Gerbil/hamster/guinea pig advice

[Tishtushmush]

We are looking to get gerbils for our children and wanted to do it ethically.

First up tried to find independent breeders so we weren't inadvertently buying from a gerbil farm. Have exhausted every option locally and can only buy them from pets at home.

Now all the cages online are smaller than the recommended size by Blue Cross. Any that might be more suitable are £150+ which seems a lot for gerbils.

I have a feeling I'm massively overthinking this but are there any gerbil owners who can share what they've got please?

We ruled out hamsters because they need separate cages and don't like to be near each other....again, does this tally with others experiences?

Starting to think going straight to guinea pigs might be simpler!

 

[Snippysnips]

How old are the kids? I've had small pets for years

First I've always said small pets like hamsters an gerbils are really not ideal for kids, they are nocturnal an it can't be changed, some people think if they keep them up during the day then they will eventually sleep at night but it's not the case, they are designed for being up all night an their eyesight is also designed for night so having them up during the day can make them quite irritated an nippy, gerbils are extremely destructive an quite honestly are best designed to be in a old massive fish tank where they can't bite an destroy a cage that they will escape from because I can promise you the last thing you want is escaped gerbils in the house, hamsters however you can can get away with cages but they do need to be massive an hamsters are also territorial an can an will kill one another if housed together, both fish tanks an cages will cost quite a bit for the size that's needed for them, gerbils an hamsters can cover up to 5 miles per night an they need that room to run an roam that without getting cage frustration

The cages in pet shops are far too tiny for these small animals an I've always heard of people complaining that they get one an the hamster/gerbil bit it all night an are angry nippy creatures which is a clear sign they are suffering cage frustration, people are always shocked at how large my hamsters cage is

Honestly guinea pigs are AMAZING animals especially for kids (we just got two for my 2yo neice because she loves mine) unlike hamsters an gerbils that take a lot of handling an experience so they eventually won't nip or bite, guinea pigs are really laid back, they can be skittery but unless you have your fingers right at their mouth then they aren't known to bite, they are also happy to sit on your lap although put a towel down because you get like 15mins then they pee lol, you also don't need a cage as such with them, my two are in a pen with a absorbent mat, the pen I think was £30 it was a songmics I think an it's just panels you build into whatever shape you want, I didn't put the bottom panels on an gave them a larger area since they have a mat, but the rule with guinea pigs is a minimum of 2, guinea pigs NEED a companion as they can die from loneliness, but apart from that they are quite easy to look after, they rely on each other for social needs an companionship an don't need vaccinations or anything, it's also rare they get anything wrong with them an they can live up to around 8/10 years, all you'd need to do is learn how to clip their nails which is easy enough as they usually sit there

 

[Tishtushmush]

@Snippysnips oh wow, thank you! You covered everything

I would prefer gerbils to hamsters because my understanding is that they are diurnal so more likely to be up in the day...also I had gerbils when I was a kid and they were lovely pets. However it's starting to feel like a massive faff and, as you say, perhaps not the best choice for small kids. I can't believe how unsuitable the cages are that are being sold online. I'd seen fish tanks were good but we need to be able to transport them if going on holiday (to the inlaws, not on holiday with us!) so I'm thinking they're not going to work for us.

Sounds like guinea pigs are going to be the better option, the song mic pens look great although we will be adding a cat or dog in the future so would need something more secure for then! Are guinea pigs okay with the TV? I read gerbils can be distressed by it so wondered whether GPs are the same.

