what are those things that look like giant gerbils with tails please?

[nightowl]

and what do you know about them?

chinchillas?

Chinchillas? I want one.

desert rat things? sandy colour? fast and cute...that all i know!

chincillas? they have the densest fur of any animal in the world apparently...

jirds?

They bathe in sand.

You can keep them as pets in a cage.

They will bite you if you are about 7 and poke your fingers in the cage repeatedly, despite every adult in the room telling not to do so.

Chinchillas? Look incredibly cute and fluffy, but have a feeling they are not completely STRAIGHTFORWARD as pets, unreasonable demands etc... Could always turn them into cute muffler or something if it all went wrong I spose...

smaller than a chinchilla and brown, bigger than a hamster. i asked the girl in the shop twice and cant remember what she said, i wanted to look them up on the internet..shirsomething?

thats what i was thinking jirds, spelling it GERDS wasnt helping with my googling

jirds? exactly like gerbils but much bigger?

www.freewebs.com/rspca_medway_west/degu3.jpg
a degu????

chipmunks?

dh kept them as pets for years. were v. sweet but needed a tall cage with bits of tree in it.

jird

www.erodent.co.uk/PersianJirdIndex.htm

Is this it?

thats it wandering trolley! i knew i'd find my answer on mumsnet.

i think it was a shaw's jird. they are CUTE.

next question...

ahem, say i were to buy one of said rodent..i would need a glass tank with catproof lid. where can i get one with a good lid the cats couldn't open?

cats might not be thats bothered, but get 2 or more, i think they are a socialable animal.

if your getting a deagu they need pretty big cages i used to have one and they can be hard to sex they told me mine was a boy and 3 weeks later i had 6!