The gerbil is an unusual rodent that has made its home in many houses, and it is increasingly common to see people who have them as pets due to their affable, playful character, curiosity and, contrary to what many may think, intelligence.
For this reason, if you are thinking of having a gerbil as a pet or you already have one, in this article on our site, we will We help you to know everything you need regarding the needs you must attend to so that your peculiar rodent is he althy and comfortable in your family.
Origin of the domestic gerbil
Gerbils are a species belonging to the suborder of myomorphs, which also includes hamsters, rats, mice, voles… And within this classification, they are from the Dipodidae family. It should be noted that it is common to confuse them with the muridae family, to which the gerbils belong.
These peculiar rodents have not been kept as pets for too many years, but were originally used as laboratory animals in the 1950s But due to its docile character, it was gradually adopted as a pet. However, there is no single species of gerbil in nature, rather there are nine different varieties spread across northern Africa and Asia. Now, the species we have taken in as a pet is the Egypt gerbil
If you like rodents, you may also be interested in this other article about The rat as a pet.
Gerbil Characteristics
This little animal is also commonly called the desert gerbil or desert rat, because it is used to living in desert areas, which which makes them have a resistant body and adapted to this kind of environment. However, the most striking physical characteristics of the gerbil are:
- Brown or gray coat: Their coat coloration is usually sandy or grayish in color and white on the underside, which It allows him to camouflage himself in the environment and not be easily seen by his predators. However, being a domestic species, they have been selected to have more varied coats.
- Tamaño: this small rodent is physically similar to the mouse, being able to measure between 10 and 12 cm in length, without taking into account its length. tail.
- Cola: as we said, the gerbil also has a long tail of about 10 cm finished with a tuft of hair, with which balances easily.
- Big eyes and ears: he has big eyes that allow him to see at night, and he is provided with big ears with which he has great hearing and allows him to regulate his temperature.
- Long hind legs: however, it differs from mice due to its peculiar long hind legs (which can remind us of the of a kangaroo), which are provided with hairs on the fingers that isolate it from the ground and allow it to move by jumping and facilitating mobility in the sandy terrain in which it is adapted to live. In addition, thanks to these limbs, it is also capable of making long jumps with which to quickly escape from predators, such as eagles or snakes.
How long does a house gerbil live?
On the other hand, although the gerbil is a very resistant animal in nature, capable of living in climates as extreme as the desert, the gerbil is not in itself a very long-lived animal, since it has a life expectancy of about 3-4 years if they are being well cared for, even reaching 5 years in exceptional cases.
If you want to know other animals that inhabit the same places as the gerbil, don't miss this other article on our site about Animals that live in the desert and their characteristics.
Character and behavior of the domestic gerbil
In general, the gerbil is a very affectionate, sociable and clean animal. Next, we will analyze a little more in detail the character and behavior of the gerbil.
Gerbil Activity
Due to their prey nature, these animals often dig burrows in which to live, to protect themselves from predators, but also, to avoid the high temperatures of the desert. To avoid the heat, they are usually rather nocturnal animals. Now, by living with us, you can adapt your schedule and be active both day and night
Gerbil Curiosity
These small rodents have a very curious character and, for this reason, they are constantly exploring everything around them. It is common then, to notice that they usually maintain an upright posture, stretching their two hind legs to observe their surroundings.
Gerbils - sociable and friendly
Also, gerbils are sociable and friendly animals They often live in communities inside burrows and sleep together. And even when a gerbil is frightened by a predator, it will often hit the ground with its hind legs to alert other gerbils. These knocks on the ground also usually occur during courtship. Let us remember that they have very good hearing and therefore communicate especially through soundsof high frequency that are imperceptible to us. They also whistle when they groom themselves or for other reasons such as fear or claim.
Male and female gerbils - Differences
It should be noted that females tend to have a more temperamental character than males, which is accentuated during heat in the event that there are other females nearby, which they perceive as competition, something that can cause fights.
Another peculiar behavior that they usually carry out, especially the males, is that of crawling on their belly on the ground and objects that are are in their comfort zone (usually their cage). They usually perform this behavior to mark their territory, since gerbils have scent glands in their guts with which they leave their scent.
Gerbil Hygiene
Gerbils also have very marked hygiene habits. Normally, in their habitat, these rodents often groom themselves by rubbing themselves with sand. And, also, they usually wash each other among the members of the same group. They also usually make their feces and urine in the same place away from food and resting place.
