|
The steppes of Mongolia in east-central
Asia are the native habitat of the gerbil.
LIFE
SPAN: Up to five years with proper care but more usually 3 to 4 years.
ACTIVITY
LEVEL:
Gerbils are very active and play during the day and night. Their sleep-wake cycles are from two to four hours.
They enjoy hiding in tubes, running on exercise wheels but they need frequent opportunities to be outside of their cage. They can be free roaming and will return to their cage on their own.
Gerbils
are a prey species. It is best to keep gerbils
in a household without other animals.
SOCIALPATTERNS: in the wild, gerbils live in clans and form colonies. Gerbils need the company of their own kind so they should not be kept as solitary animals. During the course of grooming they mark one another with saliva and then recognize their cohorts by smell. When choosing gerbils to live together, keep in mind that siblings get along best
but you can put two of the same gender together with good results. Different
species of gerbils should always be housed separately. Gerbils will fight fiercely
to repel a gerbil from outside of their clan. They are monogamous and both genders
care for their young. Like rabbits, they will drum their hind legs to warn other
clan members of danger. Young members of a clan will box with one another. Males mark their territory by rubbing their scent glands, located on their bellies,
on the ground.
With humans, they can
become very trusting if properly treated. They rarely become completely tame
to the touch. However, the more they are handled the tamer they become. They are intensely curious which keeps them interested in their human companions.
Generally speaking they
are intelligent, frisky, gentle, and gregarious and appear to show genuine affection toward their humans.
NORMAL
PHYSIOLOGICAL & BEHAVIORAL CHARACTERISTICS:
The basic gerbil diet should be a commercial mix of grasses and seeds supplemented with a small daily selection
of vegetables (no potatoes, especially raw) and fruit every other day. At a sitting,
gerbils eat less than a teaspoon of food. Sunflower seeds, dearly loved by gerbils,
should be limited and given only as treats. Pumpkin seeds and nuts also make
good treats. For protein, gerbils can be given mealworms, chopped hard
boiled egg, or yogurt for protein. Water is best provided by a gravity-feed plastic
bottle attached to a side of their habitat. They don’t drink much water
so they don’t have a large urinary output.
Gerbils have better distance vision than near vision. They have
poor depth perception. They hear at higher frequencies than do humans. Their sense of smell is very keen and is critical to a gerbil’s orientation to the world. They recognize their human caretakers by their smell.
Habitats should accommodate gerbils’ natural behaviors of burrowing, digging, climbing, hiding, and sand
bathing. Gerbils build nests and sleep in them so they need nesting materials.
Temperature of their environs should be maintained between 60 to 70 degrees F. Gerbils
are self-grooming.
SPAY/NEUTER
INFO: not applicable.
MOST COMMON
PROBLEMS: Gerbils will bite if startled but rarely bite otherwise. They are
susceptible to fleas and mites. They are too active for small children to handle.
VET CARE: If kept in clean
and spacious quarters, gerbils remain immune to most infectious diseases. They
should get a routine physical exam and medical care as needed by a veterinarian trained in exotic animal care.
|
