Pet Info Packets :: Gerbils

So you want a gerbil? Try two! Gerbils should be kept in same sex pairs as they are very social creatures! Gerbils are good hardy pets, they don't get sick often, they are social and they hardly smell! But of course, as any good pet owner does, you want to make sure all of the information you get is correct. This packet is the right place for you.





Bedding:

No matter what all the websites say, no matter what the people at the petstore say, no matter how good it smells, Cedar and Pine are big no-nos. (The Toxicity of Pine and Cedar Shavings) This page may be mainly about rats, but this applies to ALL small animals. So I bet your thinking, well what do I do now? Well there are many options. Aspen is a safe hard wood. Many people use Carefresh or Carefresh Ultra for bedding, which is good in odor control, is soft, and can be burrowed in easily. Shredded paper! Shred some paper for your gerbils. Tissue and paper towels are recommended, but regular paper does well too. Just make sure that when you shred the paper there are no sharp edges for paper cuts, the gerbils will chew through it and make their own fluffy bedding. Just remember this might not be as absorbent as the above options. A friend of mine chooses to use a thin layer of Yesterday's News then cover it with cardboard, the gerbils chew up the cardboard and are left with a nice soft bedding on top and a very absorbent one underneath. I suggest shredding up some paper towels for them any how so they can make a nest and snuggle in it! Make sure to put 2-3 inches of bedding in the tank or cage.


Cages:

Cages are a lot of fun, but those plastic tube ones that are colorful and great are not appropriate for your gerbils. Gerbils will soon chew it up and escape. A ten gallon glass tank is great for two gerbils. Top the ten gallon with a wire mesh top for proper ventilation. Gerbils jump VERY high, and even if you think they cant jump that high, they will. The general rule is 5 gallons per gerbil. So 15 gallons is enough for three gerbils. And so on, and so on. I use this habitat, and every two weeks when I change the cage I switch it to a different house set up. The other one I use is a corner wooden house, a bunny bowl full of chinchilla sand, a wheel in the corner, and wooden toys hanging from the wire mesh top.


Toys:

Most toys you see for small animals are not good for gerbils. Infact anything you see thats soft and fluffy for gerbils, I would discard. A lot of plastic things to. Gerbils are chewers, in fact they live to chew. Toilet paper cardboard rolls are perfect for them, they go through them and have a ball, and then they chew them apart. You can also give them wooden chew sticks made for small animals. Other cardboard things are great too. Avoid things with flashy ads. Every gerbil should have a wheel. A safe wheel. Wire rung hamster wheels are not safe. Gerbils can get their tails and legs stuck in them. You can fix these wheels by taping the wheel so legs cant get caught, or covering it in cardboard. I prefer to buy a safe wheel such as this one, that uses small holes (is grated) to make sure that gerbils tails and legs are safe. Wodent Wheels are another good, safe, wheel for small animals. Gerbils do enjoy a good sand bath. I use chinchilla sand, as I've heard that dust isn't good for gerbils because of respiratory problems. I have heard of cornmeal, flour, and childrens playsand being used as well. You can provide a small bowl for you gerbils to bathe in, a bunny bowl works fine, just make sure its ceramic or glass or they'll chew!


Feeding:

I use my own gerbil mix, which is a mixture of Suebees mix and a gerbil seed mix. I feed my gerbils Vita Vittles Gold gerbil mix, (I suggest Gerri Gerbil if you can get it.) If your gerbil picks out their favorite foods you should use a good pelleted food and try mixing it with a little bit of Suebee's for variety so they don't get bored with their food. Brown rice raw, (cook it as a treat!) Plain elbow pasta, rolled oats, Nutro Lite dog food, raisins, wheat germ, rolled oats and crushed total cereal. A lot of people mix a high quality bird seed to the regular gerbil mix to get some variety in seeds. I take out most of the sunflower seeds, but I leave in one or two, because sunflower seeds have calcium. This website has a lot of information about gerbil food, and gerbil care in general. Plastic waterbottles are fine for gerbils, but they must have a guard, so it can fit in a tank correctly, it also prevents chewing. The gerbils waterbottle must be cleaned and filled with fresh water everyday.


