THE GERBIL

Origin

·        The most common type of gerbil kept as a pet is the Mongolian gerbil.

·        They naturally live in arid areas of Mongolia, Africa, parts of Europe, Asia and China.

·        In the wild they spend the hottest part of the day underground protecting themselves from dehydration, they block themselves in their    tunnels to try and produce condensation to drink. They come above ground in search of food and water from the roots of plants.

Life expectancy

·      3 -4 years.

Temperament / Behaviour

·          They are extremely inquisitive animals and are not scared easily so will investigate anything.

·          They do not normally bite but can be very quick which makes them difficult to handle sometimes.

·          Gerbils have a natural defence mechanism where they can release their tails, so you should be careful not to pull the tip of their tails. However the best way to pick up or secure a gerbil is to hold it gently at the base of its tail and support its body.

·          They are good jumpers and use their tails for balance.

·          To warn others of danger or to show their excitement a gerbil will thump its hind foot.

Company

·          They naturally live in large family groups so in captivity they should be kept in same sex pairs or groups. They enjoy grooming one another, interacting and sleeping together.

Mixing / Introducing

·          They are difficult to be mixed once adults. In the wild an established group will not accept any newcomers. Two females may mix but it is very difficult to mix two males.

Diet

What we feed: A complete gerbil mix e.g. Gerri Gerbil.

Treats: Small amounts of vegetables. Dry bread to chew on.

Do not feed: Apple, carrots, chicory cucumber, bananas etc. can cause diarrhoea.

Accommodation

·          A tank minimum size 30cm x 60cm for 2 gerbils  40cm x 100cm for 4 - 8 gerbils. Obviously the larger the accommodation you can provide the better it is.

·          We give ours a deep litter mixture of hay and shavings to enable the gerbils to dig out their own tunnels and chambers. This enables them to behave  much more naturally and helps prevent the stereotypical behaviour where you see them digging at the plastic / glass in the corner of their cage. Many other mixtures can be used for a deep litter as long as it isn't too moist as this can cause respiratory problems.

·          Gerbils are very active and they love chewing toilet tubes and bits of cardboard.

·          As they are rodents and their teeth are continually growing they must have wood to gnaw.

Maintenance

·          Food and water must be changed daily.

·            Depending on how many gerbils are kept and the size of their accommodation, if they are kept on a deep litter they shouldn't need any more than a weekly clean out. We do ours every 3 weeks.

·          They require a weekly health check by an adult.

IN CASES OF CRUELTY, NEGLECT OR IN AN EMERGENCY TEL: 0300 1234 999 (24 HOUR)