Content

• To step
• Part 1 of 3: Buying Gerbils
• Part 2 of 3: Taking care of your gerbil
• Part 3 of 3: Enriching the life of your gerbils
• Tips
• Warnings
• Necessities

Gerbils are a popular type of pet and with good reason; they are friendly, sociable and curious. While not as expensive as dogs and cats, they do require daily attention and care. Perhaps most importantly, you need to provide suitable living space that will allow them to dig, just as they do in the wild.

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Part 1 of 3: Buying Gerbils

1. Find a breeder. The best option is to buy from a breeder. Due to the large number of animals at a pet store, they may have difficulty keeping track of the sex of gerbils and their relationship to each other. This can be problematic as they are both social and territorial, requiring careful planning of interactions. You are more likely to expect a breeder of gerbils to know the sex of the gerbil, whether two gerbils know each other and whether they are related.
   • You should be able to see the parents of your gerbils from a breeder. Ask for this and see if you like their character and health. Much of their behavior will be passed on to their offspring.
   • Ask the breeder questions about the little one and his litter. Was it born healthy? What percentage of the litter has died? How much inbreeding is there with the parents? How do the parents interact with other gerbils?
2. Find a healthy and friendly gerbil. Even healthy gerbils probably won't live longer than two to four years. That's why you need to watch out for signs that your gerbil is sick. There are also a number of clues that can tell whether or not the gerbil is friendly.
   • To find a healthy gerbil, look for a tail that is as long as the body and full of fur; shiny, large and bright eyes; and a body that is thick and firm. Dull eyes, red noses, bleeding noses and depressed behavior are signs that the gerbil is ill.
   • The signs that a gerbil is friendly are about what to expect. He must come to the glass and seek attention. Young gerbils naturally nibble a bit as a way to explore their environment. However, this shouldn't be painful. If the gerbil bites you hard, it is probably antisocial.
3. Buy several gerbils. Gerbils are social animals by nature and will become depressed and lethargic when sitting alone. You should always buy at least two and maybe more. For a first-time gerbil owner, the optimal composition is usually two gerbils of the same sex. When you start breeding gerbils, it can become both an expensive and complicated process for you.
   • Determining the sex of two gerbils is not always easy. To do that you have to turn them on their back in your hand. By three weeks, females will have a shorter distance between their urinary opening and anal opening. By five to seven weeks, males start to develop clear testicles, which makes it easier to determine sex. The valuable help of a professional can help, but depending on the point of sale, the owner may not have enough knowledge of the gerbils' background to be of much help.
4. Find gerbils that like each other. This can become difficult if the salesperson does not have enough knowledge of their relationships. If possible, you should buy gerbils from the same litter and between six and eight weeks old. This is the optimal age for them to form a relationship with each other. If this is not possible, you can introduce them to each other with the shared cage method.
   • To introduce unfamiliar gerbils to each other, buy an aquarium divider. Place this in the middle of the tray and place the gerbils each on one side of the tray. Swap the gerbils a few times so that they get used to the other's scent.
   • After about a week, you can take out the divider and keep a close eye on the gerbils for a day. It's okay if they romp around a bit, but if they jump in the air or roll around in a real fight, these are signs that they are aggressive and should be set aside immediately. On the other hand, if they fall asleep together, it means they are attached.
   • If this procedure fails, try three more times. If it still doesn't work, then they probably won't ever get along.
   • Never try to add a third gerbil to an attached bunch. They will conspire against the unknown rookie.
5. Buy an enclosure. The best housing for a gerbil is a large glass container. A 40 liter container should suffice for two gerbils. For each additional gerbil, the container must be 20 liters larger. Fill a third of the tray with a substrate such as Megazorb, Finacard, Carefresh or Bedexcel, which the gerbils can dig into. Plenty of space to dig is necessary to keep your gerbils active and busy.
   • Never shape the bottom with sawdust as wood sawdust from pine and cedar can cause serious respiratory problems.
   • You will need a lid to protect the gerbils. The best option is something like fine mesh that can be bought at the pet store. These are great because you can hang things on them, including a wheel and a water bottle.
   • Avoid cages. Gerbils can very easily get their feet stuck in gauze. Keep this in mind when you buy something for their home, including wheels.

