Ahhh! Gerbils... my expertise!
I honestly think they turned Mike into a hamster. Hamsters are light brown, have fuzzy fur, and they have very short tails.
I only had gerbils as pets when I was kid, cause I liked them more than hamsters. These guys take after the 'kangaroo rat', which is found in desert-like regions of northern Africa, Arabia, and Mongolia.
Gerbils are normally dark brown, have sleek fur, and a long tail that has a taft of fur at the end. They are also ten times more active that hamsters, and like scratching or chewing on things (a sign that they are burrowing animals).
http://www.gerbils.co.uk/
Aren't they soooo cute!
Whereas, this is a hamster...
*shuts up now*