Gerbil Care

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Gerbil Care

By: April Metroulas

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Section: Exercise and Play

Exercise and Play

Gerbils are very active and love to play. They need plenty of entertainment and exercise to keep them healthy and alert.

Every gerbil should have a metal exercise wheel to keep him mentally and physically fit. Gerbils have both day and night activity cycles, but tend to be most active at night, so it's a good idea to get a good quality exercise wheel that won't make a lot of noise.

Wooden toys and clean, natural branches will help keep your gerbils' ever growing incisors short. A new toy every day is ideal. Cardboard boxes and paper towel rolls are excellent inexpensive toys, and make great hiding places. Gerbils also love to climb; platforms and branches in the cage make for great fun.

Grooming and Medical Concerns

As a result of desert living, gerbils have special cells that store water. Because of this, they produce very little urine; therefore, they are virtually odorless.

They groom themselves; no bathing is required. Daily removal of soiled bedding and discarded food is recommended.

The agouti, or brown mixed, hair coat is the most common, although other colors are available. Your gerbils' hair coat should be clean, not oily or flaky. His or her eyes should be clear with a black or red color. If the hair coat is oily or flaky, you may want to evaluate your pets' diet. Some health problems in gerbils are due to diet and husbandry problems.

Between 20 percent and 50 percent of all pet gerbils have the seizure disorder epilepsy. This is thought to be genetic. These gerbils should not be bred.

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1 Having Fun with Your Gerbil
Gerbils are social and curious creatures by nature. If your pet gerbil were a member of your family, he would be your tag-along little brother: the one who’s always interested in what you are doing and...
Read More
2 Gerbil Behavior
Gerbils are excellent small pets for children because they are naturally curious and social animals and do not bite people unless scared or mishandled. Gerbils are clean and relatively odorless additions...
Read More
3 Making a Great Bed for Your Gerbil
Gerbils love to burrow and, of course, to sleep. It’s up to you to provide them with the best materials, but the choices aren’t easy. Here’s what you need to know to create a fun and cozy environment for...
Read More
4 Choosing a Fat-Tailed Gerbil
If any pet could play the part of the dormouse in Alice in Wonderland, it would be the fat-tailed gerbil or duprasi, a sleepy, chubby, distant relative of the more common Mongolian gerbil.
Read More
5 Choosing a Gerbil
Relatively unknown in the pet world until the 1950s, the gerbil has become the first pet of choice in homes and school classrooms around the world.
Read More

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1Choosing a Fat-Tailed Gerbil
If any pet could play the part of the dormouse in Alice in Wonderland, it would be the fat-tailed gerbil or duprasi, a sleepy, chubby, distant relative of the more common Mongolian gerbil.
Read More
2Choosing a Gerbil
Relatively unknown in the pet world until the 1950s, the gerbil has become the first pet of choice in homes and school classrooms around the world.
Read More
3Gerbil Behavior
Gerbils are excellent small pets for children because they are naturally curious and social animals and do not bite people unless scared or mishandled. Gerbils are clean and relatively odorless additions...
Read More
4Having Fun with Your Gerbil
Gerbils are social and curious creatures by nature. If your pet gerbil were a member of your family, he would be your tag-along little brother: the one who’s always interested in what you are doing and...
Read More
5Making a Great Bed for Your Gerbil
Gerbils love to burrow and, of course, to sleep. It’s up to you to provide them with the best materials, but the choices aren’t easy. Here’s what you need to know to create a fun and cozy environment for...
Read More

Gerbil Care

Gerbil Care

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