Rat
Rescue :: Guide
to Gerbils
Guide to Gerbils
Although there are many different species of Gerbil or Jirds
/ Girds in the wild the one most commonly available as pets
is the Mongolian Gerbil. This species was first brought into
the United Kingdom in the 1930's and 40's to be used in laboratory
experiments - whilst being bred under these conditions they
were tamed and domesticated with the first specimens released
to the public as pets in the 1950's.
In the wild these very sociable animals live in family groups
or colonies, in their burrow systems that contain nesting and
sleeping chambers, separate food stores and a latrine area.
These animals are not only active during part of the night but
have periods of activity in the early morning, late afternoon
and evening.
Their life span is about 3 years, although many will reach
4, and some even 5 years old. The most common colour for a gerbil
is agouti; this name comes from the agouti animal of South America,
and is an overall speckled Brown and grey.
This is achieved by each single hair having different colours
along its length which when combined produce the final coat colour.
Over the years and with selective breeding these colours have
been separated out to produce the wide variety of colours that
are now available.
Housing
Gerbils are natural diggers, even the young when only 10 days
old without yet having their eyes open can be seen wandering
around and digging in the deep bedding, which should be used
to cover the floor of their home.
For this reason gerbils are best housed in aquariums with a
snug-fitting top made from wire mesh over a wooden frame and
not cages. This housing should be bought as large as possible;
males kept together are less likely to squabble providing they
have sufficient space.
As with all rodents, gerbils teeth (incisors) grow continually
so it is necessary to give them safe toys and objects to gnaw
on which will help to prevent teeth problems from occurring,
and any wooden or plastic items placed in the tank will eventually
need replacing as they become worn and eventually ignored.
Gerbils are also less likely to use any of the many housing
options available, which some hamsters will use, and prefer
to make a shallow dip in their bedding (we use Biocatolet cat
litter;Ccarefresh, Ecopetbed or Finacard as bedding - all are
dust free and safe).
Supplies for your Gerbil
As for nesting material, this should again be made from a safe
material. Shredded paper is ideal, as they will take great pleasure
from shredding it down even further before using it. Always
avoid the material that looks like cotton wool or J-cloths and
never use newspaper, as all of these materials could if accidentally
swallowed cause the death of the gerbil.
Gerbils are very active and inquisitive animals, which will
not only investigate and gnaw any new items but also try and
bury most things that are in their tank. Food dishes are no
exception so by sprinkling a little food around the tank, being
careful to avoid their toilet area, will let them behave more
naturally.
Sexing
When deciding on what gerbils to keep remember they are very
social animals and will do much better when kept as a group
and not singly, however sometimes this is unavoidable if a partner
has died, in which case more attention must be paid to the survivor
if it is not to pine away.
Obviously mixed sexes will produce many more gerbils who, after
opening their eyes at about 14 days, will be sexually mature
at 8 weeks with the females producing between 4 and 7 young
after gestating for only 25 days.
Sexing gerbils is quite easy, as with all rodents; the difference
between the sexes is in the distance between the genitals and
the anus, this distance being greater in the males than in the
females. So even if trying to sex gerbils at an early age and
are unsure of the exact sex of the animal by comparing two you
should at least be able to separate them successfully.
Handling
The correct way to pick up a gerbil, that is not tame enough
to come onto your hand, is to hold the animal at the base of
its tail, (nearest the body), between thumb and forefinger without
pinching it, and then placing it on the palm of your other hand
for support. Never leave the animal swinging around or pick
it up by any other part of its tail, as long as the animal feels
safe it is less likely to wriggle or bite. Never surprise any
animal by putting your hand in quickly and immediately trying
to pick it up always give the animal time to sniff and smell
your hand first.
Apart from the normal food consumption curve, shown by all
animals, which sees an increase in food intake up to the time
when they reach maturity and then a slow decrease in food consumption,
as they grow older, other factors can effect the amount of food
any gerbil will eat and, like us, include exercise; active gerbils
will require extra food to maintain good condition.
If the conditions are too cold the gerbils will need extra
food for energy to keep them warm. Reproductive females will
also need extra food just prior to and immediately after giving
birth.
Any sick animal will also loose its appetite during the illness
and then benefit from an increase in good quality food as they
recover. The mental state of an animal can and will adversely
effect its eating habits, and depending on how the individual
copes with the stress it will either eat absolutely everything
that is put in front of it, or in other cases refuse to eat
at all.
Diet
Gerbils should have a balanced diet made up from a basic hard
food gerbil mix, which can be brought from any pet shop, with
this being supplemented with a variety of fresh items which
can include; Swede, Tomato, Lettuce, Cheese, Carrots, Dried
or Baked Bread, Celery, Grapes, Grass, Apples, Hardboiled Egg,
Orange, Dandelion Leaves and Raisins.
When any fresh food is offered make sure it has been washed
and dried, that any foods collected from the wild are free from
any chemicals, pesticides or fouling by other animals.
The size of the item is relative to the size of the gerbil
it is being offered to, lettuce is about 85% water and if fed
in large quantities will act as a laxative while hardboiled
egg will have the opposite effect. Always remove any uneaten
fresh food the same day to prevent it from spoiling in the tank.
All animals are individuals and will have their own tastes
and preferences for foods that might not be good for them in
large quantities, so it’s up to you to make sure your gerbils
get and eat a good and proper balanced diet.
Other Gerbil Resources
Recommended
Gerbil Vets
