Gerbils can be good pets for children ages 8 and up and families without a lot of space. They are energetic, usually friendly, relatively low maintenance, seldom bite and love exploring. They aren’t for everyone, though. Here are questions to answer before you decide to adopt gerbils, and tips on how to go about it.
Get more than a single gerbil
Check with local shelters and small animal rescues to see if they have gerbils. Unlike hamsters, gerbils are happiest in pairs, so adopt an already bonded pair if you can. Since male-female pairs will quickly have babies (and then more babies, and then even more babies!), be sure to get a male-male pair or a female-female pair. Alternately, if you get a male-female pair, you can have the male neutered by a veterinarian who specializes in small mammals. The two gerbils are most likely to bond if introduced before 8 weeks of age; normally, they will share a nest, sleeping side by side. Do not keep more than three gerbils together since this could lead to territorial behavior and fighting.
Are you a light sleeper?
Gerbils are active during the day but really come alive at night. They don’t need for you to play with them then, but they will make noise. So be prepared to hear them running on their exercise wheel, or chewing or digging if the cage is in a bedroom. Or consider putting the cage somewhere else where people do not sleep. Some people choose the living room.
Not for little kids
No matter how much they might want handle these cute, furry animals, children younger than eight should not be allowed to pick up gerbils. Younger children lack the fine motor control and self-restraint to safely hold gerbils and let them move from one hand to another, as these animals like to do—they are always in motion. Young children could drop them or hold them so tightly gerbils will bite, or they could accidentally squeeze gerbils to death.
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Housing requirements
A 20-gallon cage is the minimum size appropriate for a pair of gerbils. The enclosure should be escape-proof with a secure lid. Plexiglas small mammal enclosures work well too. Solid-sided cages should be cleaned more often as they will trap ammonia. Gerbils can overheat, so be sure not to keep the cage in a hot, sunny area. The ideal temperature for gerbils is 60-70 degrees Fahrenheit.
Chores and play
The main task with gerbils is cleaning their cage. Once a week, remove the old bedding, clean off anything stuck to the bottom of the cage with water and paper towels, and put in new bedding and nest materials. Food and water dishes should also be cleaned with soap and water. Gerbils love to dig and should have thick bedding.
Handling gerbils safely requires coordination and a gentle touch. Put your hand flat on the cage floor and let the gerbils get used to and come to you. Or open the cage door and let them choose to come out. Never pick gerbils up by the tail.
Most of the day, gerbils will amuse themselves by building nests, running on wheels, chewing, burrowing and climbing. But they also should be taken out of the cage daily. They love to run, so it is important to have a small, safe place for them to exercise. If you can supervise them closely, put them on top of a bed and let them explore, making sure they do not fall off the edge of the bed. You might want to put an old blanket on the bed to protect it (gerbils pee little and their poops are dry, but they enjoy chewing everything, including fabric). Another option is getting one or more large cardboard boxes or constructing a “play pen” and letting them run around inside. Or providing them with cardboard paper towel tubes to crawl through. Make sure any play area is free of electrical cables they can chew, toxic substances they can get into and other pets (cats, dogs or ferrets) that can attack them. Sand for bathing should be provided several times a week.
What to budget
It costs little to adopt or buy a pair of gerbils, but you will need to purchase the following equipment and supplies, which will cost several hundred dollars. (After that first investment, you will not spend much.)
- Aquarium with mesh lid or wire topper (20 gallons or larger), or similarly sized wire cage or modular habitat
- Exercise wheel 8 inches in diameter or larger
- Bedding and nesting materials, such as aspen, paper bedding, oat or timothy hay, cardboard and toilet paper
- Chew sticks and other materials to gnaw on—gerbil’s teeth grow continually and must be worn down
- Water bottle
- Pelleted gerbil food (placed directly on bedding)
- Gerbil treats such as small amounts of alfalfa cubes or hay, unsalted pumpkin seeds and cashews, dried apples and pears or peas and green beans
Preparing for loss
Gerbils live only three to four years. When one member of a bonded pair of gerbils dies, the grieving survivor often dies soon after. If you have gerbils as pets, you must expect to lose them within a few years and to have any children in your family experience that loss.
Do you live in Hawai'i or California?
If so, it’s against the law for you to own gerbils. If these desert-dwelling rodents escape in California, they could easily become an invasive species in dry parts of the state, reproducing unchecked and damaging crops and ecosystems. In order to protect its fragile native ecosystems (and crops), Hawai'i prohibits the import of many non-native species.