This article will focus on the gerbil. I will tell you how she behaves at home, what rules of care and maintenance must be followed. Does he get along with other animals? I will consider how and what to feed such a pet. And is it necessary to toilet train an animal, how many years can they live?
Gerbil behavior at home
I would like to point out that they are ideal pets. They get along well with their owners and love to play. Since she is not initially afraid of people, it will be very easy to tame such a baby. It is enough to give him any treat and the pet will immediately become your friend.
If you decide to keep one as a pet, there is no need to worry about these animals being awake at night. Thus making a lot of noise. I want to say that being the breeder of this mouse, I do not experience such a problem.
Already a day after she appeared in my house, the silence of the night was not disturbed by anything. You just need to place your pet’s house where there is no light. This could be any dark corner, but not a window sill or a place next to it. Because the light from street lamps will stimulate the mouse to stay awake.
If there is a cat living in the house, make sure that the small pet does not become its dinner.
Myshkin house
Now I’ll tell you about the conditions of keeping the gerbil. A spacious aquarium is perfect for her as a house. It is better not to use a cage. Since, when starting to sharpen its teeth, the animal gets too carried away and easily bites through metal rods.
The aquarium should be covered with a ventilated lid, otherwise the mouse will jump out. And there your furniture, wallpaper and even wires will be used to sharpen your teeth.
I want to say that in addition to the house itself, the breeder will also need furnishings for it. This could be game balls and other entertainment. You definitely need to put a small pool in the aquarium. But not with water, but with sand. Your new tenant needs sand for relaxation. And with its help he cleans his beautiful fur coat.
Take care of your baby's sleeping place. Place some dry leaves, hay or napkins in his house. The grateful mouse will make himself a bed.
Is a walk necessary?
You can't keep a mouse in its house all the time. Let the animal out periodically for a walk. But don't take your eyes off her. If your gerbil suddenly decides to hide from you, don't panic. She will definitely come out of hiding as soon as she smells a treat.
The gerbil does not need outdoor walks. Let her warm up by running long distances around your apartment.
What to feed
As for feeding, everything is simple. The gerbil happily eats green grass, sprouted grains, apples, carrots and other vegetables and fruits. She will also agree to berries or sunflower seeds. She will also be grateful for locusts or mealy worms. He enjoys eating cottage cheese.
Most importantly, try to limit the food from your table. Of course, the gerbil will not refuse her. But sausage or frankfurter is unnatural food for her and can give rise to illness.
Now, I’ll say a few words about caring for your pet’s house. You can cover the floor of the mouse’s home with hay, sawdust, napkins or paper. You can buy special litter for rodents. The gerbil will like everything.
Since the mouse produces very little urine, there is no need to frequently change the litter. This can be done once a week. But there is no need to increase the cleaning period. It is necessary to ensure that the floor in the aquarium is practically dry. Because this type of mouse does not tolerate dampness well.
And I also want to note the point that the gerbil has a specific place for the toilet. And throughout her life she will go exactly there.
The sand squirrel does not like dampness. Make sure her house is always dry.
As I already said, taming a gerbil goes almost unnoticed. Not at all afraid of people, she herself strives for contact. Just give her some treat and your friendship will grow stronger every time.
Sand squirrel diseases
Since the gerbil is a living creature, it is also susceptible to various diseases. The most common are the following:
- Tizzer's disease, which is terrible for them, manifests itself as liver necrosis - enteritis. One of the signs of the disease is the accumulation of fluid in the abdominal cavity. Because of it, the animal increases in size. The disease progresses rapidly and is fatal. Pregnant individuals and young animals are especially susceptible to it. The disease is caused by contaminated food. Therefore, you need to be careful about your pet’s food;
- Another common disease is epilepsy. It manifests itself in the form of limb spasms and is transmitted exclusively by inheritance. Treatment is not applied in this case;
- and of course, the gerbil may injure himself. I know of cases where a mouse lost its tail. Therefore, carefully and properly care for your pet.
Is it worth starting
Whether or not to have a sand squirrel at home is, of course, everyone’s business. But I would highly recommend this mouse as a pet. The gerbil, despite its small size, can become a wonderful friend for you. The animal is magnificent as a pet. The only thing I ask you to pay attention to is one detail.
When purchasing it, be sure to ask the seller for rodent documents.
There is a possibility of buying a mouse from the wild. And this can be disastrous for your family. Because wild sand squirrels carry plague and tularemia.
Having acquired such an animal, do not forget to please your new friend from time to time. Bring him small gifts in the form of small branches or twigs. He will happily chew on them. And the more such souvenirs the animal has, the less likely it is that she will eat something valuable while walking around the apartment.
