seeking Gerbil (desert rat) owners... past or current

[taxico]

i thought this section might be the best place to look for someone with gerbil experience...

my wife's clamoring for a few guinea pigs but i saw a coupla gerbils up for adoption at SPCA - how are they like?

(more questions when someone checks in here with a reply)

[taxico]

one of these...



they don't live as long as guinea pigs, so...

[poodlek]

This made me giggle a little. I had gerbils and rats as pets when I was a kid. They're easy to care for but they're nowhere near as cute or interesting as guinea pigs. If I were you I'd get the lady a guinea pig.

[taxico]

i'm not sure if i can handle the pungent aroma from guinea pigs for so many years (they live rather long if i'm not mistaken).

i have the impression that gerbils are less aromatic as they don't pee as much... <- is this true?

[poodlek]

i'm not sure if i can handle the pungent aroma from guinea pigs for so many years (they live rather long if i'm not mistaken).

i have the impression that gerbils are less aromatic as they don't pee as much... <- is this true?

I can't really comment on that as I've never actually owned a guinea pig. When I had a gerbil I cleaned the cage daily or every other day. Gerbils are probably less than half the size of guinea pigs, so it stands to reason that there's not as much pee. It would get stinky but not as bad as a cat or rabbit litter. If you're looking for a short-term pet then gerbils from the SPCA are probably the way to go...they may only last a couple months since it may be hard to know how old they already are.

[taxico]

I can't really comment on that as I've never actually owned a guinea pig. When I had a gerbil I cleaned the cage daily or every other day. Gerbils are probably less than half the size of guinea pigs, so it stands to reason that there's not as much pee. It would get stinky but not as bad as a cat or rabbit litter. If you're looking for a short-term pet then gerbils from the SPCA are probably the way to go...they may only last a couple months since it may be hard to know how old they already are.

my wife had hamsters... many hamsters... over the past many years. mostly rejects from SPCA (tumors, very ill, evil biters, etc) for a long long time. she's been rodent-less this whole year.

her hamsters' pee and poo drives me insane as their bedding was only changed once a week and the smell was really quite strong.

i would get a gerbil only if its excrement (o my god, am i saying this?) smells better. i worry my wife won't have the time to change the bedding daily.

otherwise, it's a gerbil hunt.

[poodlek]

I can't really comment on that as I've never actually owned a guinea pig. When I had a gerbil I cleaned the cage daily or every other day. Gerbils are probably less than half the size of guinea pigs, so it stands to reason that there's not as much pee. It would get stinky but not as bad as a cat or rabbit litter. If you're looking for a short-term pet then gerbils from the SPCA are probably the way to go...they may only last a couple months since it may be hard to know how old they already are.

my wife had hamsters... many hamsters... over the past many years. mostly rejects from SPCA (tumors, very ill, evil biters, etc) for a long long time. she's been rodent-less this whole year.

her hamsters' pee and poo drives me insane as their bedding was only changed once a week and the smell was really quite strong.

i would get a gerbil only if its excrement (o my god, am i saying this?) smells better. i worry my wife won't have the time to change the bedding daily.

otherwise, it's a gerbil hunt.

Gerbils aren't any different from hamsters in that respect. A guinea pig would be worse I'm sure. The cages really do need to be cleaned regularly.

[sundaymorningstaple]

Ahhhh, go the whole hog and get her a chinchilla (on the hoof, not in the cloak). I've got two dealers here in my estate. They are considerably bigger, but much cuter as well.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinchilla





And if you get tired of them......Oops! Look out for PETA

[curiousgeorge]

The thing with gerbils is their incessant burrowing. They are nocturnal so they scratch scratch scratch all night long. When I was a kid and I kept gerbils and hamsters, I would keep all my shoes by the bed so I could throw at the cage in the night to stop them scratching away. Hamsters are almost silent in comparison.

But back then, cages were wood (and gerbils WILL gnaw through it eventually). I guess these days is plastic or glass?

Guinea Pigs are really not house pets...they really need a "rabbit run" cage on grass to live naturally.

And of course, no rodents are "cuddly" pets. Gerbils are a bugger to catch when they escape :p

[poodlek]

The thing with gerbils is their incessant burrowing. They are nocturnal so they scratch scratch scratch all night long. When I was a kid and I kept gerbils and hamsters, I would keep all my shoes by the bed so I could throw at the cage in the night to stop them scratching away. Hamsters are almost silent in comparison.

But back then, cages were wood (and gerbils WILL gnaw through it eventually). I guess these days is plastic or glass?

Guinea Pigs are really not house pets...they really need a "rabbit run" cage on grass to live naturally.

And of course, no rodents are "cuddly" pets. Gerbils are a bugger to catch when they escape :p

I do remember the gerbils being pretty active at night but I was a deep sleeper so it didn't really bother me. I kept them in a wire cage with a plastic tray bottom.

I've never known anyone to keep their guinea pigs outside (that doesn't mean it doesn't happen...) but in Canada it would be quite impractical. I'm certain there are a large number of Canadian guinea pigs that are/have been quite satisfied with living indoors. I can't see it being very practical here in Singapore since there's not too many people who actually have outdoor living space to provide for them.

That said, if your wife doesn't have 20 minutes 3 times a week to clean a hamster cage, I doubt she'll be able to keep the guinea pig clean enough to keep your nose satisfied.

[taxico]

[quote="sundaymorningstaple"]Ahhhh, go the whole hog and get her a chinchilla (on the hoof, not in the cloak). I've got two dealers here in my estate. They are considerably bigger, but much cuter as well./quote]

i can't remember why, but she refuses to consider a chinchilla... might be something to do with them being frightened to death easily or something. i don't know!

[taxico]

having considered the above responses, i guess i will have to grudgingly accept hamsters... again.

their short life-span helps me, i guess...

and my wife isn't lazy about changing the cages, just that she feels the litter should not be changed to regularly... something about the hamster marking spots... or whatever.

she isn't your regular hamster owner - she buys stuff like snacks and toys for each hamster, every week! and their hamster food's kept for like 2-3 weeks and a new packet is purchased.

and the cost of those bags of sunflowers and what not ARE CRACK PRICES!

[poodlek]

having considered the above responses, i guess i will have to grudgingly accept hamsters... again.

their short life-span helps me, i guess...

and my wife isn't lazy about changing the cages, just that she feels the litter should not be changed to regularly... something about the hamster marking spots... or whatever.

she isn't your regular hamster owner - she buys stuff like snacks and toys for each hamster, every week! and their hamster food's kept for like 2-3 weeks and a new packet is purchased.

and the cost of those bags of sunflowers and what not ARE CRACK PRICES!

Interesting...

But you did say she "might not have time to clean the cage"

This brings to mind a woman I met once who never used soap (or shampoo or deodorant or anything) because it disturbed her natural body oils... IMO some things are worth disturbing!