Part 2 of 3: Taking care of your gerbil

1. Feed your gerbil well. The first step to good health is a good diet. Like us, gerbils need a balanced diet of vegetables, protein, fats and vitamins. Their basic diet should be a commercially produced gerbil food as these are specially formulated to meet all of their nutritional needs. However, this can be supplemented with a treat every now and then. You can scatter the food over the surface of the bedding.
   • Start with gerbil pellets or combinations or seeds, which are sold at pet stores for gerbils.
   • Gerbils love seeds, but don't overfeed them with sunflower seeds, as they were extremely high in fat. Pumpkin seeds are better.
   • Supplement their dried food with fresh, healthy fruits and vegetables, including pear, melon, apple, orange, cucumber, carrots, pumpkins and fennel. However, rhubarb and grapes are poisonous to gerbils. Hay is also a popular and healthy treat for gerbils; use the kind you can buy from pet stores.
   • You don't need containers. Scattering food is easier for you and better for your gerbils because it encourages their natural instinct to forage while discouraging fighting.
2. Make sure there is a water bottle in the container. Get one with a good metal spout. It helps if the bottle is made of clear plastic so that you can quickly see how full it is. In a glass aquarium, hang it from the mesh lid or through the bars of your top. Clean the spout regularly. Top up regularly so that the gerbils always have water.
3. Make a nest. A simple wooden box is ideal for a nest. These can be bought in the store. Tear toilet paper into narrow strips and put them in the tray to complete your gerbil's nest.
4. Clean the cage regularly. Check the pen daily and remove any old food that has not been eaten. Gerbils are also relatively clean. The bedding should be replaced, but no more than once a week.

Part 3 of 3: Enriching the life of your gerbils

1. Encourage play and exercise. Exercise is also important for the health of any pet. Fortunately, gerbils are naturally active. Space and bedding to burrow are the most important requirements for gerbils. But other things can help too.
   • A closed wheel can give a lot of movement. If it is not closed, the gerbil can get stuck in it with its legs or tail and hurt itself. Avoid this. Also make sure the wheel hangs off the ground at the barred top so it doesn't take up space in the hutch.
   • Pet stores sell wooden chew toys for gerbils that they can have fun with.
   • A training ball is the best way to give your gerbil the chance to explore the wide world and get some exercise at the same time.
   • Gerbils also like cardboard. An inexpensive way to entertain gerbils is to give them the toilet paper and kitchen rolls when they run out.
2. Take it easy. If you've just bought your gerbil, it may be too disturbed by its new environment to be friendly. Don't try to pick him up for the first few days. You can start building positive associations by feeding it seeds out of hand.
3. Treat them gently. Handle your gerbil often so that it gets used to human interaction. A happy gerbil will have daily social interaction. But be careful. Wash your hands before handling it. Use both hands to form a large bowl that will support the gerbil. Put your hands next to the gerbil so it can walk on them.
   • Avoid standing directly above the gerbil. He will associate any shadows that hang over him with predators and become agitated as a result.
4. Don't pick up your gerbil by the tail; this can break the tail. Wrap your hands around the gerbil and hold it gently.
5. Do not breed. A flock of gerbils can make ninety-six youngsters per year. Those babies will soon be making even more babies themselves. Unless you have extensive experience with gerbils, you should check that you do not own pairs of different sexes. Otherwise, you will soon be responsible for a small army of gerbils.

Tips

• Make sure to change the water daily to prevent bacteria growth.
• Don't buy fluffy nesting material, it can ensnare them and if they eat it it can block their digestive system and possibly kill them.
• Do not remove or use cedar shavings. This has fumes that can potentially kill them.
• Make sure you have a container big enough for them to run around in.
• While it is good for them if you give things they can gnaw on, you should make sure that those things are not stained, painted, polished, etc., as there may be harmful chemicals in the lacquer, paint or varnish.
• Consider buying a few pieces of wood for your box. A good few are the half logs and blocks with holes drilled in them. Try to give your gerbils a variety of things to play with in their box. Different textures, sizes and shapes will all occupy your pet and give you a lot of entertainment. You should always be cautious and use common sense when choosing things to put in the tray, and understand that gerbils will gnaw on everything, so don't use glass or metal that can break them and injure them. Do not buy wood that has been treated or that splinter easily.
• Make sure your gerbil gets fresh air at least once a month.
• If you wish, you can add small blocks of wood for your gerbils.

Warnings

• Modular systems such as rotastak and habit rail are not suitable for gerbils, and neither are hamster cages. They must have the space to dig.
• Gerbils frolic and struggle to play, but sometimes the fighting gets serious. If blood is released, you must immediately set it aside. Wear gloves to protect your hands. Don't take them apart for more than a day unless you want to take them apart permanently. After a day, they will lose their scent memory from each other and will no longer be connected.

Necessities

• Good gerbil food
• An upright water bottle
• Large aquarium
• Aspen or Care Fresh ground cover (no cedar or pine)
• Straw, cardboard or toilet paper to use for the nest
• A piece of untreated wood for gnawing