Treats:

Gerbils love treats, they are great for handling and general training. Gerbils adore sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, and safflower seeds. They just plain love nuts! (Which I purchase raw at Trader Joe's). I also give mine craisins, dried banana, raisins, and unsalted, unbuttered popcorn (which they go wild for) as treats. Unsalted pretzels are another hit. Believe it or not, gerbils actually eat fresh foods... it's good for them! Give it to them in small amounts though or they may get diarrhea. Gerbils also enjoy hard boiled eggs (sparingly as it has a lot of protein), dandelion leaves, (be careful about where you get these) slices of apple, and meal worms. I know of one recipe that my gerbils like (rip my hand off for!) that I got from a friend. I grab some sunflower seeds, molasses and flour. I put the sunflower seeds and molasses together and have them stick together till its a sunflower-seed ball, then if needed I thicken up the molasses with a bit of flour. The gerbils love it, I give it to them as a a rare treat on the holidays. Be careful, but experiment! Look through websites and see if your gerbils like certain foods! Have fun with it!


Trust Training:

So you got your gerbil and he or she is a bit skittish. Well, first of all thats completely normal and can be cured easily. I like to use this taming process (which is at the bottom of the page). It worked very well in getting my gerbils to trust me more. A lot of people prefer to go the treats route. In which you put sunflower seeds in your palm, and as the gerbils take the sunflower seeds in your hand you slowly start to handle them more, and more and they associate treats with you. Using these methods earlier is better, and remember if you have a pair of gerbils they are easier to socialize. Gerbils are very social creatures and should be kept in same sex pairs anyway.


Behavior:

Gerbils have many funny quirks, that are cute and fun to watch. Sometimes they are more than that, to be sure, read this!

Grooming: Grooming is a way to keep clean. Gerbils often groom each other. When gerbils groom its a good sign!

Thumping: Gerbils thump to warn others gerbils if their colony is in danger, or in sexual excitement. The gerbil will make a rhythmic thumping sound with their hind feet. Sometimes the other gerbils will join in. Its very amusing and fun to see all of the gerbils thumping! When young the gerbils often thump to impress members of the colony.

Digging frantically in the corner Gerbils often dig in the corner. This doesn't mean they want to get out. Most gerbils dig in the wild, and its just their natural instinct. I suggest you add a bit more bedding or make a digging box with some sand.

Fighting: There are two different types of fighting. One is serious fighting, the other way is just for gerbils to have fun. The gerbils will pounce and jump on each other, and chase each other around. In serious gerbil fighting the gerbil might lose weight, have bite marks on their head, butt, or tail, and most often stay away from the other gerbil. To avoid serious fights use the "split cage method" (scroll down on webpage to see) to introduce new gerbils. Never keep more than two females together and never keep more than four males together or territorial disputes can erupt. When breeding only place one male and female together because males will fight over the female.

Run-aways: When gerbils run away, its a very scary thing. But its a lot easier to catch than you think! First thing. DONT PANIC. Okay, now grab a toilet-paper tube, and put some sunflower seeds in it. The gerbil will most likely scuttle in and you can cover it. Do the same with shoe-boxes. Keep your ears open as gerbils will thump. You'll soon find him if you follow my directions!


Colors:

Gerbils come in all sorts of colors. The Gerbils Color Palette is one of my favorite sites for figuring out which colors mine or other peoples gerbils might be. Remember, the colors may be pretty, but gerbil personality is best of all! Don't get a gerbil because of its pretty colors, get it because of how social it is.


Getting your Pet:

Now that we've gone through everything, the last question is, "where do I get my gerbil?" I suggest getting a gerbil from either Petfinder, a breeder in your area, or a rescue in your area. I don't suggest getting one from a pet store unless you are sure that its a reliable pet store that takes care of its animals well.


In Conclusion:

Gerbils are wonderful social creatures who, if treated and cared for properly, make excellent pets. I suggest you take this quiz, and make sure you most if not all of the answers right. I hope I helped your research on gerbils. :)