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Adoption FAQ

Signs of aggression between gerbils, in escalating order of seriousness, include:

• scent-gland marking
• over-aggressive grooming accompanied by squeaking by the "groomee"
• mounting behavior
• aggressive posturing, where a gerbil fluffs up his fur and curls sideways, keeping his side facing his opponent (similar to a cat)
• chasing around the tank with the victim running away
• chasing with the victim leaping in the air
• a "ball fight", where two gerbils roll in a ball like in a cartoon

Milder forms of gerbil-to-gerbil aggression can often be diverted with a new toy, box, or tube, or some playtime out of the tank. Overcrowding is a possible cause. Aggression is more likely among groups of three or more. Age can be a factor; fully mature gerbils (6 months) are more likely to become territorial. The scent of a female in heat can provoke aggression between otherwise peaceful males. One gerbil is normally more dominant than the other and this is not a problem for them unless it escalates to the point where someone gets hurt.

Aggression toward humans is highly unusual in gerbils. Gerbils who bite are more likely to be fearful than truly aggressive. See Biting.

The American Gerbil Society is a member organization of gerbil enthusiasts committed to high standards in breeding, showing, and caring for domestic gerbils. The AGS website is a definitive source for gerbil care information. Membership in the AGS is highly recommended for those who love their gerbils and wish to know more about them. The AGS sponsors two shows every year.

Barbering describes a nervous habit in which one gerbil chews the hair off the upper part of another gerbil's tail. Barbering rarely leads to actual injury; it is a mainly a cosmetic problem. Stress and/or boredom are the usual culprits. Try additional stimulation in the form of chewables, toys and out-of-cage time. If this does not help, move your gerbils to a quieter place, limit handling by children, and eliminate any possible negative interactions with other pets, such as cats "hunting" your gerbils.

Gerbils enjoy a bath in chinchilla dust or sand, available in pet stores. Sand-bathing improves appearance by reducing oils in their fur. It is also a highly enjoyable activity. Bathing gerbils in water is not recommended.

Gerbils require one of the following types of bedding:

• paper-based (Carefresh® or similar)
• corncob (look in pet store Bird aisle)
• aspen

Do not use pine or cedar bedding; they can cause respiratory problems and liver damage.

We define biting as an application of a gerbil’s teeth to your body which punctures or nearly punctures the skin or causes lingering discomfort. Nipping is defined as light, but noticeable, use of the teeth on your body with no actual damage or lingering pain. Because the likelihood, causes and treatment of nipping and biting differ, we cover them in separate sections.

Being Bitten

Serious bites from gerbils are quite rare, but very painful. Gerbils generally bite because they are fearful, in pain, smell the scent of an unknown gerbil on your fingers, or because you intervened in a gerbil fight. A gerbil can bite hard enough to be literally hanging off your finger. In this case, grasp the animal firmly with the other hand and open its jaws by squeezing lightly with your thumb and forefinger on either side where the jaws meet, then separate him or her from your hand.

Treating a Bite Wound

If you are bitten, clean the wound well, apply antibiotic ointment, cover and keep clean, and watch for signs of infection. A deep bite may hurt for several days. Indoor gerbils living a conventional lifestyle have a near-zero chance of carrying rabies. However, update your tetanus vaccine if it is not up to date after a serious bite.

Why Gerbils Bite

Most bites happen because of an identifiable cause, such as putting your hand into the tank during a gerbil fight, or picking up a gerbil that is badly stressed due to illness or fright. Occasionally, a gerbil will bite hard if it smells another gerbil on your hands. A gerbil who suddenly becomes a biter may be ill and in pain. If biting persists, especially if accompanied by other symptoms of illness, see a vet.

The rare gerbil who bites frequently was most likely badly mishandled and fears you. The simplest solution is not to handle the gerbil at all. S/he can live happily with a gerbil companion and no human interaction. When it is necessary to handle a serious biter, do so with gloves on.

