Gerbil care
The essentials to ensure your gerbil remains in good health. Always seek veterinary advice if you are concerned about your pet.
Gerbils are, clean, active, curious, and intelligent animals. Their lifespan can be between 3 to 4 years and depending on their health, they have been known to live even longer. They are best suited to older children or adult homes as extra care is needed with handling.
The most common species of gerbil is the Mongolian gerbil, identified by their long hairy tails and their extreme digging habit. Mongolian gerbils are more active at night but can occasionally be seen during the day. It is advisable to keep their tank out fo bedrooms as they disturb you during the night.
Being very social animals, gerbils should not be left alone so same-sex groups should be considered.
Housing, bedding and enrichment
Gerbils need a minimum size accommodation of 1m x 40cm x 40cm tall or a glass tank to the size of 20 gallons (90 litres) with a secure wire lid. To help the gerbils express their natural behaviour to dig and burrow, the accommodation should provide a large area of thick sawdust or bedding material such as organic soil or peat at least two thirds (or 20-30cm) deep. Timothy hay and meadow hay can also be used as bedding material, shredded paper and fluffy materials should be avoided as these can cause injures to the gerbils.
Nest boxes and other hides can also be added or hidden with the bedding materials to provide enrichment. By providing wooden enrichment items, this allows gerbils to safely gnaw on them, plastic based enrichment items should not be given as gerbils could ingest them leading to harm. Cardboard tubes and loo rolls however can be used and are a good low-cost way to keep your gerbils entertained. A dust bath of chinchilla sand should also be provided daily for the gerbils to help keep their coats clean and in good condition.
Did you know? Gerbils have incisor teeth that continue to grow throughout their lives so having good enrichment items for gnawing is a must!
Cleaning
Accommodation hygiene is very important, not just to keep the space clean but also to not compromise the health of the gerbils. Whilst gerbils are more hygienic than some rodents, daily checks (spot-cleans) should be done regularly, and any soiled bedding should be removed and replenished. A full clean of the accommodation should be carried out at least once a month, depending on cleanliness, and should be done using a safe disinfectant spray and fresh bedding supplies.
Diet
Gerbils should be given a commercial gerbil food daily as part of a balanced diet, it is also important they are given regular fruits and vegetables to help make sure they get all the vital nutrients they need.
Below is a list of some of the suitable vegetable, fruits and herbs gerbil can consume and those you should avoid:
| Recommended | Avoid |
| Carrot | Potatoes |
| Broccoli | Tomatoes |
| Sprouts | Rhubarb |
| Cauliflower | Onioin |
| Apple | |
| Parsley | |
| Lettuce (small amounts) | |
| Sunflower seeds (sparingly) |
Gerbil dry food can be either given in a stainless-steel bowl or scattered throughout the accommodation. By scatter feeding this can help them express their natural foraging behaviours, providing them with much needed enrichment.
Gerbils will also need a constant supply of fresh water which should be provided in a free-access water bottle fixed to the tank; bowls are not advisable as they can be easily tipped the over.
Handling
Handling a gerbil should be done after you have gained the rodents trust and be carried out in a calm and safe environment. The best method for handling gerbils is the scoop technique, with both hands either side of the gerbils careful move your hands towards them and scoop them up forming a cup like shape with your hands. After securing the gerbil you can then move to a seat or area where you can play or stroke them safely.
In some cases, the scoop technique may not be possible due to the potential of nipping and biting. If this is the case, the scruffing technique can then be used if needed to examine the gerbil. This technique involves holding the loose skin on the back of the gerbil’s neck to restrain them without causing any injures. We would advise that this technique is not used with daily handling and that the scoop technique is prioritised for this. Scruffing normally needs to be used with gloves for protection from the initial nipping/biting.
It is important if children are handling, they should always be supervised, gerbils should never be picked up by their tails as this can cause damage to their skin and can resulting in it stripping off!
Basic health check
Health checking can be done daily and be easily categorised into major areas. These areas are listed below:
Breathing – gerbil is correctly breathing no discharge from nostrils.
Hair – coat is smooth and free of flakes no signs of parasites.
Eyes – gerbils eyes are open all the way and clear no signs of swelling or soreness.
Ears – ears are upright and clean with no build-up of wax, no signs of baldness or parasites.
Skin and body – no lumps, swelling or injuries (cuts or infections) can be found. Moving freely without any discomfort.
