Things I need to know about Gerbils. Help!

Question

Do they live long. Do they bite a lot. Should I get 2 males 2 Female 1 male &1 female or just only one? What can they eat?

Thanks!!

Answer 1

I have two gerbils, gigi and mikki. They live together and eat seeds and veggies and things like that. (same food as hamsters,rats,guinea pigs, etc...) or you can get fortified gerbil food to prevent wet tail. For treats you can feed them veggies such as carrots. Or they sell treats for gerbils at per stores.

At first, mine didn't want to be held and nibbled on my finger but after a couple of days they got used to my scent and were able to be let out of the cage and held. Depending on your gerbils personality it may or may not bite.

Gerbils aren't nocturnal, they are diurnal, that means they are on and off throughout the day. They will be up for a couple of hours then sleep a couple of hours during the day. So if you wake them up they won't mind because they can sleep whenever they feel like it.

Here are the pros and cons of gerbils:

Pros-

-they are active and enjoy running around

-They are small, furry, and cute

-They eat veggies, NOT MEAT

-they love chewing on paper towel or toilet paper rolls (pretty much anything cardboard around the house)

-They are diurnal

-you can train them to do little tricks like jumping over things going up ssee-saws, in tubes and things like that, (i trained mine)

-They can run around in a ball

-they can live in groups as long as they are the same gender (i have two girls) if not they will have babies

-they don't drink much water because they are originally desert animals

Cons-

-they can smell but not as much as hamsters (even though i love hammies too)

-theyre cage needs to be cleaned once a week

-They are fast (which could be a good or bad thing)

-may bite

sorry I couldn't think of many cons

if you are getting a gerbil i would recomend getting a 10 gallon tank with a tank topper like this one:

http://www.thatpetplace.com/images/prese...

you don't have to get a tank topper but it is highley recommended because it helps with ventalation.

If you get a tank but not a tank topper, you should get a screen top so they don't escape

Fill the tank up with bedding (such a carefresh or aspen) and lots of it! gerbils love to dig. and just place the bedding anywhere in the tank because they are constintly rearanging the tank. But if you get a wire cage, chances are they will make a mess and throw bedding everywhere. Thats why I changed to a tank.

If you want to play with it, i would recommend a little critter playpen so they can run around but not escape.

Gerbils get along together and live better in pairs. Females tend to be more territorial then males and slightly more aggressive although you will come along aggressive males again depending on their personalities. So that desicion is up to you. My females are nice, one is agressive and the other one is not but they are both very sweet. DO NOT GET A MALE AND A FEMALE IN THE SAME CAGE THEY WILL BREED WHETHER YOU LIKE IT OR NOT. UNLESS YOU KNOW HOW TO TAKE CARE OF BABY GERBILS I WOULD RECOMMEND GETTING THE SAME GENDER.

No they do not need a heat lamp or sand. You can put sand in the cage but you should get bedding so they can make a nest to sleep in. (they like to burry theirselves in it) Carefresh bedding is the way to go. It doesn't absorb the smell as much.

Gerbils generally cost under $10. On average they cost $7 each but it depends where you get them from. I got mine at Petsmart.

Gerbils live for about 2-3 years depending on how good you take care of them. It has been known to live to about five years but that is rare.

EXTRA INFO-

-the first day you get your gerbils leave them in the cage for 24 hours to get used to their surroundings

-feed them once a day

-clean their cage about once a week

-if you only get one gerbil make sure you play with it A LOT

because they get very lonley easily, thats why you should buy two of them

-they can take sand baths (you may want to look into that)

I hope this helped you out! Good luck with your new gerbil or gerbils!!  

Answer 2

Gerbils can live about 3-5 years. They can bite but if you handle them often they should learn not to. Gerbils should be kept in pairs. Two males will get along if you buy them together. Two females will also be fine. A male and female pair is likely to breed, so avoid that. They eat gerbil food, which is mostly seeds and nuts. They don't need a heat lamp. Sand is okay, but aspen wood chips or Carefresh are much better. Gerbils usually cost about $5-10.

Answer 3

Don't pull a Richard Gere.