 

[Snippysnips]

Glad to help, small pets are great for kids an I've always had them since I was 2, gerbils can be fine apart from their living requirements tbh, like I say it's better with a fish tank because you don't know if you will get ones that will be bad chewers or not, I've had some that I've gotten away with cages an some that ate their way out an went on a destruction spree round the house which was not pretty

Guinea pigs are fine with the TV so long as it's not blasting, ours are in the living room an have been totally fine with the TV, they just get a bit freaked out if it comes on an it's crazy loud before we turn it down, they are quite funny as well, ours have learned the fridge keeps their veg an start to go crazy whenever we are near it now, you will need to keep up with some little wooden things because their teeth keep growing an they need to knaw them down, we like the willow balls for ours an their diet is quite easy as well, 80% hay 15% nuggets 3% veg an fruit an 2% treats, the bag of food will tell you how much to give, some people worry because it doesn't look much but their diet is mostly hay so it's fine, a little hideout as well is good for them so they have something to hide into, guinea pigs are prey animals so they need little hiding places, but really piggys are amazing starter pets for kids because of their laid back nature

 

[Tishtushmush]

Glad to help, small pets are great for kids an I've always had them since I was 2, gerbils can be fine apart from their living requirements tbh, like I say it's better with a fish tank because you don't know if you will get ones that will be bad chewers or not, I've had some that I've gotten away with cages an some that ate their way out an went on a destruction spree round the house which was not pretty

Guinea pigs are fine with the TV so long as it's not blasting, ours are in the living room an have been totally fine with the TV, they just get a bit freaked out if it comes on an it's crazy loud before we turn it down, they are quite funny as well, ours have learned the fridge keeps their veg an start to go crazy whenever we are near it now, you will need to keep up with some little wooden things because their teeth keep growing an they need to knaw them down, we like the willow balls for ours an their diet is quite easy as well, 80% hay 15% nuggets 3% veg an fruit an 2% treats, the bag of food will tell you how much to give, some people worry because it doesn't look much but their diet is mostly hay so it's fine, a little hideout as well is good for them so they have something to hide into, guinea pigs are prey animals so they need little hiding places, but really piggys are amazing starter pets for kids because of their laid back nature

Thank you, decision made- the kids are very excited to be going straight to guinea pigs!

That info is so helpful, thank you. I think it's important that if we get pets that we look after them properly but it's also meant I've felt a bit intimated by getting right and my kids have been waiting for ages for their first pet

One more question (sorry!) - how often do you change the absorbent pad? I'm worried it will get smelly or be messy to clear up?

 

[Snippysnips]

Thank you, decision made- the kids are very excited to be going straight to guinea pigs!

That info is so helpful, thank you. I think it's important that if we get pets that we look after them properly but it's also meant I've felt a bit intimated by getting right and my kids have been waiting for ages for their first pet

One more question (sorry!) - how often do you change the absorbent pad? I'm worried it will get smelly or be messy to clear up?

You are doing everything right, some people would just go out an buy one of those tiny cages an put 2 hamsters in, so the fact you are researching is amazing they will be lucky pets indeed

An feel free to ask whatever, don't apologise, I sweep up their cage daily an then swap mats out to clean the dirty when I feel it's getting a bit bad, it seems to average around 3/4 days give or take a few, you will be able to judge it yourself, I tried toilet training an it's a 50/50 if piggys will take to it an mine did not so what I done was got a cat litter tray, filled it with small animal litter an then put all their hay into one of those hay bags an hung it up an to be able to eat the hay they need to be in the tray as pigs will eat an do the toilet at the same time lol

Also note that if you get males then don't worry if they are making a little rumbling noise at one or another, males rumble strut it's called an it can look like fighting but it's just them trying to be dominant, my boys are almost 3 an still occasionally do it, it's rare that they will actually fully fight especially when bought together but they will rumble strut

 

[zoominmoom]

I currently have guinea pigs, had hamsters a few years ago and had gerbils as a kid. I can't remember much about gerbils but will say a few things about pigs and hamsters that may or may not be helpful

