Gerbil vs Hamster: Which Pet Should You Get? (Pros & Cons) | PangoVet (2025)

You’d be forgiven for not realizing that there’s a difference between gerbils and hamsters. They’re both small rodents that look pretty similar. Caring for them requires the same habitat and similar supplies. But there are some notable differences in their temperament and personalities that you’ll want to learn about if you’re trying to decide which of these pets is the best fit for your family.

Visual Differences

A Quick Overview

Gerbil Overview

When it comes to pet gerbils, there’s one primary breed. In the wild, there are several, but most domesticatedgerbils are Mongolian gerbilsbred in captivity. Theyare very small pets, usually just 3-4 inches in length, with a tail that’s about the length of their body.

Because of their small size, they’re not the best for very small children who can seriously injure the gerbil by being too rough or dropping it. Also, gerbils tend to bite if they’re hurt or scared.

• Related Read:5 Gerbil Sounds and Their Meanings (with Audio)

Personality

Gerbils go through several sleep cycles in a single day. They’re not nocturnal animals, but they’re often active at night. Unlike hamsters, mice, and other rodents, you’ll often catch your gerbil sitting upright on its back legs.

These little rodents are known for their curious nature. They’re always trying to explore, which can make them quite entertaining to watch.In the wild, gerbils live in colonies. As such, they’re very social animals. They’re best suited for homes that have more than one since they don’t like to be alone.

Training

The most important part of training a gerbil is hand-taming. This means getting the gerbil used to being handled so that they don’t get scared or bite when you reach out for them. Luckily, since they’re such social creatures, to begin with, hand-taming a gerbil can be pretty easy.

However, that’s not the only training that gerbils are capable of. These are capable of learning several tricks or concepts. For instance, you can train a gerbil to use a litter box. They’ll even learn to respond to their name with a little practice. And if you get them well-adjusted to you, you can even get them to jump into your outstretched hand when you put it in their enclosure.

Care

Caring for gerbils is relatively easy. They don’t need too much space. If you have two, the fewest you should keep together, you’ll do fine with an enclosure that’s about a foot wide and two feet long. Of course, it certainly won’t hurt to house them in a larger space.

Wire cages will suffice to house your gerbil. However, most owners prefer a glass aquarium with a secure mesh lid. This allows you to pile up the substrate so that it’s deep enough for your gerbils to burrow into since they are natural burrowers. Also, gerbils are very likely to kick a lot of the substrate out of a wire cage when they attempt to burrow, continually creating new messes for you to clean.

You’ll also need to provide your gerbils with a nest box to hide out and sleep. A ceramic nest is ideal, though you can use wood. Wood will slowly get destroyed through chewing, but it’s still better than plastic, which can be destroyed pretty quickly. As an alternative, you can try a clay flowerpot.

Feeding a gerbil is easy. You’ll want to use gerbil food, which you can find at any pet store. They’re often loose seed mixtures or rodent blocks.

Health

Gerbils are susceptible to colds, diarrhea, fleas, and mites. Luckily, they are all treatable, though they can significantly shorten your gerbil’s life if not taken care of quickly.Dropping your gerbil can cause shock, which might result in convulsions. A drop from high enough can break bones or even kill your gerbil.

These little rodents are also very susceptible to heatstroke and heat stress, which can kill them. To prevent this, make sure their enclosure is well-ventilated. Finally, make sure not to pick your gerbil up by the tail. This can cause irreparable damage to your little friend.

• Related Read:Do Gerbils Make Good Pets? What You Need to Know!

Hamster Overview

There are quite a few breeds of hamsters, many of which are often found as pets. Chinese Hamsters aren’t as common as other breeds. They’re only 4 inches long but not Dwarf Hamsters, a more common type. Dwarf hamsters come in several varieties, including the Roborovskis and Russians, which are more commonly found in pet stores than Chinese hamsters.

However, Syrian Hamsters are the type of hamster most commonly kept as pets. They come in several colors and even go by a few names. They’re much larger than either Dwarf or Chinese hamsters.

Personality

A few breeds of hamsters are social, though most are not. Unlike gerbils, most hamsters do much better as solitary pets. They’re also very active, so when you pick a hamster out, you’ll want to look for one that’s eating or running around their enclosure.

Even though hamsters aren’t social when it comes to other hamsters, they tend to be pretty social with their people, showing friendly personalities and docile temperaments. They’re generally comfortable with handling and rarely ever bite.

Unlike gerbils, hamsters are nocturnal. You won’t see them being very active during the day. Most of their activity will occur in the evening, so you may not want to keep their enclosure near your bed.

Training

Hamsters can be trained to be comfortable with human contact. However, they aren’t able to be trained for much else. Even training them to be held will take a little patience and persistence. You’ll want to give a hamster at least a week to adjust to its new home before you start handling it. Once you do, you’ll need to earn its trust.

When your hamster is relaxed, you can start attempting to handle it. You’ll know your hamster is relaxed when it’s eating, drinking, and even playing with you.You can get your hamster used to it quicker by spending time near its cage and quietly talking to it until it’s used to your voice.

Generally, young hamsters are much easier to train and tame than older hamsters.

Care

Hamsters can be kept in very similar conditions to gerbils. They have similar space needs and do well in a wire cage or a glass enclosure. Just make sure you’re providing plenty of ventilation. Hamsters need a lot of exercise, so you’ll need to keep a hamster wheel in their cage for them to run on. You’ll also need to give them plenty of small things to chew.

Expect to replace the items in your hamster’s cage pretty often since they’ll likely be destroying them on a regular basis.Unlike gerbils, hamsters need a diverse diet of fruits, vegetables, and proteins. If you feed your hamster a pre-mixed bag of hamster food, they’ll probably just pick out the foods they like and leave the rest.

This can result in them being deficient in some nutrients, so you’ll want to supplement their diet with additional foods.

• See Also: Gerbil vs. Guinea Pig: Which Pet Should You Get? (With Pictures)

Health

Hamsters are highly susceptible to many illnesses and can even get a cold from you.When you adopt a hamster, you want to find the healthiest one possible. You might have to look at several stores because hamster sicknesses are highly contagious.

To tell if a hamster is sick, watch its activity and check its eyes and rear end. You’ll want to avoid a hamster with a wet rear end. Likewise, watery eyes indicate poor health. Active hamsters that are running around with vibrant eyes are healthy.

Which Pet is the Best Fit for You?

Truthfully, both of these little rodents make excellent pets that don’t require too much care and maintenance. Once you get them set up and acclimated, you must provide the basics: food, toys, interaction, and water. So, which one is the best bet for your family?

If you want just one rodent, you should go for a hamster. They’re solitary creatures that do better on their own. Two male hamsters living together are likely to try to kill each other.On the other hand, if you’d prefer to have two pets or even an entire colony, you’ll want to choose a gerbil since they’re very social creatures.

Want to train your rodent to do tricks? Pick a gerbil. If you are looking for a pet that’s a bit on the larger side, you’ll want to go for a hamster.

Featured Image Credit: Top – Daniel Megias, Shutterstock | Bottom – Johannes Menge, Shutterstock