What are the pros and cons of having a gerbil?

Answers:
Pros:
Gerbils are low-maintenance pets. They create less odor and they do not need frequent vet visits as they are not prone to tumors or respiratory problems unlike mice or rats.
They have a longer life span compared to other small rodents. They live for about 3-5 years.
Their antics can keep you entertained for hours.
Cons:
Since Gerbils are highly social animals and do not like being alone at all, you must get at least two gerbils. Lone gerbils have been proven to live shorter and less healthier lives.
Most Gerbils are friendly, but they can jump quite high! This can make handling relatively challenging. Be sure to handle them above a soft surface so that they won't get injured if they fall. To prevent them from escaping, they must be placed in aquariums, with a mesh wire lid to cover it. Wire cages are not advised as they will incessantly gnaw on the bars. It can be both annoying and harmful for them.

---

Richard Gere told me that having a gerbil is a pain in the butt; so, I have stayed away.

---

I've had gerbils all my life and I like them because:
-They don't stink- gerbils are desert animals so they make only small amounts of pee and their poop is dry.
-They are independent and don't require too much attention.
-They're super cute and fun to watch.
***Possible cons: Gerbils should be kept in pairs as they are very social with their own kind. Single gerbils often become unhappy and aggressive and tend to nip when you touch then. Gerbils are more difficult to handle than hamsters- they are usually very squirmy and they can be very clever when it cones to escaping their cage.

---

I liked having a gerbil because they are very low matinence because you almost never have to wash them, they also can me very fun to play with. They can shred any box or cardboard tube you put in their cage . You can use practicly any cage configureation
The only thing I didn't like was that mine was a really fast runner and was nearly impossible to catch . Cleaning all the tubes was a pain, instead get an aquarium and an aquarium converter top with holes for the tubes than have 1 tube leading to another cage this always makes things more interesting than just one cage. Also beware of escapes mine got out once at night and got under my parents bed luckily we found it but my mom was furious so make sure the top is on securely and there are no holes anywhere else in the structure , even one the size of and inch . Gerbils are very flexible and two can pass each other while in one of the plastic tubes , for example, ive seen it.

Gerbils are a great pet and really great for anyone.

---

The pros of having a gerbil is that they are very easy to take care of and its like if its you best friend ,you don't have to take it for walks ,you don't have to take it an actual bath ,you don't have to be giving it food at a certain time ,you don't have to clean the cage really often.
The cons are when you handle them they tend to squirm and they scratch you by accident a lot of fur fall off I mean they don't go bald its just that they are shedding.If you get a wire cage they will kick out bedding.Oh and also if you get a ball the ball starts to fog up and it gets scratched you have to wash it because they poop in there.

---

I agree with everyone, but I would like to add that gerbils are avid chewers and are bets kept in a aquarium with wire top. They can chew out of a crittertrail cage in a few weeks, and a wire cage with a flimsy bottom pan in maybe two days. But they are the most fun pets to watch because theya re so energetic, they like to play with each other and jump around. Hamsters can't really jump, the larger ones (syrians and teeddies and goldens) hate sharing cages and smaller one's are very nervous animals. Gerbils do come in less colors than hamsters, usually you can only find gray's black, whites or tans, but color shouldn't be so important that you wouldn't get one.