Rehabilitating a Biter

Biters can be rehabilitated with patient and gentle handling. At first, handle the gerbil only with gloves on, or with your hand hidden inside your sleeve. This way, you will not be hurt and startle your gerbil further if she bites. If she chews on your clothing, puff air gently on her. Try to keep interactions brief and positive. Some biters seem to detest the feel of human skin. You may be able to train such a gerbil to jump on your sleeve and never touch your hand. Over time, your gerbil should come to trust you and will stop biting.

See also Nipping

“Up and around” is a term we use loosely here - gerbils are not averse to slipping in frequent short “cat naps” during their busy periods.

Gerbils are neither strictly diurnal nor nocturnal, nor are they “crepuscular”, i.e., awake at dawn and dusk. Rather, gerbils cycle in and out of active and sleeping periods throughout the day and night. We have observed that they do, however, follow a typical day, or circadian rhythm, illustrated left. Pet gerbils are very sensitive to human activity, however, and yours will quickly learn at what times of day they have a better chance of being fed or played with. Their observations of your household routines may cause their patterns to vary.

• 12 AM - 4 AM: Up and Around
• 4 AM - 7 AM: Sleeping
• 7 AM - 12 PM: Eating and Playing
• 12 PM - 4 PM: Sleeping
• 4 PM - 12 AM: Gerbilly Stuff

Clan is a term used when discussing groups of gerbils and has two definitions. The "gerbil view" of clan is the group of gerbils with whom a gerbil lives peacefully. The "people view" of clan can be either the same as the gerbil view, or can mean the group of gerbils owned by an individual.

Examples:
"Wash your hands between handling different clans so you don't get bitten." (gerbil view)
"I am bringing several members of my clan to the next AGS show." (people view)

A coconut makes a snug, inexpensive and durable nest-box. Purchase a large coconut without holes, cracks, or score-marks. Drill a hole in the unindented end and drain the milk. Cut or drill an opening large enough for gerbils to enter. Place the coconut in a 200°F oven for 2 hours or until meat is dry. Chip meat out and wash with warm, soapy water. Let dry. If the coconut retains an odor, fill it with baking soda and let sit for several days, turning daily. Empty and wash again.

When gerbils were introduced to the US in the 1950's they came in one color only: Agouti. This is the gerbil's natural color, brown with black ticking, black eyes, and a white belly. In the years that followed their introduction, spotted gerbils appeared, followed by black. Today, gerbils come in a rainbow of colors.

The American Gerbil Society provides a complete set of color strips with both photos and descriptions.

See also Genetics

Gerbils generally live together peacefully their whole lives. Occasionally, however, a fight will break out among them. This is called declanning.

If two gerbils declan, there is some possibility you can reunite them using the Split Cage Method. If your original group was three, keep the aggressor together with the gerbil that s/he did not fight with. As much as your instinct is to punish the aggressor, it will be much easier to find a new friend for the passive and gentler victim than for the gerbil that started the ruckus.

If you did not see the fight happen, the gerbil with wounds on his back and tail is probably the victim; the one with wounds on his face and neck is the aggressor. If one gerbil is very badly injured, take him to the vet. In any case, clean all wounds with clean, warm water, and apply Neosporin or similar antibiotic cream. Keep injured gerbils safe, warm and on clean, dry, soft bedding until they heal. See also Clan.

Degloving describes an injury in which the fur, skin, and muscle are torn off a gerbil's tail, leaving muscle and bone exposed. It is not uncommon, because gerbils have developed "detachable tails" as a defense mechanism. However, the tail will not grow back.

This type of injury can be painful. Signs of pain include squeaking, hiding, nipping, and carrying the ears back against the head. If your gerbil seems to be in pain, take it to an emergency vet. The vet will amputate the damaged portion of the tail and give the gerbil antibiotics.

If the gerbil acts normal, you can treat the tail at home and the damaged part will eventually dry up and fall off. To treat: clean wound with warm water and dab on antibiotic ointment a few times a day. Change the gerbil's bedding and use a soft, absorbent bedding that will not stick to the wound (Eco-bedding, Carefresh Ultra, or clean white printer paper shredded in your home shredder). Watch for signs of illness.

