Three gerbils in hand

Gerbils are a great small animal pet.  Their bodies will get to about 3-6 inches long (plus another 3-6 inches in tail length) and they weigh only an ounce or two making them easy to handle.

Many small animals live mostly at night, but gerbils are active during the day, which makes them more fun.  Gerbils are very social, and love to be kept in pairs or small groups.  Be forewarned that they reproduce rapidly, so goups of same sex gerbils are wiser unless you want lots of gerbils!

Generally, they do not bite unless provoked.  The exception would be if their teeth have not been ground down from use...then they may bite out of a need to grind down their front teeth, which grow like human fingernails.  Supplying them with chew toys will keep that from being a problem.