Keeping Your Gerbil Happy..
This is not all reading...
A gerbil is a gerbil - right? Most definitely not! The family to which pet gerbils belong is large and complex and a little confusing. Fortunately, the care of the gerbil isn't quite as complex. Let's take a look at the classification and characteristics of gerbils.

The gerbil family is made up of roughly 100 species. These are 14 basic groups of gerbils. The species most commonly kept as pets is the Mongolian Gerbil, whose scientific name is Meriones unguiculatus. Gerbils whose scientific name begin with "Meriones" are also known as "jirds" which roughly means "large desert rodent." The Mongolian gerbil is therefore also known as the Clawed Jird. Other jirds also kept as pets include Sundevall's Jird (Meriones crassus), the Libyan Jird (Meriones libycus), and Shaw's Jird (Meriones shawi). Shaw's Jird is large, even tempered and makes a good pet, and when fanciers use the term jird they are often referring to this species. Therefore, the term "gerbil" most commonly refers to the Mongolian Gerbil, and the term "jird" most commonly refers to Shaw's Jird. Confused? There's more: There are two other species of gerbil which do not belong to the genus Meriones, but that are also referred to as jirds. These are the Bushy Tailed Jird (Sekeetamys calurus), and the Fat Tailed Jird (Pachyuromys duprasis). However, these are more commonly referred to as the "bushy tail" and the "duprasi" respectively. There are many other species of gerbil, some of which are less commonly kept as pets, but they are too numerous to cover here.

Gerbils (i.e. Mongolian gerbils) are small rodents, with long furry tails with a tuft of fur at the end. They are larger than mice, but smaller than typical hamsters (syrian hamsters, not dwarf hamsters). The wild type coloration is "agouti", where each hair is banded, usually gray next to the skin, then a yellowish color, then ticked with black, with off-white hair on the belly. However, through selective breeding, several lovely color variations are available.
Gerbil fans say that gerbils make good pets due to their temperament, and ease of care. They tend to be easily tamed and are not as skittish as some other small rodents. They also aren't as inclined to bite unless threatened (as always there are exceptions). Coming from a dry natural habitat they are designed to conserve water, so produce scant urine and dry droppings, making it fairly easy to keep their cage fresh and clean. They go through several sleep/active cycles in the course of 24 hours, although they do tend to be more active at night. They are very curious and will explore anything, and can be quite entertaining.

Gerbils are social animals, living in colonies in the wild, so do not do well as a solitary pet. Keeping a same sex pair (litter mates usually do well together) is much preferred. If you have a single older gerbil, it can be difficult to introduce a new one though as they are quite territorial. Some hints on this can be found in "How to Introduce Gerbils."

Housing a pair of gerbils doesn't require a lot of space - a 15-20 gallon aquarium is sufficient. However, for such curious and active creatures a larger cage is nice and allows more creativity with furnishings and toys. If an aquarium is used, a lid is necessary because gerbils can jump very well. A wire cage with fairly narrow wire spacing will also work well. Plastic cages son't hold up very well to the gerbils' chewing habits. The Gerbil FAQ (see sidebar on right) has a section on housing options.

A wheel should be provided for exercise - a hamster wheel is fine but the wheel should be modified or wrapped (e.g. with duct tape) to provide a solid surface. The open rungs on the open slats of a typical hamster wheel can catch the gerbils tail and cause injury. Gerbils will also explore and enjoy a variety of toys, such as empty toilet paper rolls, small boxes, and nests. Keep in mind the gerbil will chew everything you put in its cage so make sure toys are non toxic and not harmful if accidentally ingested.

Diet should consist of a gerbil pellet, gerbil seed mix, homemade seed mix or lab blocks. These should be supplemented with fresh vegetables, and occasional insect treats such as meal worms. The Gerbil FAQ recommends feeding a good variety of foods and leaving seed mixtures until completely eaten; otherwise some gerbils will pick out sunflower seeds and corn from seed mixtures, leaving the high protein, low fat seeds behind. Also, the required dietary protein levels varies for breeding or geriatric gerbils. Check the Gerbil FAQ for more detailed feeding guidelines.