Diarrhea is one of the most serious symptoms of illness in gerbils. Normal gerbil stools are small, hard, dry pellets excreted fairly frequently. A stool which does not have a firm shape, smears, and is output more frequently than normal is suspect. The health of you and your family can be affected by illnesses, like salmonella and E. Coli, that cause diarrhea in gerbils. Also, gerbils' small body size and low moisture level means diarrhea can kill a gerbil quickly. Call an emergency vet or start an emergency course of ornacyline.. Wash hands after handling gerbils. If your gerbil dies before you can see a vet, remove the survivor from the tank, dispose of all bedding, and clean tank, water bottle, and any toys in a bleach solution.Quarantine the survivor from other gerbils for at least two weeks or as advised by your vet.

The core of your gerbils’ diet should be a high-quality commercial gerbil food, a breeder-developed formula, or a home recipe from a reliable source. Gerbil food should have 14% protein minimum. Many commercial formulas labeled “Hamster and Gerbil Food” contain less. These formulas are okay for hamsters, but gerbils need heartier fare.

Choose a commercial food that has a mix of grains and seeds, for example, both pumpkin and sunflower seeds. Formulas with a preponderance of millet seed are generally not of very high quality, although gerbils adore an occasional spring of millet spray, which you can purchase in the bird aisle. Corn is considered by some breeders to be second-rate nutrition, but some gerbils do enjoy it.

In addition to seed mix, your gerbil will enjoy and benefit from small amounts of timothy hay, green vegetables, and fruits. Add green foods to your gerbils’ diet gradually; at first, perhaps twice a week, gradually increasing to daily if you wish. Gerbils will happily eat bits and pieces of things intended for the dinner table: raw romaine lettuce, kale, beet greens, swiss chard, or spinach; cooked sweet potato or broccoli; a blueberry, strawberry, or bit of apple; even an occasional piece of cooked pasta, sauce optional. Things to avoid: citrus; raw potatoes; apple seeds; raw cabbage.

Gerbil coat color is controlled by only six genes whose combinations are fairly well understood. The original (wild) color type was a brown with black ticking and a white belly, also called Agouti. Agouti gerbils have all dominant genes, A* C* E* G* P*. (The * symbol means that the second gene can be either dominant or recessive; its effect is overruled by a dominant first gene.) Dominant and recessive are like blue and brown eyes. If one parent has brown eyes, you can have brown eyes. But with blue eyes, both parents must have blue eyes for you to have blue eyes. Therefore, blue eyes are recessive and brown eyes are dominant.

In gerbil genetics, capital letters are dominant and lowercase letters recessive. In the Agouti’s pedigree, all the letters are capitals so the Agouti’s genetics are all dominant. When scientists brought gerbils to the United States, breeders bred gerbils together until they saw new colors due to recessive genes. The first recessive seen was aa, which produced a black gerbil.

The table below describes the effects of the different genes on gerbil coat colors.

People, and even pet books, frequently assume gerbils and hamsters are similar. Hamsters themselves vary considerably, depending on whether you are talking about Syrian hamsters (right), or smaller dwarf (or Campbell's) hamsters.

Some things to consider when deciding between hamsters and gerbils are:

• Hamsters are more strictly nocturnal; gerbils are more likely to be active when you are.
• Syrian hamsters are strictly solitary animals and must live alone. Dwarf hamsters can live happily with a sibling. Gerbils are social animals and relatively easy to introduce to a new friend.
• Syrian hamsters are more slow-moving than dwarf hamsters or gerbils, and may be easier to handle for very young children.
• Hamsters produce more urine and need to have their cages changed at least weekly. Gerbils produce little urine and cages can be cleaned every 2-3 weeks.

Compare different breeds of pocket pets.

