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Pet Gerbil
Unlike hamsters, gerbils are active during both day and night.
Their bold and curious personalities make them entertaining family
pets. It is best to pick two gerbils of the same sex, preferably
littermates, as they are very social and will not thrive alone. With
proper care gerbils will be lively companions for up to 4 years.
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Lovable Gerbils! |
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A Mongolian Gerbil
(Meriones unguiculatus)
Description
Slightly roman nosed, with small ears and large hind feet. The tail
is roughly the same length as the body and covered with with short
hairs that may be slightly longer at the tip.
Diet
They can be maintained on a diet of rodent black and rat or mouse
mix, but should get bits of fruit or veggies regularly.
Cheerios or wheat bread are great treats, in small quantities. Do
not feed chocolate, fried foods, salted foods, candy or junk food!
I've also offered my gerbils crickets and mealworms as treats, which
they seem to adore.
Vitamins like Nutri-Cal are a good addition to their diet, and added
calcium during nursing and growth due to demands on their systems at
those times, but take care not to overdo it.
Water bottles are better then bowls, as the gerbils will kick litter
into bowls and then refuse to drink the soiled water.
Ceramic or stoneware food dishes work well for keeping seeds or
fresh foods off the floor, and a wire mesh hopper that allows the
gerbils to eat the lab blocks through without them falling is also a
good idea.
Habitat
It's perfectly safe to keep a single male and his harem of females
together, even while pregnant and nursing babies, so long as the
females get along all right. Some breeders prefer to separate them
into male/female pairs to prevent fights amongst females which may
become very bitter, and eventually end in death.
A ten gallon tank will house two or three gerbils comfortably, or a
litter of weanlings temporarily. But in reality, the more room they
have, the happier they will be.
I have a colony of six in a 55 gallon, and then pairs in ten or
twenty gallon tanks. This allows room for boxes and hiding places,
as well as plenty of space for them to run around.
Gerbils need lots of toys to chew, to keep them happy, as well as
keeping their ever growing teeth down to a reasonable length.
PVC pipe tunnels, and cardboard houses to shred will keep your
gerbils from getting board during the hours when you are sleeping or
can't be with them.
Bedding should be aspen, paper based, or hay. Try to avoid Cedar or
Pine.
Special needs
If handled frequently, gerbils can become very gentle and tame,
however they still may not like to sit still for very long, and may
race all over you, risking a possible fall. So keep them low to the
ground while you are holding them, until they learn not to take that
flying leap off your hand.
By allowing your new gerbils to eat from your hand and avoiding
sudden movements you will soon win their trust. When they are
comfortable sitting on your hand, begin to lift them up to sit on
your arm or shoulder. Children should always be supervised and
taught to never to pick up a gerbil by the tail, and to protect
their pet from falls by sitting on a sofa or bed when holding them.
Personality
Attitude - Very curious, friendly, and sociable
Tame-ability - Fair to Good
Trainability - Fair
Activity level - High
Vocal - No
Minimum owner's age - 8 (if supervised by an adult)
Reproduction
Lifespan 3-4 years
Maturity 4 weeks
Sexual maturity 2-3 months
Receptive often in evenings, post birth
Gestation 21-25 days
Infants show color pigment at 4-6 days
Infants can be handled at 2 weeks
Infant eyes open at 16 days
Ready to wean at 4-5 weeks
Mutations
Lots of color mutations in gerbils, but not as many as one might
find in rats or mice. They're also available in a mottled (spotted)
variety.
Pet Status
Very common
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