Gerbil Information

[Iris_Fam]

Hi all! I currently have a pair of rats that I love to distraction but my husband and I are thinking of increasing our rodent population. My daughter has wanted a pet since the rats came home. She's seven and has some delays in speech and communication, but this girl has a knack for animals! Already she knows how to handle my rats. She can take them right out of the cage (with me standing right beside her). She knows not to grab their tails and to keep them secure. I'm quite impressed.

Well, the other day she asked me if she could get a pet or pets of her own for her birthday coming up. I work with animals every day, but my first reaction was guinea pigs. Unfortunately, after reading extensively on them to learn the nuances, I decided against piggies. We don't have enough room for a piggy cage.

My second thought was gerbils. We have a pair where I work that are the cutest, sweetest things on the planet. So, I'm in research mode right now, trying to figure out a) what special considerations I need for food, bedding, and cage type b) medical issues to look out for c) tips for hand-taming and handling as a whole.

My daughter's primary responsibilities will be to feed the animals as well as ensure they have enough water and play time/toys. She will also be cleaning the cage, all with her extremely anal retentive mother hovering over her shoulder. I don't need to teach her responsibility, but I want to give her a companion, someone to bond with. She loves animals and I am trying to be practical while giving her the companionship I have with my rats.

Does anyone have links to really good gerbil care guides? Any experiences you want to share? 

[Moondust]

My biggest concern with Gerbils would be finding a local breeder.  Most gerbils from the petstore are older, and a lot of the ones I've encountered in my lifetime were really nasty due to lack of early experience with humans.  You'll want a young pair that has been handled early on, otherwise they can be very bitey. They also need frequent taming to remind them humans are good, because otherwise they revert (at least, in my experience with my friend's gerbils)

You'll also want to keep them in a non-plastic cage, my cousin's used to bite through and escape frequently.   

Have you considered degus?  I own a few and I love them.  They are like a rat-sized gerbil.  They're great because they naturally don't bite (I swear, it's almost a given with these guys!)  They are very smart and can learn tricks fast.  Their drawback is that they aren't as "handleable" as rats, though some argue that.  They don't like being picked up but they can be trained to walk onto you.  They like to move a lot and you can rarely get them to stand still!  They are a lot of fun to watch and they play with each-other.     degus.org is a good place to learn about them. 

[sawyer_gota_gun]

a gerbil book i reccomend you get is Gerbils: the complete guide to gerbil care by Donna Anastasi. i learned alot about them from that bk.
i dont know of any online sources as of yet tho. try googling gerbils, maybe you'll find some gud info

[Topaz]

I'm in research mode for gerbils as well since we plan to adopt two or three.  I picked up a bag of Oxbow "Healthy Handfuls" food for hamsters and gerbils.  When I fostered gerbs for a few months in the past I fed Harland Teklad 2014, but since I'm switching my animals to a different food, it's no longer an option.

I've never been bitten by gerbil, nor has a gerbil ever offered to nip at me, both adults and babies from shelters and pet stores.  Never had an experience with a reputable breeder.  I think they're fun pets if you have low expectations on intelligence    But they are hysterical to watch and soft fur to cuddle.


I read a lot on the AGS site, and found a lot of the information to sound cooky and not very well informed compared to so many other sites.

[leaveittoweaver]

Gerbils are definitely a good choice. I would get them a nice aquarium with a tank topper.

I personally wouldn't go with degus because they need a lot of space requirement, basically the same as a rat or a ferret in the space they need because they are so incredibly active and you stated you didn't want something that needed a lot of room. A neat thing I've seen done with the tanks and the toppers, is filling up the tank with dirt for them to burrow through and using the top part as a play area with a nesting box.

[wonderrodent]

Gosh, I just wrote this really long post and now it's gone  If you need more info let me know and I'll write it again.

[MomRushlau]

We have two of the sweetest gerbils EVER that we got from a shelter.  We have had them a year and they are a bonded pair of males.  We keep them in a 20 gallon aquarium with a tank topper.  We use aspen shavings, they love to dig and bury themselves in it.  We feed them the Harland Tekland lab blocks that we feed our rats as well as the Suebee's mix.  Fresh fruits and veggies a few times a week.  They love running on their wheel and in their ball!  They are so much fun to watch.

The only downside to having gerbils for a pet for a young child is that they don't like being held much.  These two belong to my 14 year old daughter and she adores them.  However we added a rat to our rat family because she really wanted a rat so she could have a pet to hold and snuggle with.   

Have fun!