A female gerbil in heat exhibits a stereotypical behavior. She will dash up to her partner (including a female cagemate) and touch or nearly touch the other gerbil with her nose. Then she will dash to the other side of the tank and pause, turning her hindquarters toward the other gerbil, squatting slightly, and flexing the muscles on her back and hindquarters. A male will follow her and mate, whereas a female partner will most likely ignore her. Occasionally, a female partner will mount the female in heat, or the female in heat will lose her patience and mount the other gerbil.

I have read that female gerbils who do not mate will cycle into heat every four days, but I have not observed this pattern consistently among females housed with females. In the rare case where a male-female pair does not mate successfully on the first try, the female does seem to come into heat again in about four days. (Unsuccessful matings are so rare that I have had few chances to observe this!) Heat cycles of females housed together seemingly follow no predictable pattern.

Females in heat will occasionally become aggressive toward a cagemate. Extra toys and diversions may help. If your clan includes tanks of males, try to keep them beyond scent of females in heat, as this can provoke aggression between otherwise harmonious males.

The best housing solution for 2-3 gerbils is a 10 gallon aquarium tank with a lid, except in areas of high humidity, in which case some owners prefer a wire cage with a plastic floor.

If you ask your children or a pet store employee for a recommendation, chances are he or she will recommend one of the cute and elaborate plastic tube structures manufactured by Habitrail or SAM. These are very bad choices for gerbil housing. Wendy of Peeper's Pals Gerbil Adoption in Pearland, TX, explains:

Habitrails are impossible for a kid to clean and move around on their own. They come apart easily, especially where the bars slide into the plastic sides which leaves gaps the gerbils can get out of or get stuck in. The plastic parts often pop off at the slightest touch, again allowing escape. The gerbils will chew up the soft plastic platform levels and will relentlessly chew the hard plastic tubing, usually in the middle of the night and for hours straight despite your tapping on the tube, bribing with treats or cursing loudly. Gerbils will pee and poop all over inside the tube systems and these have to be broken down and scrubbed weekly.

And the biggest issue with the cages is that they allow way too many hiding places in the tubes which makes for a shy or aggressive gerbil, especially one in a new home. While this may not be true for every gerbil, I have experience with many second and third hand gerbils that were placed in a Crittertrail/Habitrail and became nippers or hiders after behaving normally in a tank or wire cage. My suggestion is to buy a tank with a tube topper if you just have to have the tubes: I buy Coast Cages or tank topper cages and have hung the tubes inside the cages using pipe cleaners. Crittertrails are more for hamsters or mice that won't chew, ingest and destroy like gerbils will.

The most common symptoms of illness in gerbils are:

• listlessness
• change in temperament (e.g., biting, hiding)
• diarrhea
• weight loss or gain
• fur loss, red or scabby skin

In general, assume any of the symptoms above will require your vet’s attention and do not wait. As prey animals, gerbils hide their symptoms as long as possible. By the time you notice they are sick, they are very sick. For more information on illness, see our article.

Injuries are most likely to occur in pups. Most often injuries are accidental, involving a fall or being injured by a wheel. Occasionally a careless parent or older sibling can injure a pup. Adult gerbils are most often injured during handling, or from being dropped.

Dislocations and fractures will cause an animal to favor that leg. Some swelling may be noted. Splinting is impossible because the patient, or his parents or cage-mates, would simply chew off any split, possibly inflicting worse damage. Allowing nature to heal the injury is the only real option. When to see the vet: if the animal stops eating or drinking or shows symptoms of illness, it may need pain relief in order to heal. Your vet can provide very effective medications for pain relief. You should also see the vet if any bone is protruding from the break site, or if the limb is twisted very badly such that amputation might be necessary.

A male and female gerbil left together will, without doubt, mate. A female in heat will signal her receptiveness. The mating ritual usually takes place in the evening. The male will mount the female from behind; if she is receptive, she will raise her hindquarters to assist him. After a few seconds, each will "check" their undersides. Then the male will chase the female around and repeat the performance. This will go on for several hours.

Matings are nearly always successful and about 24 days later, the female will give birth to a litter of 4-8 pups. (If she is nursing pups already, gestation may take 30 days or more.) The male and female will mate again within a few hours of the birth. Do not remove the male right after the birth. Gerbil fathers are nurturing and helpful, and the mother may become distressed and neglect her pups if he is removed. Yes, you will be having a second litter. See Separating Gerbils.

