# Mouse or hamster?



## Hero-wuff (Sep 27, 2012)

I'm thinking about getting my 7yr old sister a mouse or a hamster for her birthday. She always wants to play with my rats so I thought I'd give her her own little fuzzy animal.

I have owned 5 hamsters growing up and I know they are pretty good for little people ( I got my first one when I was 5)
But I have never owned a mouse so I don't know if they are good for young people.
I thought of a mouse because they resemble rats and I can tell her she has her own mini rat to keep her off mine. 

She will want to handle it lots too 

So which is best for a 7/8 yr old?


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## TexasRatties (Jun 2, 2013)

I would actually say mouse they are easy and fun. I have had a few mice and they are sweet little pets. I think a 7 year old could handle it.


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## nanashi7 (Jun 5, 2013)

I would avoid a mouse, as it is much like a miniaturized rat. They can be quick and jumpy, so they aren't the best for young kids handling.
This may be way off from what you want, but I found guinea pigs were great for kids -- they are big enough they aren't liable for squeezing to death and tend to be mellow.


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## Mitsy (Apr 8, 2013)

I've never owned a mouse but sense she is young and a mouse is small I wouldn't get one for her because she could easily drop it from it squirming or accidentally squish it. I would say a hamster I have had them as long as I can remember. Before giving her it you should keep it and tame it so she is able to handle and play with it, that being said hamster cages in stores are not big enough for a hamster so if you do get her a hamster try to get a hamster cage that is on the big side. Who will be helping her care for the animal? 


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## AJ Black-Savage (Aug 6, 2013)

What about getting her a couple of gerbils? They can be very easily tamed and would be easier for her to handle than a mouse (we have both and trust me give me a gerbil any day) our two boy gerbils sit on our hands to eat treats, cuddle to us and are a joy to be around  they don't smell either  when we have kids and they want a pet they will be getting gerbils  xxxxxxxx


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## TexasRatties (Jun 2, 2013)

A gerbil is a good idea I agree with that. I am sure it's probably bigger than you want but a bunny could be fun too.


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## Hero-wuff (Sep 27, 2012)

Guinea pigs are adorable and I'd live one but I don't think we have enough room for a cage for it, it will be in her bedroom. Same for a bunny. 
I have never had much interest in gerbils but it might be because I have never had one. I'll do more research on them. 
Mixed reviews on mice by the looks of it so perhaps either a gerbil or a ham ham? Syrian hams are pretty big, not sure how big gerbils get, also a bit worried about their tails?


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## nanashi7 (Jun 5, 2013)

I would try a gerbil. When I had hamsters, they were never nice. Keep in mind that I had them around her age and probably was very similar to her. I know they can be sweet but a childhood of not having them be cute to me has made it hard to get myself to buy one. I _almost_ went to the gerbil world instead of rats because I found them very similar personally, but their little human-y legs freaked me out XD


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## AJ Black-Savage (Aug 6, 2013)

Hero-wuff, why are you worried about their tails? I have quite a few pics of my boys so will upload some now  xxxxxx


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## AJ Black-Savage (Aug 6, 2013)

The black one is shadows (he is our biggest boy and always has been) the white one is Rev and the little sandy one is our late boy Syn (really I only posted one of him is cause I get upset as he passed away only a week ago) they are brothers and about a year old. 

We have two girls too in a separate tank  

Xxxxxxx


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## Xerneas (Aug 6, 2013)

If she's seven, she's going to have a lot of kiddie clumsiness even if she understands how important it is to handle animals responsibly. So for that I would recommend something hardy that can handle a fall and won't scurry off into the closet never to be seen again in the process. If guinea pigs and rabbits won't happen, I would probably recommend a Syrian hamster. I've had about seven or eight hamsters in my life and the Syrians were my favourite. Boy, talking about this makes me want to go pick up a hamster again lol.

I don't have any experience with gerbils but they are very cute, I've heard they are friendly and look like they would be suitable. I believe they do better in pairs. However, a piece of advice to you is that wherever you go to pick the pet up, whether it be gerbils or hamsters, make sure you get one that is not absolutely terrified of you in the tank. Ask to handle them, and make sure whichever one you choose will tolerate being picked up. Of course any animal will require some trust training but I've found that hamsters, while IMO are easily socialised, can be an absolute pain and be nippy if they aren't tamed. That's the last thing you want!

May I ask why rats are out of the picture? I'm assuming it's because a proper cage for them can be costly or because of their high risks of URIs and tumours but I think rats would make a great pet for a 7/8 year old. Otherwise, I think a Syrian is a good choice.


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## Hero-wuff (Sep 27, 2012)

I just heard stories of their tails coming off and I was just a little worried.

I have done some research and I think I'll be going for a couple of gerbils for her, what is the best cage for them? I have a large hamster cage but I read they like to chew lots?


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## Hero-wuff (Sep 27, 2012)

Sorry I didn't see yours there, yeah another cage with two more rats is too much to handle, especially since I'll likely be the one cleaning them out. Gerbils are apparently pretty clean to start with so they seem to be the best choice so far. 


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## nanashi7 (Jun 5, 2013)

Gerbils are a bit bigger than hamsters. From my understanding, they do well in big tanks because of digging. http://www.smallanimalchannel.com/gerbils/gerbil-housing/ideal-gerbil-cage.aspx


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## Xerneas (Aug 6, 2013)

A gerbil's tail can come off due to improper handling. If you are nervous about this I recommend talking to her about it and showing her how to handle them and warning her about it. 

I don't have any hands on experience with gerbils but I have read about them a lot... They do like to chew, so supply them with a lot of chew toys. You can even make your own at home by soaking a popsicle stick in some kind of juice and baking it instead of buying a bunch of food dyed wood at the petstore for $10... How big is the hamster cage? Do you have a picture? How many gerbils are you planning to get? And as Nanashi said, small animals like mice and gerbils can do quite well in tanks.


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## AJ Black-Savage (Aug 6, 2013)

They love toilet roll tubes and wooden crews  
Our black boy shadows loves powersliding off our arms and stuff,the bugger. Yes they can shed their tails to avoid predators but in the whole time we have had them, never once have we had to pick them up by their tails. We have ours well trained. They do have a lot of similarities to rats (well they are really dessert rats) xxxxxxx


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## Hero-wuff (Sep 27, 2012)

I have decided on gerbils and have my mams permission so it's set. I also showed my sister pictures of gerbils to make sure she liked them. Her birthday is Christmas Day so it will be a while before I get them but at least I'll have time to look for a cheap enough cage and such.
Yay, I'm excited 


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## AJ Black-Savage (Aug 6, 2013)

Yay 
I love gerbils.... They are a great way of warming a kid to a rodent that has a tail and can jump etc  if I go from handling the rats to handling the gerbils the size difference is weird,lol  some people like different coat colourings too... With our boys, as we originally had 3 we wanted different colours to get tell them apart....

Just do trust training with them like you would a rat  xxxxxx


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## Hero-wuff (Sep 27, 2012)

Yeah, I am going to get a new gerbilarium for about £40 then the gerbils are £10 each so it's gonna be pretty expensive but I am totally up for it 
I am getting them maybe a week or two before Christmas (her birthday) so that I can handle them and get them used to us.


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