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• A Guide to Gerbils

A Guide to Gerbils

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  Although there are many different species of Gerbil 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).

  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.

  Courtesy of Stella Hullott of Cavy Rescue, UK. Please visit www.cavyrescue.co.uk for further information.