Gerbils male or female should i get

I had a female gerbil and she was VERY hyper and disliked being handled. She would come up and lick my hands,but she hated being handled. Some people said females were more dominant,yet more calm mine wasn't and others said males are the calm ones.

One person said males are really hyper. Now I am confused. I only had one gerbil in my life I may be getting a pair of gerbils in weeks. Someone I been talking to just had a litter of 6 gerbils born this past Sunday and I said I may take a pair.

I have a few weeks to decide,but that is why I wanna know if males or females make better pets. I am thinking along the lines as a pair of males The majority of people I talked to told me that male gerbils are usually more calm and friendly.

Both are cute, can be handled, and can have adorable personalities. The main determinant of whether a gerbil is a good pet is how you train it. But the sex of your gerbil also makes a difference. In other areas, like lifespan and size, males and females are equal. These points come down to personal preference. Gerbils are four inches long, and their tails are the same size as their bodies. Healthy gerbils can weigh anything between 80 and grams, although heavier and lighter specimens are common.

Male gerbils are slightly bigger than female gerbils. This is the case because males need to be strong to pass on their genes. Males compete with one another by fighting over females. The stronger gerbil will win and pass its genes on, while the loser will only get a chance later.

Gerbil males also need to be more powerful than females because it helps with mating. In the natural world, the male will often overpower the female to mate when the male wants and not when the female wants. Natural selection selects larger, heavier male gerbils. You may think that a larger or smaller pet is cute. The most important thing when you want a good pet is how friendly it is. As a rule, males are more friendly than females.

Males seem to be more responsive to affection and will seek out affection more than females. So, male gerbils will enjoy:. They will also be calmer when you hold them , which is useful. To be clear, every gerbil has its own character. Biting is a defensive behavior that is underlined by a lack of trust.

A gerbil that bites is worried for one reason or another: it may feel threatened or not like you as much as you like it. Because males are more friendly, they become used to you more quickly. They keep their teeth sharp by gnawing on solid objects like wooden toys or branches.

However, both males and females have the same teeth, so their bites hurt the same. All gerbils can be taught to trust their owner and be affectionate. This will prevent biting. Despite being less friendly, female gerbils are more active. Most owners report that their female gerbils are more likely to try to explore or even escape.

They will hop op when you open the top of their cage and scurry about quickly, interested in their environment. On the other hand, males will spend more time around you when you take them from their cage. How do you tell if they are both the same sex? There are four main differences between male and female gerbils.

Adult males are significantly larger, although this is not a precise method of sexing because gerbil size can depend on a number of other factors. Adult males have a large bulge at the base of the tail which is their scrotum. This is totally absent from females. This bulge is obvious by 6 weeks of age and can be seen at least two weeks earlier. For More Information.

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