Gerbils do molt. The molt from pup to adult sheds out their soft, fuzzy baby fur and replaces it with a smooth and sleek coat. Nutmeg gerbils change color dramatically, from a pumpkin-orange to a brown and black ticked coat. After that, gerbils molt periodically throughout their lives. I have never been able to establish a seasonal or periodic pattern to the molt.

During the molt, a visible molt line appears in the coat and moves as the molt progresses.

Gerbils will instinctively build a nest to sleep and hide in. Without a nest, gerbils feel exposed and stressed. Nest-building promotes bonds between gerbils and is an enjoyable and stress-reducing activity. Provide your gerbil with fresh nesting materials at least once a week. Do not give commercial "fluff" or cotton, or any type of cloth; the fibers can get wrapped around gerbils' toes.

Good nesting materials include:

• torn up toilet paper or paper towels
• printer paper and junk mail shredded in your home shredder
• paper-based commercial bedding materials like Eco-Bedding®
• a folded-up piece of paper
• small boxes

Some gerbils also appreciate a small wooden house or coconut shell. Avoid plastic hideaways as they will be destroyed by chewing. Some gerbils, however, will only use a house as an "outhouse". Experimentation is the only way to find out what your gerbils prefer.

We define nipping as the application of a gerbil's teeth to your skin in a way that does not puncture the skin or cause lingering pain. Unlike biting, which is dramatic, painful, and generally traceable to a specific cause, nipping is more of a bad habit that can have many possible causes and requires some retraining of your gerbil, and possibly of yourself.

Sometimes, gerbils will nip you simply because they smell something interesting on your fingers. This sort of nipping is usually preceded by lengthy, focused sniffing. If your gerbil is sniffing up your finger, don't wait around to be nipped! Move your hand away, wipe or wash it, and try again.

If your gerbil has picked up a nipping habit, start with the assumption that he or she is using a nip to express its displeasure. You must respond in two ways. First, puff air sharply on the gerbil's head to let your gerbil know you don't like nipping. Second, change the way you're doing things without rewarding the nipping.

For example, say your practice is to place your hand in the tank and wait for your gerbil to hop in your hand. After several minutes of running about, he gives your finger a nip. His message is probably, "I don't want to jump in your hand. Take it out of here." Answer this nip with a puff of air, and by scooping him up promptly and taking him out. The message: you will come out anyway, and I don't like nipping.

Sometimes a gerbil will nip while she is in your hand, perhaps as a way of saying, "I've had enough handling." Respond to this with a puff of air and by delaying putting her back for several seconds so as not to reward the nip directly with the desired behavior (being put back). But try to look at it from the gerbil's perspective too: are you ignoring her fair warnings that she's had enough? Gerbils will sometimes signal this by digging in your hands or bumping you with their heads - they are trying to dig their way out! Or, is she being handled too roughly, perhaps by an affectionate but clumsy child? A nip needs to be heeded as well as discouraged.

Serious and consistent nipping can be rehabilitated in the same manner as biting.

Ornacycline is a tetracycline-based antibiotic available without a prescription. It is generally sold in pet stores or on the Internet for use in birds, but it is effective in treating respiratory infections and other bacterial infections in gerbils. Use the dosage for a small bird as described on the package, grinding the pills and mixing in water. Place the water in the gerbil's water bottle and replace every 24 hours. Use for a full 10 days, not 5 days as listed on the package [ full article ].

Placing a litter of babies is generally not all that difficult, particularly if you have children and your children have friends. Be generous about letting your kids' friends visit and hold pups when they are small. Because gerbils need to be placed in pairs, the average litter needs only 1-3 families willing to adopt before you are done finding new homes.

This is somewhat complicated by the fact that the proper way to handle a male-female pair is to allow them to have two litters. (Gerbils mate the same day they give birth, so the female is pregnant again while she nurses her first litter; see Separating Gerbils for information how and when to split a breeding pair.)

