Anyone got a pet gerbil?

I have had a pet rat. He was called Fred, and he was a ledge :) Boys can be a bit smelly though and have MASSIVE balls, if they're for your kids (therefore you'll have to threaten them with death to get the animals cleaned out) you might be better with a girl.
 
Rats!!!! Cleaner than Hamsters + more entertainment and intelligent, Started off with two males and now have 3 females. Females are a lot cleaner than males which scent mark so you have to clean up a little after they been out. Males are lazy, come out and find places to snooze but are a little more daring ( mine would jump off anything 2m + flying through the air to land on your arm etc. Females which I recommend are clean dont bite, worst mine have done is like a little test bite but they dont actually apply any pressure. Males were a little more nippy if scared or grabbed from above which is a big no no as they are not expecting it. They will lick food from fingers without nipping, but cage size might be an issue as you would prob be looking at two to three + as they are social. I use recycled cat litter pellets safe for them and just empties straight into a black bag with no damn mess stuck to bottom which I found with hamsters.
 
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The only time I was ever bitten by my rats (I had about 6 over the years) was when they thought it was food, normally only a tester bite as above before they realised their error and started licking.

Once you've had a rat making bopping noises in your ear as a sign of affection you'll never go back to another rodent!
 
Look into my eyes!!!!

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you cannot resist :D
 
BunnyKillBot said:
What the hell is with the rat fan club invading this thread. Gerbils are fantastic. Rat tails are hairless and gross. gtfo.
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Having kept both, rats are far, far better and more interactive pets. Gerbils are fun to watch, rats are fun to own.

Especially where kids are involved. I thoroughly enjoyed keeping rats whereas my gerbils were only really fun to watch as they went about constructing awesome burrows.
 
I was wondering about this the other day as well. I would like a pet and was thinking rodent but just how interactive can you be with a gerbil? I want a pet I can hold, watch TV with etc. I dont want something that has to be caged up all the time.

Hmmm after seeing all the rat-replies Im gonna check out rats! What age do you usually get a ratlet (is that what they call baby rats?)? Can you hold them and stuff?
 
KatanaDV20 said:
I was wondering about this the other day as well. I would like a pet and was thinking rodent but just how interactive can you be with a gerbil? I want a pet I can hold, watch TV with etc. I dont want something that has to be caged up all the time.

Hmmm after seeing all the rat-replies Im gonna check out rats! What age do you usually get a ratlet (is that what they call baby rats?)? Can you hold them and stuff?
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I think they go on sale at around 5-6 weeks old, Pretty damn small. They can be a bit nervous at first and you have to leave them in the cage for a couple of days to settle. after that you can start to handle them with care as they will be nervous and tend to run away. after a week or so they will be happy and won't leave your sight. they get used to your scent so introduce yourself slowly as to avoid the nipping and once they know you they should never bite you ever. Males are the lazy ones and will happily snooze on your lap etc but can be a bit messy when they mark their spot :), Females are squeaky clean stay quite small and are more hyper so will tend to run around more. I recommend 3 or 4, two is ok but they all have their own personality and are very social so prefer to have company :)
 
i had lots of gerbils and id say they are better for children than a hamster. after they get used to you they never bite. they need LOTS of wood if kept in a tank and not so much if in a cage as they will wear their teeth on the bars. they are more antisocial when kept in a tank. they pretty much have adhd and always want to be doing something, chewing, eating, running around, sleeping. they will sit in ur hand and eat or chew stuff, otherwise they get bored in about 30seconds and will tell u with a gentle nip (they know not to bite you properly) lol. DONT give them a wheel they will eat it in one night!! they like to run around the floor and they are quick! and get 2 of the SAME sex.

rats and mice smell, gerbils dont.

googling will tell u more about how they act and stuff
 
daz87uk said:
I think they go on sale at around 5-6 weeks old, Pretty damn small. They can be a bit nervous at first and you have to leave them in the cage for a couple of days to settle. after that you can start to handle them with care as they will be nervous and tend to run away. after a week or so they will be happy and won't leave your sight. they get used to your scent so introduce yourself slowly as to avoid the nipping and once they know you they should never bite you ever. Males are the lazy ones and will happily snooze on your lap etc but can be a bit messy when they mark their spot :), Females are squeaky clean stay quite small and are more hyper so will tend to run around more. I recommend 3 or 4, two is ok but they all have their own personality and are very social so prefer to have company :)
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Ahh ok cheers for that m8 :) Will be doing some research over the next week. Good point on getting more than one forgot about the social aspect...!
 
KatanaDV20 said:
Ahh ok cheers for that m8 :) Will be doing some research over the next week. Good point on getting more than one forgot about the social aspect...!
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:) no problem, pet shops usually advise against having 1 rat as they get lonely and like to sleep and socialise together :). you will need a cage in the region of £80 to £100 to accommodate them. can pick them up a bit cheaper 2nd hand. but new they normally come with a bit of kit. They love rope and wooden ledges to climb, but don't bother with wheel's or balls as they are quite intelligent and generally don't use them or like them as much as other rodents.
 
[FnG]magnolia;21452351 said:
This reminds me of that marvellous story about the acclaimed actor Richard Gere. So, it appears that Mr Gere decided to [censored][censored][censored][censored][censored], thinking it was a good idea but then he had to go to hospital because [censored][censored][censored][censored] but the medics couldn't get them all out!

True story.
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So, not having heard this before I was intrigued, upon typing richard gere into google, I was made to lol!;

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I used to have a few,although the breeding got out of hand lol,i sold all the young to a local petshop,i had mine in a large fish tank half filled with moist peat,then a cage over the top then plastic tunnels going all over the room,had(had a spare room at the time).
Mine were very sociable and loved being handled,if you have the right cage/tank etc they are happy:)
 
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