Gerbils make very good family pets, they are easy to look after and with plenty of love and attention will become very will tame. Gerbils produce very little waste, naturally conserving all their water and nutrition they can as their bodies are able to withstand desert conditions. Gerbils live for 2-4 years and are very curious creatures making them an ideal pet and very entertaining company for older children.
Gerbils are very sociable and are used to living in colonies. They should be kept in single sex pairs or groups. If a gerbil lives on its own, he may become depressed and develop behavioural problems which could develop into poor health. In order to keep your gerbils happy, buy them at the same time so they are used to living together from a young age, gerbils over 10 weeks are unlikely to bond and will fight.
Gerbils can live in most cages or a glass tank but if you are having more than one, make sure you have plenty of space for them to run about in. When choosing somewhere to put the cage, make sure it is away from radiators and draughts. A good gerbil cage is one made from plastic, apart from ventilation areas, meaning you can provide a good, deep layer of woodshavings for them to tunnel in. Whichever home you choose for gerbils, you should provide plenty of toys and tubes for them to chew and play with. Gerbils are very enthusastic chewers! If you decide to put a wheel in their cage, please make sure it is suitable for gerbils as they can catch their long tails in the open bars resulting in snapped tails.
Gerbils eat gerbil mix and you can also supplement them with a very small amount of fresh fruit and vegetables such as apple but do not feed them too much as this can upset their stomach resulting in diarrhoea. Vitamin supplements and mineral stones can also be added to maintain a gerbils good health.
When your gerbil first comes to live with you, they should be allowed to settle in and get used to their new surroundings without being disturbed. You should then start to talk quietly to them so they can get used to your voice. The next step is to put your hand into their cage and maybe offer a treat, soon they will trust you and climb onto your hand. It is very important you handle your gerbil regularly to develop their trust and confidence. Never pick a gerbil up by its tail as this can be very painful.
Gerbils are very clean animals and their cages should be cleaned at least once a week.
A healthy gerbil will be active and very playful and their eyes should be bright and their coat shiny. A gerbils teeth are always growing so please ensure you have plenty of wooden toys or mineral blocks for your gerbil to gnaw on.
GERBIL CHECK LIST
*LARGE CAGE OR GLASS TANK
*WOODSHAVINGS
*FOOD BOWL
*WATER BOTTLE
*SOFT BEDDING
*WOODEN TOYS
*GERBIL FOOD
*MINERAL STONE
*VITAMIN DROPS