Beyond shamelessly pushing gerbils on your kids' friends, here are some other ways to place gerbils, and their pro's and con's.

• advertise through free, local, trusted sources such as church, school, day-care and teacher newsletters
• online resources such as craigslist.com and www.hoobly.com and the petfinder.com classifieds run lots of animal ads, but beware of people searching for feeder animals or (in the case of larger pets) those looking for "bait" to train fighting dogs. Charge a fee of $5-10 per animal and insist on seeing a complete housing set-up including tank, water bottle, wheel, lid, food and bedding to defer people with less than noble motives.
• local pet stores may accept animals, but keep in mind these cautions: not all pet stores understand the importance of introducing gerbils gradually, so animals could be injured; some pet stores give away relinquished rodents for free, making your beloved pups a free meal for someone's snake; and few pet stores insist gerbils be adopted in pairs.
• ask the local librarian, dentist's office, pediatrician and others who have lots of young visitors if they have ever considered a tank of gerbils. Gerbils are rarely allergenic, have little odor and are awake during the day.
• on a pleasant day, take your gerbils to the playground. They will be the talk of the town!

A Radical Notion: Keep Them All

Sound crazy? Consider this: for $35 or so, you can get a set of shelving that will hold three tanks of gerbils. Get one with at least 15" of vertical space for each shelf - more is preferable so you can open the tanks without moving them. Tanks themselves are inexpensive, and many people have free equipment to give away (advertise on craigslist.com or freecycle.org to find equipment, maybe the shelves too!). You start out with mama and papa and litter #1 on shelf #1; at four and a half weeks or just before mama gives birth again, move dad and the boys to shelf #2, leaving mom and the girls on shelf #1 with litter #2; and five weeks later, move the second set of boys in their own tank to shelf #3. Place whomever you can, and stop worrying - you've got your own tiny gerbil farm!

Gerbil young are called pups. There are usually 4-8 pups in a litter. Pups are often born in overnight or in the early morning. Mother gerbils will generally handle the birth process themselves without difficulty. The father may move out of the nest for a few days following the birth but shortly thereafter will move back and take an active part in raising his children. Even if your litter was a "surprise" that you prefer not to repeat, do not remove the father after the birth of a first litter. You will have an opportunity to do so later on (although not before a second litter is on the way.) See Separating Gerbils. Consult the AGS Gerbil Care Manual for excellent advice on raising pups.

The first thought of the recently-bitten is "could I get rabies from my gerbil?" While technically any mammal can be a vector species for rabies, the chances of your gerbil being a carrier are diminutively small. Assuming your gerbil is a normal pet-store or breeder-raised animal who has lived indoors in a cage its whole life, it could only have contracted rabies if a rabid animal entered its home, broke into its cage, and bit it without killing it. Your chances of finding a winning lottery ticket on the ground are probably better. Ask your doctor if you continue to be worried, but your risk is very small. Updating your tetanus shot is a more practical response.

Some gerbils develop a red and irritated nose. Sometimes, the fur around the nose is also lost. The nose can get crusty, and may bother the gerbil so that she wipes or itches at it, making it worse. Light-colored or red-eyed gerbils, like blue-eyed blond people, often have the most sensitive skin.

Red nose is usually caused by a bedding allergy. Carefresh is the worst offender, but gerbils can be allergic to any type of bedding, or other nest materials, like toilet paper. Allergies may develop over time, so even if you've been using a bedding forever, a red nose means you need to try a new brand.

To treat the nose itself, put a thin film of Neosporin on the end of a Q-tip and wipe the ointment on the gerbil's nose, trying not to block the nostrils. She will probably wipe it right off, but keep applying it twice a day. Change the bedding immediately. Corncob bedding and shredded printer paper or Eco-bedding are good non-allergic alternatives. It may take a couple of weeks to clear up a badly irritated nose.

