35 gallon aquarium ok for hamsters/gerbils??

[choochums]

So my husband and i have a 35 gallon aquarium which is hexagon shaped...but vertical.  We recently had a leak in the tank which ran all the way down to our basement.  We had one of our friends take the fish and decided that maybe we would want to put something besides fish in the tank.  We currently have a 16-month-old daughter who loved the fish, so we wanted to get something that we would like but might also peak her interest.  My husband was thinking of a green snake given that they like to be up in trees, but I'm not big on snakes in general and I'm not too excited about the possibility of salmonella being passed on to my daughter.  I had brought up the idea of possibly creating a living area with different levels, toys, eating areas and sleeping areas inside the tank for possibly hamsters, gerbils, mice..not sure which.  We would buy a mesh top as opposed to the closed top we currently have.  My questions is...would the little guys have enough venhilation given that the tank is vertical.  It is large around though, not all that tall.  I definitely do not want to house something in there and have it get too stuffy or warm.  Like i said there would be mulitple levels and areas in the tank.  Any feedback would be great!!

Thanks,
kelly 

[moonstream]

if it is vertical oriented, then it would be a good choice for gerbils, and they sure are entertaining!

personally, I would make a 2/3 aspen bedding 1/3 hay mix and fill the tank up as far as you can, while still leaving area for a water bottle.  this, I find, is the best way to keep gerbls entertained.  my two smaller boys find hours and hours of enjoyment digging around in their cage and making new tunnels.

I have found that hamsters are really not the most acrobatic.  I have met only two, a russian dwarf female named Sandy (who I owned) and a chinese dwarf male named Squeakie (who was my friend's).  personally, I would not recommend a hamster if you want something that you can watch, because they are mostly active at night, and mainly will not climb.

mice are an option.  I have never kept them, but I am pretty sure that female mice are fairly entertaining and are supposed to like to climb.  owever, because of their small size and overall how delicate they are, I would not recommend putting them in a tall cage for fear that they might hurt themselves.

some kind of aboreal reptile would be a wonderful choice, and in my experience, I have never gotten sick when handling a reptile, even when I dont wash my hands afterwards.  crested geckos would be a good choice, IMO, but tree boas (AKA green snakes) are known for being quick to strike and aggressive.

[Ratlovingkippy06]

 I had mice my whole life from a very young age because my mom didn't like rat tails. I would say female mice in groups is nice but i also loved the idea of gerbils in that cage.  I am currenty adopting two myself and having them in a 20 long. Very cool idea i would LOVE to see pictures of this if you go for it.

 I work at a petsmart so i know almost all the different types and this is my ranking

Rats- best for older kids ( 8- up)( awesome i have 14)
mice- Grew up with even at a very young age of 5-6 as long as they are handled and you find a good match
Gerbils- fun to watch but are fast
Guinea PIgs- For young kids as a first pet
Hamsters- ( a pet you just want to almost have)

[Moondust]

Have you considered tree frogs?  They're pretty cool, but might be a little high maintenence.  That would solve the bacterial problem and give your husband something a little less fluffy.

I second the mice, otherwise. 

One thing that you might want to consider, as crazy as this sounds, is shrimp.  (although if your tank doesn't hold water, it's probably not feasable, especially if you can't see where it's cracked) I love my shrimp, they are easier to care for than fish and I find them very entertaining to watch.  Ghost shrimp are very easy-going about the type of conditions they require, so it's really hard to mess up with them.  Mine interact, squabble, "snuggle" and shake their pincers at me.  They follow my finger when I touch the sides sometimes and they're pretty active.  There are several different varieties, the two easiest are ghost and cherry shrimp by far.  They'll also breed in captivity.  They do just fine on regular flake food (any kind will do for ghosts!).  They're much larger than brine shrimp so don't think I'm talking sea-monkeys here!

They're usually sold as feeders so sometimes people laugh when you ask about them as a pet (not unlike rats) but I've really come to enjoy mine as a pet for watching.