BUYING A GERBIL
When you are at the pet store and trying to choose your gerbil, look for curiosity. When you approach the cage gerbils should come over to see what's going on. Unless they might are sleeping, which is a normal behavior of course.
Ask the pet store
clerk to take the cage off the shelf so you can handle some gerbils. They'll run when you
are try to catch them so make sure to always pick them up with both hands. When you pick
up a gerbil he should be curious and want to investigate if you are holding it in a safe
position. His eyes should be big and clear, his fur should be nice and soft to the touch
and his tail should be just as long as his body is with a little tuft of fur at the tip.
He should be well formed and nice and plump.
Avoid a gerbil that appears to have bites on it or that tried to bite you, he may have a
poor disposition. Also, avoid gerbils that are missing part of their tails.
This usually is a sign that he has been given an improper wheel to use. There is
nothing health-wise wrong with such an animal but that they don't look very
attractive.
Watch closely for a sad-looking gerbil who doesn't seem to have much energy or may have diarrhea. This could be a sign of a serious disease or it may mean that the store doesn't take care of its animals properly. If so, go to another pet store to look for a gerbil.
Make sure the gerbil doesn't have a red, or bleeding nose. This indicates an infection or allergy to something in the cage. Dry or messy-looking fur and runny or dull-looking eyes are also signs of a sick animal.
A healthy animal can get depressed if he's been alone for too much so if the gerbil perks up and looks alert when you handle him and his eyes and fur look fine, then he's most likely a healthy animal.
When gerbils are older than seven weeks it is pretty easy to tell. The best way to see the difference is to have the clerk or a friend help compare two gerbils at the same time. The obvious physical difference is that males tend to have a more tapered rump and females tend to have a more rounded one.
Gerbil Lifespan The average lifespan of a gerbil ranges between two to four years.
There are two basic colors, black and agouti (a variegated brown field mouse color) with a cream-colored stomach and feet. The black will be the same color all over but for little white areas on the neck and the feet. There are variations of these colors such as lilac, dove, golden, cinnamon with cream in some areas, white, and spotted gerbils of any one of these colors. Spotted gerbils come in every color. Typically, have a spot or stripe on the head, a white scarf around the neck, white feet, a white tail tip, and a white stomach. White can also be spotted through the body of the coat which would be called pied.
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Introducing A New Gerbil
If you already have an older gerbil (more than ten weeks old) the best way is to get a young gerbil (less than seven weeks old). With a mixed age pair (one older and one younger) or with two older gerbils, there are two ways of introduction:
When doing either way, always protect yourself by wearing gloves. If there should be a fight, you will need to separate the gerbils and although they do have tiny teeth, the teeth can go fairly deep into the skin and it can be painful.
Gerbil introductions
seem to work better if the gerbils have been kept separate for a little while, so they
have time to forget any previous companions and are a bit lonesome. Some gerbils simply
will not accept a stranger though and if you already have a bonded pair, even if both are
male or both are female, it is not a good idea to put another gerbil in with them.
You may not never get them to accept another gerbil. Especially an older one.
The best way of introduction is method is the split-cage. Put an aquarium divider into the
cage to split it into two parts. You can find them in the fish section of most pet stores.
Leave the gerbils in this split cage for a week or so, swapping them to the opposite side
of the cage each day to get them to accept the scent of the newer gerbil.
After that,
try taking out the divider and watch the gerbils for at least thirty minutes. If all goes
well, you can relax a bit, but keep an close eye on them for the rest of the day. If you
notice that they have snuggled up to each other to go to sleep, you're usually out
of danger then.
Two gerbils, each less than seven weeks old, can just be put in a cage together. Keep an
eye on them for about twenty minutes to make sure there are no problems watch over them
for the rest of the day. They should be okay.
HOUSING
Aquariums
If you only have a couple of gerbils, one of the least expensive forms of housing is a simple ten gallon aquarium. You can often buy aquariums with small animal lids, water bottles, bedding, food, and a wheel. This is makes a perfectly fine "house". You will need to cover the wheel if it is an open hamster wheel so the gerbil cannot get hurt.