Respiratory infections are most common in pups around weaning time (3-4 weeks) but can occur at other ages. The most obvious symptom is a "clicking" noise made by the gerbil as it breathes; it sounds like someone breathing through a stuffy nose. Other symptoms include labored breathing, listlessness, puffy fur, and reddened skin. Respiratory infections can be fatal, especially in pups.

There are two treatment routes. The recommended approach is to see your vet for an exam and antibiotics. The self-care approach involves treating the gerbil with ornacycline, an antibiotic available over the counter for birds. Additionally, warm one corner of the tank, make sure the tank is clean and odor-free, provide extra bedding material, and watch to be sure your gerbil is still eating and drinking.

The scent gland is a bald spot in the middle of a gerbil's tummy. It is more prominent in males than females and gets larger as the gerbil matures. Gerbils rub their scent gland across surfaces (or other gerbils) to mark them with their scent. If you see a gerbil dragging his belly along the ground, or mounting another gerbil from behind, you may be seeing scent-marking behavior. (Mounting can also be an aggressive action, or part of mating.) The scent left behind is imperceptible to humans.

Scent glands are susceptible to tumors, both benign and malignant. Often these can be removed simply by the vet. Deal with them early before they have a chance to metastasize.

The only situations under which it makes sense to separate gerbils are:

• you are presented with a surprise litter
• your gerbils fight
• when instructed by your vet due to contagious illness
• you are separating a breeding male and female with a weaning litter

For the first two situations, read the referenced sections. If your vet has instructed you to separate the gerbils, you should do so. Ask if they can be in a split cage to facilitate re-introduction. In all other situations, leave happy gerbils together. They love and need each other.

A picture's worth a thousand words on this topic. Visit The National Gerbil Society website for a photo essay on sexing gerbils.

Gerbil shows are like cat shows, but with gerbils. The American Gerbil Society hosts two gerbil shows a year: the Northeast/New England show and the Midwest show. Gerbils can be entered in the show, and are judged by color, conformation, and temperament. The gerbils are awarded first, second, and third place ribbons. Also, there are "Best in Show" and "Best of Opposite Sex" ribbons awarded to two first place winning gerbils.

In addition to the judging, there are other activities: the pet class, the raffle, and tables with gerbils and equipment to buy. The pet class is a place for kids to enter their gerbils in a fun, noncompetitive class. Everyone is a winner! The raffle is a fundraiser where people donate gerbil-related items to raffle off. And last, but not least, the tables are set up by breeders who have gerbils or items to sell or show off. They are all very friendly, and will be glad to help you. The gerbil show is a great place for gerbil people to congregate!

Gerbils who do not know each other must be gradually introduced or they will fight, possibly to the death. The split cage method is a way to safely and gradually introduce two gerbils. The basic process is:

• create two separate living areas within a tank, so that gerbils can see and smell but not touch each other
• transfer the gerbils back and forth between sides 1-2 times per day for 3-7 days
• when no further aggressive behavior is observed, remove the barrier and watch them fixedly until they sleep in the same nest.

Split cages can be constructed out of hardware cloth [ article ] or you can purchase a “Coast Cages Hamster Condo” (right) [ from Petco ]. Remove the plastic bottom and place the wire directly on the glass tank bottom with no bedding in the way as pictured.

When Are They Ready?

Side ways arching like a cat is an aggressive posture.

Building a split cage and finding a suitable companion are straight-forward and well-documented tasks. But judging the readiness of two or more gerbils for a successful introduction is somewhat more of an art. Your gerbils are hinting they may be ready when:

• one or both gerbils sleep close to the divider
• there is successively less scent-marking and agitation when gerbils switch sides
• they show general disinterest in the other party

In a ball fight, two gerbils grab each other and roll about like cartoon characters. Not funny, though - this will be a fight to the death unless you intervene.

The best next step is a limited "walk-by" in a neutral area, like a clean tank or the bathtub. With heavy leather gloves at the ready, place both gerbils in the neutral space and watch their reaction. A casual sniff followed by exploring the environment is a good sign. Extended side-to-side sniffing in a "cat arch" position is a sign they are not ready, and things may quickly devolve into a ball fight. Chasing or mounting are also aggressive gestures. Try to anticipate a hostile situation and remove the gerbils back to their split cage before things go badly. If the first walk-by does not end nicely, do not despair. Just continue the split cage process of switching sides, with a walk-by every day or whenever you can manage it.

