction to pets for kids so long as there is an adult willing to help out and take over occasionally.


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## ForestWomble (May 2, 2013)

I'd say hamster would be better. They are bigger and easier to handle, gerbils are faster and not easy to handle. 
For as long as the cage is cleaned well once a week, or more if needed, the cage should not smell.


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## elmthesofties (Aug 8, 2011)

I loved my rats to bits and would love to get more as soon as I have the time. But if she's not totally confident handling small furries to begin with, they're probably not a great first pet. They like climbing on your shoulders or up your arms, which is great fun, but even with short nails, they can scratch. It's unintentional but it's still uncomfortable. If she's a bit shy to begin with, then this would not be a great bonding experience! Other small furries generally don't do this as they're too lightweight.
The size of rats may make them difficult to handle in some ways, as they are far too large to fit on a small hand. With things like hamsters, you can let them run through your hands or similar, but you cannot do the same with rats. That's a very nit-picky thing, though, and lots of kids are able to handle rats. The size may just be a bit intimidating at the very beginning.
Some rats can also be incredibly lazy, making them less engaging to watch. She might love this, as it means they're much more likely to snuggle up to you and fall asleep, versus other rodents which are so interested in what's going on that they don't stop moving, or she might find them a little boring.
They're also a big commitment compared to things like hamsters, in terms of care and handling.

Gerbils are very active animals, so great to watch, but not the easiest to handle. They don't smell much, but hamsters smell very little, too. (certainly compared to rats!) If you put them in a cage with square edges, like an aquarium, they usually use a fairly dedicated wee corner (which is where most of the smell will be) and poop in their bed. You can keep odour down between cleanings by just doing spot cleans. 

Rats are great pets but I would personally advise against them unless you are personally very keen on them. If the main reason you're thinking of small furries is for your daughters sake, then I think hamsters or mice would be great to start off with.


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