Dirt aquariums are a good suggestion because you can simulate the natural environment of the gerbil. However, the gerbils will be digging tunnels and they will not have much floor space, so you may need to get a fifteen or twenty gallon aquarium instead. Put large rocks or small flower pots filled with dirt and inverted on the bottom of the cage so the gerbils can not dig out the entire underside and collapse the dirt in on themselves. Fill the cage until it's about one half dirt, packing if firmly. After the tunnels are dug, you might want to pack the resulting loose dirt down again, but make sure not to push it down far enough to collapse the tunnels.
Mist the dirt every once in a while so it doesn't get too dry.
Bird Cages
An alternative to this is an adapted bird cage. These are pretty good but somewhat expensive. The have small ones which are good for a single hamster or gerbil, and taller ones which are good for a pair.
These will often include a wheel (again, you need to cover it if it's an open one) a water bottle, and a couple movable ladders and shelves to create more floor space.
These are much easier to clean than an aquarium and allow more exercise because the gerbils can go up and down the different levels. These cages often have a sliding tray built in on the bottom making cleaning quite easy.
Also, wire cages are healthier because air can circulate and this lessens the dust the animals will breathe. However, you shouldn't keep them in a drafty area or your gerbil may catch a cold. They are messier though, that should be noted because the gerbils tend to kick stuff out of the cage so you may want to set the cage inside a box to catch the flying litter or just vacuum more often.
Modular Home With Plastic
Tubes
Gerbils chew constantly and they will eventually chew their way. With some you can tape screening to the entrance holes and tubes that are useless. They are fun in the beginning, watching the gerbils go through the tunnels but they won't last very long and are usually just a waste of money.
Bedding
Do not use cedar when making bedding. Cedar has oils that can cause skin rashes, breathing distress, damage to the liver, and in the extreme case, brain damage to smaller animals that have to live in it and breath the fumes in on a daily basis. Pine has similar effects. Use oven-dried pine, as it has been baked to liberate the oil from the wood. Aspen shavings are the best because they don't have any harmful oils.
If you have the type of a cage that has a wire bottom over a pan then corn cob bedding underneath the wire is an excellent absorbent base and you can put a softer litter over it.
Gerbils like something soft to make their nests from. Tissue paper, cotton balls, used paper that you were planning to throw out all make good nesting materials. Tear the paper into strips and crumple it then they will make the nest all by themselves.
Some hamsters have actually had trouble choking on cotton, etc. So you may want you stick exclusively to paper as the main nesting material. Paper is cheaper anyway.
Depending on the size of the cage and the type of bedding that is used, anywhere from once a week to once a month. The best advice I can give you is to follow your nose. When it starts to smell, or seems dirty, clean it. Just about a quarter inch coating of litter on the bottom of the cages is fine; although if you want them to be able to dig and make a few tunnels here and there several inches is better. One easy method for aquariums is to scoop out the litter, spray the floor with some warm water, and wipe it out with a paper towel. New bedding can be laid right away. If the cage need to be completely cleaned use a mild soap on the cage and rinse it thoroughly. Completely clean the water bottles at the same time to prevent fungus from growing inside them. Use a Q-tip for the shaft and an old toothbrush or a brush for cleaning baby bottles for the bottle itself.
Hamster Wheels
A hamster wheel is usually a metal or plastic wheel that has open spaces between the bars of the wheel. A gerbil can catch its long tail in the wheel and have it broken or even amputated. If you have this type of a wheel, tape over it with duct tape and it should be okay then. Just put some bedding inside the wheel after taping it so the gerbils feet don't stick to the tape. Be sure to cover the struts on the side too as young gerbils can break a leg or tail, especially if they are sharing the wheel with an older one.
Yes, it will keep their minds occupied. Toilet paper tubes make a fun toy and are good chewing exercise. Small boxes work the same way. You can also make Lego buildings, or buy small buildings and nests and things, or even construct a maze to put them in. The more variety of toys they have, the less bored they will be. I suggest ceramic toys rather than plastic as the ceramic can not be chewed to bits like plastic can. Not only is this more economical, there is less risk of accidental ingestion of the plastic.