The gerbil mouse is diverse in nature, there are 87 species, it belongs to the hamster family. The rodent can often be found in semi-desert and desert areas of Asia and Africa, on the Mediterranean islands. The gerbil lives in a colony, loves areas with gravelly, clay and sandy soils, but where there is vegetation, which it eats. A small mouse lives in burrows, which can sometimes reach up to three meters in depth; they are connected to each other by branched passages.
Diet
The animal eats grains: oats, wheat, barley and corn, greens and grass, hay, fruits and vegetables. Likes to eat boiled egg whites or cottage cheese. If you have such a rodent at home, do not give them citrus fruits under any circumstances (they cannot tolerate them). For them, you can purchase ready-made grain mixtures in pet stores. Such mixtures are divided into categories.
Mice should not be overfed; for one adult, one tablespoon of food will be enough for one day; the water poured into the bowl should always be filtered and fresh.
In order for the animal to live comfortably at home, it will need a ventilated terrarium with a lid or 
special cage for keeping. Mice jump well in height and can easily leave the terrarium (so you need to remember to close it from above).
Rodents do not like drafts as well as direct sunlight; the temperature in their home should be about 22 degrees Celsius, this temperature is optimal for keeping, and the minimum should not be lower than 15 degrees Celsius. You need to lay bedding about 15 centimeters thick in the cage, because mice love to rummage, it is better to use pine sawdust as bedding.
Hay can be placed so that she can create a nest for herself, you can also use toilet paper (not dyed), napkins or landscape paper. Do not place cotton wool or cloth in the cage as this may damage or injure the animal.
Place several small wooden houses in your home; the food bowl should be heavy so that the rodent does not knock it over. Place the bowl on a shelf or stand because the animal may bury it in the sawdust. Be sure to attach a mineral salt stone to the lattice or wall of the rodent's home; it can be purchased at a pet store.
The animals love to lead an active lifestyle, running through tunnels and stairs. To do this, attach ladders, tunnels or a wheel on which the mouse will run.
What do mice get sick of?
These animals have good immunity and rarely have health problems. In order to determine whether a rodent is healthy or not, look at its activity, stroke its fur (in a healthy animal it will be smooth and soft). Patients are always motionless and sleepy, their fur becomes dull. If your pet is sick, do not self-medicate, seek help from a specialist ratologist who will prescribe the necessary medications.
Animal training
Many experts believe that rats and mice are the smartest among all rodents. The animal can be taught to respond correctly to certain sounds and commands; it quickly gets used to its name, to which it responds. An animal can be taught to jump from ladder to ladder and “serve.”
Rodent character
The animal is very affectionate, sociable, friendly and curious, it can be tamed. Keep these animals away from dogs, birds and cats as they may eat or harm them. If you decide to have a small mouse at home, you won’t need any special care for it; it will always delight its owners with its habits and spontaneity.
Gerbils (lat. Gerbillinae) are a family of rodents that includes 87 species that belong to 14 genera. They inhabit semi-deserts and deserts of Africa, Asia and the extreme southeast of Europe. In Transbaikalia, Ciscaucasia and the western Caspian region you can find the Mongolian gerbil (Meriones unguiculatus). Most often, it is the Mongolian gerbil that is kept at home by lovers of these cute rodents.
"Portrait" of a gerbil
Outwardly they resemble a cross between a mouse and a gopher. What makes the animals especially charming are their large, open eyes and small ears. The body length of an adult animal is 10-15 cm. The tail, 9-12 cm long, is covered with fur, and its horse has a small tassel. The animals weigh 75-120 g. The front legs of gerbils are mobile, with dexterous fingers. The hind legs are richly furred.
The natural color of the animals is sandy-yellow interspersed with black hair, the abdomen is lighter. The colors of gerbils bred by breeders are very diverse. There are black and white, silver and golden, red, beige and variegated.
Gerbil as a pet
These animals are almost ideal as pets. They are unpretentious, clean, sociable, peaceful, easy to tame, do not take up much space, and have almost no smell. Additionally, unlike most rodents, which are nocturnal, gerbils are active during the day.
These are very agile and funny rodents, they are always busy with something, they love a cage and play environment full of variety, as well as educational games. However, it is not recommended to have gerbils if the family has children under 7-8 years old. After all, at this age, children love to hold their pet longer in their arms and cuddle it. But the gerbil, due to its mobility, cannot stand being held in your arms for long. So this is an animal for those who like to watch from the sidelines, and, I must say, you can watch gerbils for hours.
