Gerbils or hamster??

[Sometimeswinning]

I've always been against this type of pet but as dd4 is asking for one I thought I would do some research. Apparently Gerbils are more family friendly than Hamsters. Anyone with advice?

Guinea pigs all the way!

We had the friendliest hamster in the world. She would always pop out to see who was walking past, and was very confident. She was 2 and a half when she died. Still miss her.

Gerbils are a bit weird and hamsters always bite! Definitely guinea pigs, they’re lovely little creatures

Look up degus. Degus are ace.

I love gerbils, had 3 at one point as a child and they were brilliant. The Russian dwarf hamster we had was a evil little thing and would frequently escape and bite very hard! Never had guinea pigs, I prefer rabbits personally.

We had a hamster but I wish we'd had gerbils! They are around more in the day.

Guinea pigs are great and cute but it depends if you've enough room to keep them. We've an outdoor room ours are in as they can get too damp outside, I don't want them in our house as the hay really smells and is messy!

@TheFuckingDogs

Guinea pigs all the way!

Yes! They are also better than fucking dogs

I'm already confused! Guinea pigs my friend had and they met with an untimely end which I'm not over.
Degus? Are they like chinchillas? I'm googling everything!

Rats. Rats are the best rodents! 🐀

Guinea pigs. Ours lived about 8 years. Friendly, squeaky, funny, not nocturnal (not sure of the word!), not aggressive like some rabbits

Defo guinea pigs...our little boy is 2yo and we have 2...so easy to look after and will sit for ages on ur lap xx

Gerbils are a bit smaller and very very fast, not really suitable for a small child to hold. You also need a cage that allows them to burrow. The one at pets at home is much too small. That said they are very sweet little creatures. Hamsters can be very tame if handled lots but again, probably not great for small children.

@queenofcatan that would be my first choice. I've been vetoed. Gutted.

We've had both. Hamster was lovely but only woke up just as DS was going to bed. Gerbils chew everything. Really, everything, including right through their plastic cage.

My friend had 3 gerbils. Came in one day and they had massacred each other. Grim.
Hamsters are nocturnal-they bite because you want to play - they want to sleep!
Rats are amazing pets op.

We've had Russian Dwarf hamsters and Roborovski's which imo are too small and fast for younger children to handle. So if going for a hamster I'd get a Syrian.

We currently have 3 gerbils and they're lovely. They're more active in the daytime than hamsters and don't need cleaning out as often. Easier to handle than the tiny hamsters but a Syrian may be easier.

Guinea Pigs are great pets but need much more space.

Nope. Dwarf rabbits 🥰

Gerbils are really inquisitive, interesting to watch as they build tunnels and make their homes, they don’t live as long as guinea pigs or degus though, which I find sad.

Don’t get them unless you want them. No 4 year old should be responsible for animals. I would say rodents aren’t great for a child that young, because they’re easily frightened or hurt by rough handling. They’re friendly if they’re handled regularly and gently, but can bite if they’re scared, which could make a child drop them in response, leading to injured or escaped pets.

I had gerbils as a child and loved them. The bulk of the care fell to my mum when I was young, but I did help especially as I got older.

Rats!! Oh my gosh my best ever pet was a rat who came to her name, fetched a ball and played basketball with it. So sweet and would sit on my shoulders all evening.
Like all these animals being mentioned though, you need to slowly slowly socialise then and that takes a lot of time and patience wi tv you little might not have x

I would second rats for that age group, but it that's not possible, gerbils over hamsters.

@Brighterthansunflowers no my 4 year old will not be responsible for the care of an animal. She's good but not that good!

@LuckiestB that sounds lovely. I'm not allowed. However my birthday is coming up. Maybe I tell the 4 year old she's too young and I get my rats!

We had both- the Syrian hamster was very good natured and friendly, never bit but was active later in the evening and at night. Gerbils were cute and such fun to watch, but they did not like being handled and would not sit in your hand, always on the move. They were easier to clean and did not smell at all.
For younger child I would go for Syrian hamster but ensure that it is handled regularly, taken out of the cage and let to run about as they need their excersise.
Loved letting the gerbils out to run though, they enjoy exploring whatever new was around.

Sounds like the perfect present to me! My present to myself a few years ago was a hairless fancy rat - she was beautiful and so unusual. Good luck with your choice!

This has been no help as I now want a rat!

Thankyou for the advice. I think I will go with a gerbil for her. I love animals but have always been an outside type pet person or fish!