I have heard that hamsters bite. Will they draw blood? Does it hurt? I am afraid that my 9 year old son will not want it after it has bitten him. Are gerbils, mice, or rats better to have? Any advice would be appreciated.

Hi! I have had hamsters, and they never bit me. They were the sweetest angels. The only reason they'll bite is if you don't handle them right. If you handle them correctly, they shouldn't bite. Also, if you scare them, by not letting them know you are there first, they may bite. Also, wash your hands first. If they smell something good, they're going to have a taste.
One hamster I had was a dwarf hamster. I had to let her walk onto my hand. Your hand is a monster to a little animal like that..that is why.
I don't know about any other members of the rodent family.
I suggest a Golden Syrian Hamster. They are sweet. Make sure your son takes good care of it well.
-Trinity

Hamsters make great first pets!! Hamsters that aren't hand trained yet will bite. Try to buy them from someone who has handled them a lot. Ask the pet store if they handle them. The mom and pop pet stores in my area take better care of their hamsters, then the chain stores, so I suggest looking at them. A syrian, most common hamster, would be the best.
The best hamster I ever had came from my 5th grade teacher. He was real sweet. In my opinion hamsters are better then gerbils. A warning on hamsters though. Females really reek. And since they're in estrus (or whatever you call it) every week or less, they smell alot. A little kid might be turned off by this, so I would suggest getting a male. Also try to buy the youngest one you can as hamsters don't live that long, usually around two years, even though my hamster from my 5th grade teacher lived to be almost 4. Hamsters are also real resilient. I don't know many times I dropped my first hamster. So they can be real forgiving of what a little boy can do to them. But they aren't invinsible, so this will be a good time to teach your son to respect little animals. Another thing about hamsters (Syrian), don't put more then one together. They are solitary.
Rats are just as good as a hamster. Maybe better for the younger children because they are a bit bigger. So if your son is known for being a bit rough I would suggest a rat. Another option would be a guinea pig. I love these rodents, they make great pets as well. Good luck!!

gerbils are very good pets as are hamsters ,easy to tame... I would not recommend mice ( they multiply very rapidly )and as for rats, I have never raised them ....with gerbils,be careful not to overcrowd them they may eat each other

I like gerbils better. We have one and you wouldn't believe how smart that little guy is. He doesn't like me picking him up, so I don't. I can call his name and he will come to the bars of his cage. I give him cardboard to chew on. I point with my finger and tell him where I want him to go and he follows my finger. I never thought that I would like a rodent, but he is adorable.

I was very against getting hamsters for our boys but I eventually broke down and bought two little hammies. I think I loved them more than the boys. Digger, a female, was the sweetest, most gentle thing ever. Squeaky, on the other hand, took some convincing. The first time I tried to pick him up, he rose up on his hind legs, then fell back on his back and lay there. Well, I thought I scared him to death. Turns out that that is a playing dead sort of trick. Anyway, he became as sweet and gentle as Digger within a few days. They never bite anyone, with all the handling and playing I'd have thought they'd be a bit jumpy, but they were sweet and darling, and the day they died was a very sad day in our house.

hi. i think that gerbils are really good pets and are better than hampsters.

1)Hampsters tend to bite a lot
2)gerbils are cuter (my oppinion)but they kinda are
3)hampsters are mostly active at nite, and gerbils r active during the day
4)hampsters r lazy