Gerbils are sociable, social, and unlike some other rodents, they do not tend to hide in secluded corners. When letting your pet out for a walk, you don’t have to worry that the animal will hide somewhere - gerbils love to be in sight and communicate with others.
Perhaps gerbils have one drawback - the need to constantly chew something. They chew literally everything - the cage, houses, bowls, running wheels... But this problem is partly solvable - pets in the cage should always have harmless material for gnawing - tree branches.
Gerbils are social animals and get bored when alone. Even if the owner devotes enough time to the pet, he cannot replace his family. Without the opportunity to communicate with its own kind, the animal will suffer. Therefore, it is better to keep at least a couple of gerbils. And if you don’t want to get offspring from your charges (by the way, gerbils reproduce well in captivity), you can get same-sex animals, but keep in mind - the animals must know each other from early childhood. When adult gerbils of the same sex are placed in the same cage, conflict or even tragedy can occur.
Are gerbils clean? This question can be answered this way: accustomed animals are clean. But be prepared for the fact that at first the animal will empty its intestines wherever it feels like it. The rodent can do this both in the cage and outside it (if it is on a walk).
There is one more feature common to all gerbils without exception - they mark their territory with urine. Therefore, prepare old bedspreads - they will come in handy so that you can cover the furniture with them while the gerbil walks around the apartment.
To teach your pet to relieve its natural needs in one place, you need to put a small bath with filler in the cage (for example, for cat litter). To let the animal know that this is not just a sand bath, but a toilet, put a few peas of pet feces in it. Watch the animal for a while, and as soon as you notice that it is sitting down, carefully pick it up and place it on the bath. If you have not one, but several individuals, you do not have to teach each one the wisdom of hygiene - all members of the family will follow the example of a clean relative.
House for gerbils
But it should be noted right away that a regular cage with bars is not the best option. There will always be garbage around it - after all, by their nature, these animals love to dig holes and tunnels, and the litter will fly in all directions. In addition, animals will mercilessly chew on the bars. Not only is this accompanied by unpleasant sounds, but it also leads to bald spots on the animals’ noses.
Aquariums also have their disadvantages. Firstly, they are not cheap, and secondly, aquariums are usually extended upward, and their bottom area is small. For this reason, air exchange is often difficult in them. Another significant disadvantage is that the aquarium is heavy and very inconvenient to clean.
Today there are plastic boxes on sale that are made specifically for rodents. They are very convenient - no garbage, no smell in the house. In such houses, animals can carry out their excavations as much as they want without covering everything around with garbage, as is the case with a cage. The only negative is that in hot weather, ventilation in such a home may be difficult.
When choosing a home for your gerbil, you need to keep in mind that gerbils are very active and need more space than other rodent species. The area of the apartments should allow the animals to engage in construction and dig holes. Therefore, a box for a pair of gerbils should be at least 50 cm in length, and preferably 70 cm. If the home is not very spacious, you will need to let the pets run around the apartment more often.
In the gerbils' house, feeders (preferably ceramic), a ball or nipple drinker are placed. Don't forget about mineral and salt stones. Houses, tunnels, ladders, material for gnawing - all this must also be provided. If you want to please your pets with a running wheel, then due to the excessive activity of the animals, choose a closed type wheel.
Sawdust, hay, special granules, or napkins or soft paper are used as filler.
Home climate
Gerbils are not picky about temperature: they are quite comfortable at room temperature, and even a gradual decrease in temperature to 0°C is easily tolerated by the animals. The main thing for them is that the room is dry enough; with high humidity, the animals will get sick. Gerbils should also be protected from drafts - they can be destructive for them. Make sure that the cage is not exposed to direct sunlight.
Gerbils bathing
Since high humidity is contraindicated for gerbils, they should not be bathed in water. Sand is used for swimming, but not ordinary river sand, but special sand. You can buy sand for bathing chinchillas at the pet store. It needs to be poured into any container of suitable size and placed with the animals in the cage. Gerbils generally enjoy sand baths. After 30-40 minutes, the container with sand is removed. “Sauna” days are held at least twice a week. Sand bathing will keep the animals' skin and fur in good condition.
What to feed gerbils?
The basis of the gerbil's diet is grain mixtures. You can purchase ready-made food for gerbils at a pet store (food for hamsters, mice and rats is also suitable), or you can prepare a dry mixture yourself from seeds, oats, wheat and barley. But dry food alone is not enough to provide adequate nutrition for a gerbil. You need succulent feed, hay, and special fortified supplements. Together with grain mixtures, they will provide gerbils with complete, balanced nutrition.
