Which is cuddlier: Gerbils, or Mice?

[RAT-BIRD]

 The title says it all.

[MiserySmith]

I'd say mice. Gerbils are more active/more into tunneling/etc. although I've only owned mice never gerbils.
Mice can live in a 10-20 gallon happily but gerbils pretty much require a tank AND a topper because the tank would need to have tons of bedding for tunneling and I'd imagine you'd see them less. Male mice MUST live singly and get a lot of attention. Don't believe what the pet stores tell you, people have come home to two dead, or one dead mouse due to fighting. They can seem okay, but they will eventually kill each other. Females live in pairs or groups of 3 or more.

Like rats, mice can get a lot of problems and it's probably no different for gerbils so make sure you have a vet fund saved up and have access to an exotics vet.

[RAT-BIRD]

Thanks, I posted this because I want to get rats, but their medical issues may be too expensive. I've read up on some other pets, and narrowed it down to gerbils, mice and rats.

[RAT-BIRD]

 Sorry, I didn't read the last part... But are their medical issues as expensive or severe as a rat's?

[MiserySmith]

They're usually slightly less expensive in the way of meds due to size.. but I've never had a serious issue with mice so I'm not sure how much a big procedure would run. I personally find them a bit healthier than rats, but mice I've had aren't the same as mice you could have so you never know. It depends on where you get them from too.
You would still require a couple hundred for vet care though. You've always gotta be prepared.

[RattiesSix]

My vet's prices for mice are the exact same as rats, actually. Also for gerbils, hamsters, rabbits, and chinchillas. All animals I've taken there. The problem with mice is that it's sometimes even harder to find an appropriate vet, especially one who is reliable for surgery and such. Male  mice are pretty cuddly, my females were more hyper. But any pet you get is going to require vet care. Mice get a lot of the same illnesses as rats.

[LaurenE]

I've owned both gerbils and mice.  I had gerbils for many years as a kid and into my early teens, I actually raised quite a few litters from buying females from the local pet store that ended up being pregnant.  When properly socialized, gerbils can be quite tame, although of course not in the same way as rats, and I'm not sure I would describe them as very "cuddly".  The mice I've had have never been as tame as the gerbils could be.  I know that there are people who've had very tame and social mice as pets, I just haven't experienced it.  Also, as RattieSix said, mice are prone to many of the same health issues as rats, I have friends who've had to take theirs to the vet for URIs, ear infections, tumors, etc.  Gerbils on the other hand, are not nearly as prone to these things.  Thats not to say they never need vet care, they can still get sick, its just not as common--most cases that require a gerbil needing vet attention are due to some kind of accident or trauma, which again, isn't a common occurence.

[ohhaiimeg]

Thank you for asking this question i was quite curious about this myself!