Generally, frequent handling will keep a gerbil quite tame. If all else fails, bribery with sunflower seeds can help make a gerbil more amenable to handling. It is important to note that they can will be difficult to catch if they get out of their cage or away from being handled, and food can help in this situation too. Gerbils are fairly hardy and are not terribly susceptible to medical problems, although unfortunately some are prone to seizures (especially in times of stress). A typical life span is around 3 years.


Below is Melanie...

Gerbil Behavior...
Gerbils make nice pets and are fascinating to watch. Ever wondered what their behavior means?
Interactions with Other Gerbils

Gerbils are very social animals, and it is not a good idea to keep them singly. Pair bonded or family units of gerbils are usually quite affectionate with each other. They will play, chasing each other around, wrestling and boxing. They will also groom one another, sleep in piles, and cuddle together. Your gerbils will be much happier if kept at least in pairs (same sex unless you plan to breed, which requires a lot more care).

However, some gerbils will fight - although this can sometimes be difficult to distinguish from the play wrestling or boxing commonly exhibited. Often, one animal will appear distressed and loud high pitched squeaks may be heard, and the activity is more intense and violent than play. The Gerbil FAQ states that gerbils who have fought severely may never be able to live together in harmony. Not unlike people, some gerbils just cannot seem to get along. This is true even for families - young gerbils in the wild are sent off to find their own territories, so family groups may begin fighting as the babies mature. If so, they need to be separated.

If you have a single gerbil, or if one of a pair dies, it can be very difficult to introduce a new gerbil, especially mature (i.e. greater than 8-10 weeks) gerbils. It is best to keep a group of similarly aged gerbils that are raised together from a young age, but if you need to introduce older gerbils, see "How to Introduce Gerbils." Often, if you have a gerbil greater than 10 weeks, it is easiest to introduce a youngster (less than 10 weeks), although older gerbils can sometimes be successfully introduced. However, sometimes certain gerbils just don't get along, so if gerbils persist in fighting it may be necessary to just keep them separated.

Thumping

This is something gerbils do when they are excited or stressed, as a warning to other gerbils. The thumping is produced by pounding both hind legs on the ground. Often, if one gerbil is startled and begins thumping (described in the gerbil FAQ as a quick "da-dum, da-dum" sound), others in the enclosure or room will also begin thumping. It varies in loudness and tempo, depending on the urgency or meaning, but can be quite loud considering the small creature that produces the sound! The infectious nature of the thumping means that if some activity in the home produces a rhythmic thumping or clicking type noise, the gerbils may join in.

Young gerbils may do quite a bit of thumping, but often it seems that it is just a learning activity rather than a danger warning. Thumping is also an important part of the mating ritual.

Grooming

Gerbils will often groom themselves, including one another. As well as the benefits to their coats, this is an important part of their social interaction. They also appreciate being offered sand for taking a dust bath (they will roll and play in the sand, which helps clean their fur).

Noises

Gerbils make a high pitched squeak - but mainly as youngsters. Adults usually vocalize only when playing, excited or stressed.

Chewing/Gnawing

Gerbils, like most other rodents, are avid chewers and will chew their way through cage furnishings somewhat regularly. It is important to provide appropriate chewing toys, like wood blocks and branches, to allow the gerbils to indulge this natural activity.

Burrowing

In the wild, gerbils live in a complex system of tunnels and burrows, so it is nice to allow the gerbils room to burrow in their enclosure. A deep layer of wood shavings combined with hay will provide some room for burrowing.

Scent Marking

Gerbils have a scent gland on their abdomen, and this is used to mark items in their territory. Gerbils that rub their stomachs on their cage furnishings are simple marking their territory.