Gerbils can be given leaf or head lettuce, carrots, beets, zucchini, cucumbers, celery, thoroughly washed and peeled. With great pleasure they eat fruits and berries: apples, pears, grapes, strawberries, raspberries. They love bananas, but you shouldn’t overfeed your pets with this high-calorie delicacy, especially if the living conditions do not allow the crumbs to move a lot. It is not recommended to give citrus fruits and kiwi to gerbils, since most rodents do not tolerate these types of fruit very well. As for cabbage, it can be given, but in small quantities, since it is the main source of bloating in rodents.
Important sources of food for gerbils are also hay, tree branches and fresh grass. The quality requirements for hay, both ready-made (store-bought) and collected independently, are identical: the hay must be clean, free of mold and musty odor, with a slight aroma of dry grass. Gerbils love to chew twigs of maple, acacia, willow and some other trees. In addition, such branches help to wear down the front incisors of rodents. Fresh juicy grass promotes good functioning of the gastrointestinal tract. Most importantly, all these “natural” delicacies should be collected away from roads and industrial zones, and before use, the branches and grass should be thoroughly washed and dried. However, not everyone can go out of town and collect hay or grass, and in winter such manipulations are completely impossible. The easiest way is to purchase meadow hay for rodents at a pet store. Even if the animal refuses one type of hay, it can be offered another option, for example, granulated forb hay or alfalfa hay, which are low in fat, high in fiber, and enriched with vitamins and minerals.
In nature, gerbils consume very little water; the need for fluid is replenished with the help of succulent food. However, the presence of a drinking bowl for rodents in the cage is mandatory, especially if we are talking about a gerbil feeding babies. The water must be clean, preferably filtered.
Sometimes gerbils can be treated to a small amount of natural sugar-free yogurt, sour cream and low-fat cottage cheese. But you need to remember that pregnant females, as well as gerbils - nursing mothers, require the greatest amount of protein and other useful microelements. The source of proteins can be boiled eggs or a piece of meat (beef), ground in a meat grinder or chopped with a knife.
As for the optimal amount of food for gerbils, there should be enough for the animal to eat during the day. When gerbils stock up, the amount of food should be reduced. If the feeder is empty by the middle of the day, increase accordingly. It would be correct to periodically inspect their pantries, as well as remove spoiled supplies.
Whatever type of food is selected for a small pet - self-developed or ready-made food, the main thing is to take care of its completeness and usefulness. After all, healthy nutrition is the secret to the good mood of a small pet and its owner!
In contact with
The gerbil is ideal for keeping at home in a city apartment. The animal is sociable, has a quick wit and a good disposition, is easily tamed from an early age, and gets along well with other gerbils.
The animal is completely unpretentious and does not require a spacious cage, and is also very clean. If you have chosen this cute creature, then in order to avoid negative aspects and possible problems, it is recommended to get to know this animal better.
General information
The gerbil family belongs to the order of rodents. The body size of these animals is 5-20 cm, the tail length is 5-24 cm. The animals can weigh from 10 to 230 g.
Gerbils have an interesting feature: when in danger, they shed their long tail, with a tassel at the end, which does not grow back. The muzzle, like that of a rat, has an elongated, pointed shape. In some members of the family it may be dull. The gerbil's eyes are large, convex, and the ears are well defined. The color of the upper part of the body is brownish and darker than the lower part. The areas behind the ears, around the eyes and on the head are painted in light colors.
Gerbils have well-developed hearing and vision. The hind limbs of the animal are somewhat elongated, which provides it with the ability to move on its hind legs. However, this ability has not reached the level of development that is characteristic of jerboas.
In the wild, gerbils are found in desert steppes and deserts in Africa and Asia. Rodents are herbivorous animals - they feed on terrestrial parts of plants and seeds. In captivity, they feed on cereals, vegetables, corn, and fruits (with the exception of citrus fruits).
One way or another, the following advantages speak in favor of keeping gerbils at home:
- cleanliness of animals;
- unpretentiousness;
- quick adaptation to new conditions, ease of taming;
- lack of aggression.
Among the negative aspects is the possibility of infection with tularemia, which is dangerous for both animals and humans.
On a note. Tularemia is a natural focal infectious disease that affects the lymph nodes, skin, and in rare cases the eyes, pharynx and lungs, accompanied by severe intoxication.
How to choose?
First, you need to resolve the issue of the seller. You can buy a gerbil in a specialized store, online via an advertisement, or from professional breeders. The disadvantage of the first option is that pet stores often sell sick animals that were kept in poor conditions.
