I've heard they can be animated. I like the idea of that. I have a Syrian hamster, too, and while I love Charlie dearly, he's not as 'animated' as the gerbils always have been. Part of the fun for me is in watching them. Gerbils have great personalities, and I've heard mice can,too.

Sexing hamsters, gerbils, and guinea pigs has always been easy for me. So, mice aren't as easy? That sounds rather scary, as I definitely don't want a family of mice! lol In that case, one should do. Male gerbils are the same way. It seems most male rodents are more docile than the females, then?

Thank you for your input. It really helps.