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Posted by Lucien on March 14, 2003 at 13:24:43:
In Reply to: Re: What\'s the difference? posted by suziegerbil on March 12, 2003 at 17:46:27:
Actually there's a lot of differences. Gerbils tend to be quicker, more active and better to handle. They're desert animals, so their cleaning requirements are way less. With a hamster, a cage would need to be changed weekly. With a Gerbil (or 2, unless you can interact with one gerbil alot, they do better with a same sex cagemate) once every 2 weeks or even 3 is sufficient. Their waste is dry, their urine doesn't smell nearly so much and they don't bite very often. I've been breeding and raising Gerbils for 10 years now, and have only been bitten once.. and that one was a bit neurotic to begin with. Hamsters on the other hand, have a terrible habit of biting. I raised Chinese Dwarf Hamsters for a while too and was always getting bit. The one thing with a gerbil is they chew and dig incessantly. They love it so putting them in a Habitrail or anything else plastic is a definate no-no. You'd do better with a screen topped 10 gallon aquarium. They can have vegetables and fruits in small quantities say once or twice a week.. too much will generally give them loose stools. They LOVE sunflower seeds.. but they should only be fed as a treat. They'll gain too much weight otherwise. And they're surprisingly hardy. They're affected by very few diseases or infections. So all in all, Gerbil(s) would be your best bet for a 5 yr old.. though supervision is necessary. They can be quite quick when they want to be.
Hope that helps ya out and good luck.
Lucien