Gerbil Care
Gerbils are crepuscular, meaning they are most active during twilight hours (dawn and dusk).
They live about 3-4 years.
Gerbils are very social creatures. They can live in same-sex pairs and must not live alone unless they specifically don’t like being around other gerbils.
Enclosure Set Up
When picking out an enclosure for your gerbil, most pet store cages are not suitable. Glass tank enclosures are recommended since gerbils love to chew and can easily chew through plastic and wood cages. Pet store cages are unsafe and are often much more expensive than their larger and safer alternatives. A 40 gallon breeder tank is the minimum recommended cage size for a gerbil since they are social creatures. You will likely have more than one gerbil living in the cage.
Bedding
Gerbils need deep layers of soft paper or aspen bedding. A mix is better, as it supports burrowing. They burrow a lot, so the deeper the bedding the better. At least 9-12 inches in one area of the cage is recommended. You can mix hay into this for more structural support, too.
A sand bath is recommend to help gerbils keep clean and provide a form of enrichment. Rather than bathe with water like we do, they roll around in the sand to clean oils from their fur. They also often use the sand bath as a bathroom, which makes cleaning much easier. Be sure to stay away from ‘Dust’ and only go for safe sand to prevent respiratory infections.
Diet
Gerbils are omnivores, meaning they eat a variety of different foods including fruits, vegetables, meats, insects, grains, etc. It is very important that they are fed a proper diet that meets all their nutritional needs. The most popular food combination in the US is Higgins Sunburst seed mix for hamsters and gerbils mixed with Mazuri rat and mouse lab blocks.
Enrichment
Gerbils LOVE to chew and have teeth that are constantly growing and need to be worn down so it’s essential that there are toys and chews to help with this. Safe wooden blocks, apple wood sticks, toilet paper rolls, and orchard grass hay work great. It is also recommended to have a few wooden, ceramic or cardboard houses for them to hide and sleep in.
Unsafe Gerbil Products
Many people are unaware but there are many dangerous toys, treats and other products marketed towards gerbils that pet stores still put on the shelves. People continue to buy their products so they don’t see a need to take it off the shelves. It is very important that we monitor everything we are giving our little friends so they don’t become sick or injured.
Bonding With Your Gerbil
Every gerbil is different! Some love and crave attention, while some are perfectly content with keeping to themselves. The first few days after taking them home, direct contact should kept to a minimum so they can get adjusted to the new environment. You can start talking to them, get them used to your voice, and start with the tissue trick.
This trick involves sticking some tissue paper in your clothes for a while to get your scent on it, and then putting it in the enclosure for your gerbil to get used to your scent. After your gerbil is comfortable with your presence, you can start placing your hand, palm up with some special treats to entice them to get on your hand. This might take awhile but eventually, your hands won’t seem so scary. You can then get to the point of holding them. Before your gerbil is comfortable being picked up, you can use a mug to move them around.
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