- Guineas are easier to handle than hamsters as they're bigger, slower and less prone to biting. They're also awake in the day. Because of this I'd say they make much better pets for kids.
- Guineas can live a lot longer than hamsters so are more of a commitment but also you (hopefully) have to deal with death of a pet less often.
- Guineas thrive with a companion. Syrian hamsters need to be alone. Some other types of hamsters (dwarf hamsters I think) can live with a friend.
- Guineas need pretty large cages. I have 2 boys and bought them a 5x2 cage from here https://kaveecage.co.uk/collections/white-c-c-cages-for-guinea-pigs. I think that's the minimum recommended space for 2 guineas.
- Guineas are more work (in my opinion) than hamsters. Hamsters are pretty clean creatures and almost toilet train themselves, in my experience. They tend to wee in one corner so it's a lot easier to clean them out. Guinea pigs are very messy and pee and poo everywhere and seem to produce about 100 poos a day! Some people say you can toilet train them. In my experience you can influence where they go (they tend to prefer dark spaces, or to use the toilet while eating) but still only about 60% of their toileting happens where you want it to. This means you have to spend a lot more time cleaning them and picking up their poos than with hamsters. Also, guinea pig hay gets everywhere in my house and my washing machine gets clogged with guinea pig hair
- Guineas are more sickly than hamsters, I think. This may be down to bad luck on my part though. I didn't once have to take my hamsters to the vet. They were healthy for a couple of years then they seemed to die almost instantly! My pigs have had far more vet trips and sometimes get upset stomachs from stuff like changing the type of hay I give them.
- I think female guinea pigs are less likely to fight each other than males. I've had 4 boys in total and some of them had to be separated because the fighting wouldn't end. Having said that, my 2 current boys love each other, so they can get along!

Guinea pigs are really cute little pets and like Snippysnips said, they sit on your lap so you can stroke them. They also make really cute noises when you open the fridge and mine squeak when they hear us come down in the morning. I just wanted to be honest about how much more work I've found them to be than hamsters as if you're children are going to be looking after them this might be a factor. If you're going to be the designated poo picker up then I thought you ought to be pre-warned

Edited to say ours are in the living room and exposed to TV noise, music and general human noise all day long. They're not bothered by it as they get used to it. If I hoover near their cage they hide in one of their huts, but they come back out as soon as the noise stops and don't seem at all traumatised by it.

 

[Former_Antelopee]

There’s a page on Facebook called ‘Guinea Pig rehome and rescue network UK’ where people post Guinea pigs they are looking to rehome or rescues who are looking for homes for Guinea pigs. I think you can also make a post saying you live in a certain area asking if anyone has any that need homes and people will comment with options.
What about a pair of rabbits? Can litter train them so less messy. I prefer Guinea pigs though
I would say get a cat I’d never have a small animal again too much work

 

[ATV2021]

Also with Gerbils (I've had every single pet rodent under the sun ), when mine hit their puberty, they had a literal bloodbath of a fight and had to be separated from that point so isn't always a guarantee they can live in pairs long term either - mine were in a huge fish tank with space to burrow, they used to sleep curled up together and everything until they decided to Glasgow smile one another.

I always like the noises of guineas when you'd come in. Only thing I found with GP is that they can....pass on quite suddenly without much warning. I had GPs and Rabbits too (jeez I literally have owned everything ) and the rabbits were so funny.

I do agree with the above poster RE a cat instead though easier to keep clean vs any animal who habits in a cage type environment lol
---
ETA - hamsters are psycho I had one who was lovely, the rest I'd got rescue ones (helped my local charity as a foster carer then nobody ever adopted the poor sods). The noctural part is a nightmare. Mine were also kept in tanks with climbing apparatus as they love a bar chew, but the wheel noise, even the "silent" ones. Absolutely never again

 

[Former_Antelopee]

Also with Gerbils (I've had every single pet rodent under the sun ), when mine hit their puberty, they had a literal bloodbath of a fight and had to be separated from that point so isn't always a guarantee they can live in pairs long term either - mine were in a huge fish tank with space to burrow, they used to sleep curled up together and everything until they decided to Glasgow smile one another.

I always like the noises of guineas when you'd come in. Only thing I found with GP is that they can....pass on quite suddenly without much warning. I had GPs and Rabbits too (jeez I literally have owned everything ) and the rabbits were so funny.