Most gerbils loved running all around in them and become quite good at missing corners and your furniture. Always supervise them while they are in the balls the balls and put other animals in another part of the house. Also, make sure stairs are blocked, and put a some tape on the lids. Some can actually learn how to knock the lids off. Take them out and put them back in their cage twenty minutes or so. If your gerbil doesn't like the ball don't force the issue
BASIC CARE
Feeding
You can buy pre-packaged pellets, gerbil seed mixes, make your own seed mixture, or get lab blocks. Supplement any of these diets with fresh vegetables and, if possible, small insects like crickets, wax worms, and meal worms.
Fresh veggies give them some extra moisture and vitamins plus they like them. Insects are extra sources of protein. If you feed your gerbils a mixture of things, provided you have picked a diet with a good nutritional balance, they will generally pick out a healthy diet for themselves.
Make sure your
gerbils have eaten everything you have placed in their dishes before you give them any
more. This way you can assure that your gerbils aren't just picking out sunflower seeds,
corn, and other high fat foods and leaving the protein and lower fat foods behind.
Prepackaged pellets aren't recommended as the sole diet of the animal.
Gerbil seed mixtures are a good food source although they can be expensive.
Especially so if you have many gerbils. But if you have just a couple, these are ideal.
Some of the cheap mixtures are fine for older gerbils but aren't good for the younger
ones. Look for a nice variety of foods.
Vitamins
Using vitamins is a personal preference. Vitamins typically come in liquid and powder form. Liquid are usually added directly to water in the bottles; follow the instructions on the package.
Taming Gerbils
The only way to tame gerbils is to take them out of their cage and handle them often each day. They'll usually try to run away from you when you first try pick them up, they'll will gradually become more tamer and may even sit on your shoulder eventually. You can also train a gerbil to sit in your breast pocket if you start this when the gerbil is young enough. Always be mindful that they don't escape while you away from home though. You can get a gerbil to do almost anything if you hand feed it some sunflower seeds. He'll learn to trust in you and your hands if you always have some treats there.
Biting
Gerbils almost never
bite for no reason at all. Usually the two main reasons they do are curiosity
and fear. (Although there are some instances in which the animal just is vicious).
Mostly young gerbils bite out of curiosity. Like all kinds of babies, they explore things
with their mouths. They want to know if you are something that's good to eat. If
this behavior continues or becomes more than just a tiny nip, you will have to give the
gerbil a light tap on it's head or blow air in his face whenever he bites you.
If you're animal is scared then try to calm him down. You can use your tub to help tame
him down. Take him out of his cage using a cup, can, or tunnel if he won't allow you
to pick him up, and put him in the with a handful of food in it. When he gets used
to being in the tub, climb in with him. Just sit there a while, and let him get used
to you being there. Making friends step by step. At first, try your hand out flat on the
bottom of the tub and letting him sniff and walk over it. If that works out, offer your
gerbil some treats the palm of your hand, try gently petting him on the back as he's
getting the treats. Just go slowly and have lots of patience. Trusting you will take
a bit of time.
Playtime
If you "gerbil proof" one room in your house or apartment by blocking the doorways and putting something like a towel under the doors you can let your gerbil loose to run around in that room for an hour or two with supervision of course. Be careful though, you'll have a job catching them again!
Chewing
Gerbils being typical rodents, have an innate chewing instinct. They keep their teeth at the right length by grinding them and will chew on anything they can get hold of. The least expensive and probably the best thing to give them are branches and bark from trees around your house.
Light
Gerbils need a day/night cycle. Do not leave cages in direct sunlight cages in direct sunlight though. This could cause the animals to die of heat exhaustion. Put the gerbils in an area that has bright light but make sure plastic cages or aquariums will never be directly in the line of direct sunlight during the day.
Behavion
Gerbils thump as a means of signaling danger. These thumping sounds are made by the gerbils thumping their back feet on the floor of their "house" It is a surprisingly loud sound too.
Bonded gerbils or "families" cuddle and bathe each other, rough house, box chase one another. They sometimes sleep in a pile, some of the gerbils lying on top of each other.
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