Gerbils make great pets! The average life expectancy is 5 years. Find out if the gerbil is the right pet for you!
Before buying--
One or a pair? Gerbils do well in rather large groups. In the wild their groups comprised of 1-3 adult males, 2-7 adult females,and several subadults and juveniles. Just remember to keep them in same sex groups if you don't plan on breeding.
Male or female? Both make great pets. It's not the sex of the animal that matters, it's the personality.
Different kinds or colors: There are 80 species of gerbil, but the most common species for pets is the Mongolian. Colors include agouti (a wild brown color), albino, black, and piebalds.
Tips on purchasing: Have everything set up before you bring your gerbil home. Look for a busy body; eyes, ears, nose, mouth, and rear should be clear; neither too thin nor too fat; tails intact--smooth furred and unblemished; no lameness; and the fur should be sleek, shiny and without bald spots.
Basic Needs--
Cages: Gerbils are inexpensive to house. A heavy plastic cage, a wire cage, or an aquarium with a cover make suitable homes. Aspen shavings, hay, shredded paper (not newsprint), or pelleted litter (such as Yesterday's News) can be used for bedding. Aquariums may be ideal because gerbils don't produce a lot of urine so there will be little ammonia buildup.
Food: You need to buy a food that's got a protein content of at least 20%. There are commercial gerbil/hamster mixes that contain seeds, grains, nuts and dried vegetables that are available at pet stores. Other foods that can be given occasionally include: vegetables, washed greens, wild plants (dandelion, clover, chickweed), and fruit. **When in doubt, wash the food to remove pesticides** It's best to offer the food in a heavy earthenware bowl because then it can't be tipped. Sunflower seeds should be given in moderation (they're rich in fat and low in calcium), same goes for green veggies (too much may cause diarrhea). Water should be dispensed in a bottle.
Toys: **Avoid wheels, because gerbils can damage their tails on them** Bells, mirrors, balls, things to chew, and a sandbox filled with Fuller's earth or washed fine sand (this is used for dust baths). Things to chew are very important as gerbils teeth do not stop growing.
Training--
Acclimation: When you bring your gerbil home put it in the cage to explore and to settle in to its new environment. You can talk to it softly in this time. Gerbils tame quickly and seldom bite. However, they're very good jumpers so becareful handling them!
Handling: **Don't pick up gerbils by their tails** Support the body with one hand and hold the base of the tail between your finger and thumb. Gerbils may panic if turned on their backs. Establishing trust is the same with any other rodent. Offer a treat from your hand and wait for the gerbil to take it. If you do this enough it will learn that your hand means good things!
Dangers of being on the loose: Gerbils love to chew so beware of woodwork or walls that may be painted or stained, and also beware of electrical cords. As mentioned above, gerbils are great jumpers, but can't judge distance well. Make sure there aren't any holes for your pet to get into. Also beware of open doors and windows. Another danger is aggressive pets (dogs and cats in particular).
Other pets and children: Even though you may think that your dog or cat is the gentlest animal around there is a potential danger for your gerbil to interact with them. It's always best to supervise, if not avoid the situation all together. Kids under 5 tend to be a bit more rough and don't always understand that gerbils can be hurt by their "hugs", plus kids that age tend to roughhouse a little bit more and that usually leads to bites. So it's best to supervise your small children when or if you have them around pets.
Health--
Illness: A healthy gerbil has clear eyes, ears, nose, mouth, and rear end.Gerbils are generally busy bodies. Common ailments include teeth problems (but gnawing takes care of that), diarrhea (can be Tyzzer's disease--caused by bacteria treated with tetracycline, but can be fatal--diarrhea can also be cause by poor feeding; particularly spoiled or stale food or an excess of wet greens), colds (can be picked up from humans--antibiotics are the best treatment), nasal dermatitis (due to failure to spread the irritating Harderian gland secretions during grooming--can be fixed by allowing dust baths), infected sebaceous gland (vet can prescribe antibiotic/corticosteroid ointment for that), and tumors (some are operable--common organs affected are ovaries and the uterus).
Cleaning: Litter should be changed at least once a week, and scrub the cage every with with a mild disinfectant. Dust baths can help your gerbil groom itself.
Sex determination: Briefly pick up the gerbil by the base of the tail to determine sex. Males have a darkish oblong shaped scrotum beneath the tail and females have a small vagina near the anus.
Breeding: Most sexual activity happens in the summer. Females come into heat every 4-10 days until they're 15-20 months old. Average litter size is 5 pups. Normal pregnancy lasts for 24-26 days. If bread at first estrus after giving birth while still nursing 2+ pups, the pregnacy may be extended by delayed implantation and can last for up to 42 days. If a nonfertile mating occurs it is occasionally followed by a false pregnancy of 14-16 days. Cut down on fattening food and increase protein and add extra bedding to the cage. It's not necessary to remove the male (generally they don't do any harm to the pups). Sometimes mothers kill and eat their young, but that's usually due to stress, excessive disturbance, overcrowding, or presence of disease). Hair grows at 6 days and the eyes open at 10-12 days. The pups begin eating solids at 16-20 days and are weaned at 21-24 days, at this time they should be sexed and separated.
- Now in my own opinion I don't recommend breeding for the average pet owner. There are just too many animals out there looking for homes already.
For more information please check out my pet resources page!
last updated 2001
Many thanks going out to KityKat for making the background and Robin Russell for supplying the picture of gerbils.
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