Do gerbils bite?
In itself, gerbils do not bite. However, when they play, these furry usually relate to each other through nibbles, which do no damage unless they are defensive (and therefore, are not playing). In other words, it would be very rare for them to act aggressively, unless they are scared and cornered In addition, it could be the case that if we were bothering excessively our gerbil, it bit us to ask us to stop. We must bear in mind that, despite being sociable animals, it is important that from an early age our gerbil has become accustomed to contact with people, otherwise it would not be strange for it to distrust us and be stressed.
For this reason, it is very important that if our furry is going to be with children, we explain very well how to interact with him; using soft voice (since they have sensitive hearing) and treating it gently. In short, explain to them that it is not a toy, since it is a fragile animal. Also, if we grab our little one by the tail, we can get a good scare!, since one of the defense mechanisms that this animal has is neither more or less than getting rid of his tail in case he gets caught. And unlike lizards, it won't grow back.
If you have children, if you doubt whether or not to have a gerbil at home, you can also consult this other article on The best pets for children.
Gerbil care
The gerbil is a pet that requires little care, compared to a dog, for example. It is a rather independent animal that will not require much of our attention. Now, we must know well what care we must give it so that it is a he althy and happy animal, which can be summarized in:
- Proper nutrition.
- Cage with everything you need.
- Meet your social needs.
Next, we will explain each of these points in more detail.
What do gerbils eat? - Food
Gerbils are animals that do not need a large intake of food. In their natural habitat, they usually feed on all kinds of food that are within their reach, such as:
- Flowers.
- Herbs.
- Fruit.
- Seeds.
- Tubers.
- Insects.
- Bird eggs.
However, to ensure that we provide a complete nutritious diet, it is best to give him aspecific feed for this rodent, and also offer it a bit of hay , which will give it an extra supply of fiber. We can, in turn, leave him natural foods such as fruits or vegetables scattered around the cage, such as apples, broccoli, carrots… Always in small quantities, otherwise he could have diarrhea.
Finally, with regard to water, we recommend that you fit a tank with clean water, which can be supplied freely.
Forbidden food for gerbils
On the other hand, we will never give you:
- Onion.
- Rhubarb
- Food spoiled.
The gerbil's cage
As it is a very nervous animal, the space in which it will be found should not be less than, at least, 1 meter long and wideMore, in case we host more than one. Also, single-tier cages are often too small and poor in mobility, so a cage with multi-tier is always a good idea, as long as these are not grid or bars (since damage could be done).
We must also add elements to interact with: structures to climb, gnaw, hide… This is because they needentertainment and exercise and therefore spend long periods of time playing with the objects you place in their cage. In this way, they will feel satisfied if we place elements so they can gnaw , which helps them keep their teeth of a size that allows them to feed properly. Provide items such as store-bought gerbil-friendly toys or cardboard rolls of toilet paper that they love and meet their need.
Next, we will make sure that the bars must be sufficiently narrowso that our furry one cannot escape and we will avoid the use of plastic, since it can be easily gnawed.
As we have mentioned, this animal spends much of its time digging burrowsThis activity is necessary for her psychological and physical well-being, since she exercises and files her nails. In this case, it will be common to see our furry dig the ground or bottom of his cage. For this reason, when we choose the substrate, we will see that there are several specific substrates in stores, but we advise that it be one that allows you to satisfy your instinct to dig (of corn or pressed paper, for example). In addition, we can add strips of toilet paper with which he will entertain himself and build his nest (never newspaper, because its ink is toxic).
The cage must have good ventilation and it must be easy to clean (with neutral soap), to ensure that it is done thoroughly and take care of the he alth of our animal. Lastly, it should be located in an environment without drafts or direct sunlight (which always has the option of being in the shade). The room temperature should be between 18 and 28 ºC.
Gerbil Social Needs
Because this is a gregarious animal, that is, in the wild, gerbils go in groups, so if If you decide to adopt a gerbil, it is difficult to keep a single copy without it showing behavioral problems and without being stressed, since it will normally feel insecure.
For this reason, we recommend having two gerbils, which can keep each other company and feel protected, always taking into account the space they we provide them. In addition, it is recommended that these furry ones already know each other when they are little to avoid fights or, if not, introduce them progressively so that they get to know each other little by little and get used to each other's smell.
Now that you know more about the gerbil as a pet, you may be interested in this other article on Tips for choosing a pet.