I do agree with the above poster RE a cat instead though easier to keep clean vs any animal who habits in a cage type environment lol
---
ETA - hamsters are psycho I had one who was lovely, the rest I'd got rescue ones (helped my local charity as a foster carer then nobody ever adopted the poor sods). The noctural part is a nightmare. Mine were also kept in tanks with climbing apparatus as they love a bar chew, but the wheel noise, even the "silent" ones. Absolutely never again

Yeh I rehomed my Guinea pigs because I didn’t have enough time for them. I work nights so in the winter it’d be too dark when I got home and too dark when I got up. I had to keep them outside. The cats are easy. I found someone on that page I mentioned to rehome the Guinea pigs. They went to a lady who had a huge outdoor enclosure with a heated hutch area for them and would take them into air con if too hot. Definitely have a better time now than when I had them

 

[Tishtushmush]

@Snippysnips thank you - I'm sure I'll be taking you up on that offer, we went to look at supplies in our local shop and ended up reserving two guinea pigs. So decision made still in one day I found a decent size pen and a place selling locally bred guinea pigs...something I'd been at looking at for a couple of months for gerbils!

@Former_Antelopee @ATV2021 @zoominmoom thank you as well, it's so helpful to hear others experiences. I came to the same conclusion about a cat yesterday, definitely something to be said for an animal that likes it's independence. As soon as I looked into hamsters I knew I didn't want to deal with them

We've reserved some boy guinea pigs that were bred locally, didn't intend to do that yesterday but my kids fell for them as soon as they saw them. Hopefully they keep getting along I've read that two of everything and changing up their play stuff can help...let's hope so!

 

[Snippysnips]

Good luck with your new piggys, it can definitely help having two of everything but we just have the one food bowl an it's been fine, I'd recommend Timothy hay for them, straw is useless, the Timothy hay we get has peppers, pumpkin an I think dandelions in it, it helps with their vit C as piggys can't produce that on their own, so if you notice a missing tooth then it's a sign they aren't getting enough, don't freak as it will grow back again (their teeth are constantly growing) but you will need to make sure you try an include anything they can eat that has vit C in it to help

 

[Tishtushmush]

We collected our guinea pigs today! Thank you for all your advice, so happy we've gone with guinea pigs - they're already full of character and I'm sure that will just increase as they settle in.
Stocked up on timothy hay, veg and pellets!

I'm a little concerned the water bottle is too low for them, should they glug the water or is a little sip-pause-little sip normal? One turns it's head to the side to drink from it (should see what I mean in the photo!). We can't lift it higher because we went with a lid, thinking I might need to get a smaller bottle to raise it up a bit (turns out I bought a bottle far larger than is needed!).

 

[Snippysnips]

Awww they are adorable an don't worry about the water, mines is like that as well, they haven't had a problem turning their head, but if it worrys you then maybe see about getting a bowl instead, mines didn't like the bowl but they are all different

 

[Tishtushmush]

O

Awww they are adorable an don't worry about the water, mines is like that as well, they haven't had a problem turning their head, but if it worrys you then maybe see about getting a bowl instead, mines didn't like the bowl but they are all different

Thank you, that's reassuring to know, hopefully they'll master it soon then.

 

[Rocknrolla]

So sweet, do they have names yet?

 

[Tishtushmush]

So sweet, do they have names yet?

They are called Brownie and Squeaky, you can probably tell that my kids named them

 

[zoominmoom]

Mine drink like that as well! As long as you can see bubbles when they're drinking to indicate water is actually being sucked out, and as long as the water is going down, it should be fine. We tried water bowls instead but mine just ignored them and flung poops into them.

 

[Saddlesoap]

Further things I wanted to add:

Find and register with a vet who is happy to deal with guinea pigs (sounds absurd I know, but as I vet nurse I hear plenty of stories of vets refusing to see small mammals )

The majority of their food should be hay. Don't go over the top on pellets and veg. Some veggies will make them smell.

Get yourself a wash bag to put their bedding in before going in your machine as you'll never get all the hay off it. White vinegar in the wash helps neutralise any smells.

Make sure they get some time outside on the grass. Studies are indicating that indoor guinea pigs may be more prone to bladder stones.

Enjoy!