Gerbil questions

[Miss Z]

Well, with Foxy well and truly gone:( i've been thinking about giving a home to another little pet. Chances are, it'll turn out to be another hamster, as i've always had a soft spot for them, but the other day i was thinking that there'd never be a hamster with quite the character and gentle nature that Foxy had, so i began to think about other pets. Well, firstly, i thought about getting another rat, as i know about them and know that they're good pets. But then, Tia would go balastic if she smelt another rat in the house and we'd have to get another massive cage, and i really don't know where we'd put another one. Next i thought about mice, but my mum said that she had them when she was younger and she said they were hard to tame and smelt bad. That hasn't entirely put me off, i mean, since when do 14 year old girls listen to their mums;) but still, she holds the power over whether we get another pet or not. And then i thought of gerbils. But, i know very little about gerbils, next to nothing in fact as i've never had one and not known anyone who's had one. I have a couple of questions, so here goes...

1. Can they be kept in wire cages, or can they squeeze through the bars?
2. Are they best kept in pairs or can you keep just one?
3. Do they have similar lifespans to those of hamsters?
4. Are they easy for children to handle, as technically it will be my brother's pet and he is nearly nine?
5. Are there any other special requirements that they have?

That's all:) Thanks, Zara:)

[Suki Wingy]

My sister has one, they make absolutley wonderful pets

1. Can they be kept in wire cages, or can they squeeze through the bars?
Terrence was for the first few months and he was ok.

2. Are they best kept in pairs or can you keep just one?
You can keep just one if you get an adult male who is already on his own. Otherwise they do best in pairs of two females or two LITTERMATE males.

3. Do they have similar lifespans to those of hamsters?
yes.

4. Are they easy for children to handle, as technically it will be my brother's pet and he is nearly nine?
Yes. My sister is 8 years old and he loves to be petted and sit in her hand.

5. Are there any other special requirements that they have?
They sleep off and on durring the day so they won't be upset when you go in and wake them up. Also, since they are desert animals they drink less water which = less pee which = less smell.

[Jessika]

Gerbils and hamsters are relatively the same to care for. The big differences between the two are that gerbils are less prone to bite or be agitated as easily as hamsters are, but a downfall is that they are MUCH faster than hamsters! I prefer gerbils!

To answer question number 4, yes and no. As I said, they are less prone to bite, but they are a lot faster than hamsters so sometimes small children have a hard time keeping ahold of them.

[Miss Z]

To answer question number 4, yes and no. As I said, they are less prone to bite, but they are a lot faster than hamsters so sometimes small children have a hard time keeping ahold of them.

That's probably not a problem, as Tia is as fast as lightning at times and on numerous occasions we have caught her, and Kurt (my brother) keeps hold of her very well considering that she is a bit large for his hands and squirms a lot!
Thanks for the info:)

[Suki Wingy]

http://longfellow.zoto.com/img/45/5ce337026f709c1c1ac94cb32a5abcf6.jpg
Here's Terrence :)

[Miss Z]

http://longfellow.zoto.com/img/45/5ce337026f709c1c1ac94cb32a5abcf6.jpg
Here's Terrence :)

Aw, he's really cute:D

[Suki Wingy]

I know ;) :D

[misskaratekid]

Hya every1
im writing on the off chance that you may be able to help me. My big brother just brought two gerbils, one male and one female. He has had them for a few monthsnow with no problems. However these past few days he has noticed that the male gerbil has "blown up", stays down on all 4s, keeps falling asleep and has a red discharge coming out of one of his eyes. i believe that he is eating and drinking fine and there is no scraches on his face to suggest where the red discharge may have come from other that his eye. This is very strange! he has washed the eye with salt water and is going to change the bedding tomorrow. Is there any thing else he can do? and have you hear of this before?

[Suki Wingy]

:confused: I don't know, but I do know that you should take him to a vet. If you can't afford that most Petsmarts have a cheaper Banfield vet place in them.

[buttercup132]

Washing his EYE out with salt water...uhh not the best idea seeing as salt dried things up dosent it? I dont know what to say other then go to the vet. And unless you want to add to the population of unwanted animals then seperate them so theres no babies.

[CathyBogart]

If it was just the eye I would recommend Terramycin, a non-prescription ointment that does wonders for irritated eyes on small fuzzies. But since it's more than that, I recomment a trip to the vet.