It also happens that the parents of animals turn out to be related individuals, which is a factor in the development of hereditary diseases in their offspring. It is also very easy to get scammed on the Internet. It is safest to contact professional breeders. From them you can choose the gerbil you like and get detailed information about the future pet, rules of care and maintenance, as well as information about the behavior characteristics and age of the gerbil.
When buying an animal, first of all, you should pay attention to the appearance of the animal:
Due to the fact that animals love to chew on everything, the bars of the cage should not be made of wood. It is recommended to use a metal cage or a spacious, tightly closed aquarium with good ventilation as a place of residence for the gerbil. The recommended cage size is 40x50 cm.
Build a bedding for housing. The material used is sawdust, hay, paper, as well as a special filler, the thickness of which should be at least 10-15 cm. A thick layer of bedding will allow the animal to dig one or more holes - this activity represents a significant part of their leisure time.
To make your pet's living conditions comfortable, the enclosure should be equipped with a running wheel, walking balls and other entertainment. Thanks to this, the gerbil will not get bored in your absence. In addition, an active lifestyle, even within such a small space, will be very beneficial for the health and well-being of your pet.
Since the animal constantly feels the need to chew something, do not forget to put some branches in the house.
Provide your pet with a sand bath. The animal will regularly clean its skin in it.
Gerbils are unpretentious and therefore quickly and easily get used to home conditions. A significant argument in favor of these animals is the absence of an unpleasant odor, which does not occur even if the enclosure is not cleaned for a long time. It is noteworthy that these rodents are very thrifty - they like to put food, as well as hay and grass in one pile. Keeping these animals is of particular interest also because the animals can live in families, which are very exciting to watch.
Unlike hamsters and chipmunks, gerbils do not hide in corners or seek out dark corners indoors. Almost always they are in sight and easily contact people - they readily respond and accept food from their hands.
You should not get gerbils for children under 8-9 years old.
The animals are very mobile and restless, so holding them in your hands and petting them for a long time will not work - the pet will most likely run away.
Feeding
The diet of gerbils is quite varied and includes green grass, sprouted grains, sunflower seeds, legumes, bread, beets, cabbage, and apples.
Sometimes your pet can be pampered with small insects or mealworms. The animals eat cottage cheese with pleasure. Giving food from the dinner table is not recommended.
Don't forget to feed your pet vitamins and minerals. To do this, you can add eggshells and chalk to your gerbil's diet.
Feeding your gerbil The gerbil's pregnancy lasts 25 days, after which from 1 to 9 babies are born. On average, gerbils have 3 to 6 babies.
The female gives birth intermittently, and in the intervals between the birth of babies, she can eat, dig and do other important gerbil activities. After giving birth, the period of estrus begins, in connection with this, most females do not pay attention to the babies, run and dig like crazy, often scattering their newborn children or burying them. As a rule, the next day they calm down and begin to care for and feed the babies. Babies are born blind and naked, very much like shrimp, because... They are red in color and have a similar shape. In the first days after birth, it is better not to disturb the female and not to climb into the nest. Babies develop quickly. On the first day after birth, you can see the color of the gerbils' eyes; either black or red circles shine through the skin.
For 3-4 days the babies are no longer bright red, the skin becomes a calmer color, the skin begins to darken all over the body or on the paws, tails, ears and faces of certain colors.
On day 5 their fur begins to grow and their ears protrude. During this period, babies look dusty or “dandruffy” because the delicate skin changes and flakes off as hair grows.
From 6 to 8 days the babies are completely covered with short, smooth fur; during this period it is convenient to check the gender of the babies. Girls have clearly visible papillae on their tummy; boys, as a rule, do not have them. Experienced breeders determine the sex of babies even earlier.
By day 11 the babies usually begin to crawl actively and often try to crawl out of the nest, which is why gerbil mothers wall up the entrance to the house, covering it with filler.
From 15 days The little ones run around actively and explore the world. The coat has already grown back, but many colors have childish colors and will change after shedding.
From 15-19 day babies open their eyes. This happens gradually, as if the film connecting the eyelids is dissolving. It happens that the baby first opens one eye, and only the next day the second. Moreover, they do not open wide, as if they were squinting. They begin to try “adult” food, although they regularly drink mother’s milk—this is their main diet.
From 20 days babies actively explore the world, play, but also sleep a lot. From this same period, a “critical point” passes, at which, in the event of the mother’s death, the babies will be able to survive on their own, although without nutritious mother’s milk they will be smaller than their peers.
From 21 to 31 days babies increase in size. During this period, the female actively trains the babies. They completely switch to adult food in a month, a month and a week. During this period, they can be separated from their mother; they are ready for independent life.
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