Once you've had a seemingly innocuous walk-by and the gerbils seem to be calm around each other, it is probably time to try an introduction. Choose a day when you can be home for several hours. You must supervise the gerbils closely until they sleep together in the same nest. If your schedule allows it, start your introduction in late morning or shortly before a time when your gerbils typically nap. Their natural rhythms will propel them toward nesting and sleeping, which will bond them. An evening introduction can go on for hours since gerbils are more frisky then.

On introduction day, prepare a new neutral tank if you have one. If you don't, start the intro in the bathtub or other safe area, sending a helper off to pull the split cage out of the tank only after you decide things look promising. (Here's where the Coast Cages divider is a great friend - easily taken out and just as easily returned.) Watch the gerbils carefully with your gloves on for the first few minutes. There will probably be a good deal of sniffing, some of it fairly rude by human standards, but as long as neither party objects, stay out of it. If the introduction degrades to chasing, mounting or a ball fight, separate them immediately.

Seeing your gerbils happy again is the reward for your patience.

Gradually add a few diversions to the introducing couple to give them something to think about except the scent of each others's behinds. A folded over piece of cardboard or paper cup to chew can allow gerbils to dissipate nervous energy. Avoid a tube or box where a gerbil can hide. Later, try reintroducing the wheel, but watch out that it doesn't become a bone of contention. As things settle down, add nesting material. Keep the room peaceful and avoid startling noises.

Once the gerbils take their first nap together, you should be home free. Still it's good to check on your new pair frequently for the first 24 hours to be sure no issues arise later. And consider giving them a "honeymoon suite" away from other animals and household commotion, perhaps in your bedroom overnight where you can hear the sounds of any scuffle that could break out.

It happens all the time. You went to the pet store, or responded to an ad in the paper. You brought home two cute boys or two adorable girls, and they spent a few weeks snuggling together and charming your family. All of a sudden, one morning, you hear an odd, tiny chirping sound and see a flash of pink in the tank. Yes, you've got pups! Now you have a lot of questions. Here you will find answers.

Surprise Litter FAQ

• What should I do first?
• Should I take out the father?
• How did this happen?
• Will the babies be okay?
• How will I find homes for the babies?
• How do I prevent another litter?

A full, white milk belly as shown by the arrow means mom is doing her job, even if she's busy around the house much of the time.

First, take a deep breath. Gerbils are wonderful parents and have excellent instincts. All they need from you is: some quiet time with their babies; a nice warm nest; plenty of food and clean water. Tear up some toilet paper and toss it in. This will encourage their nesting instincts. If they seem nervous and jumpy, you can move them to another part of the house, but generally it's best to leave everything as it was except as noted below. It is very hard not to check them frequently, but try to give them some privacy, especially from children. Perhaps decide on a family viewing twice a day, leaving mom & dad to do the work of raising babies mainly uninterrupted for the next 5 days.

The one disruptive but useful thing to do is to take out the water bottle and give it a thorough but quick cleaning. Wash it in the sink with dishwashing soap, using a bottle brush if possible. Take out the rubber washer and clean off any gunk with your fingers. Use a pipe cleaner to clean the spout. Rinse thoroughly and fill with cool water. And then do not let it run dry - ever during the nursing period. Gerbil parents almost never turn on their young, but a lack of water is one reason they will do it.

Consult the AGS Gerbil Care Manual for excellent advice on raising pups. It will explain everything you need to know about caring for pups, handling them, and what to expect as they mature.

Seems like a stupid question. You must have a boy and a girl, right? Probably. But not always. If you bought your gerbils in a pet store or even from a breeder, it's possible your new mother could have gotten pregnant by someone else, then placed with another female. So the next step is to sex your gerbils. The National Gerbil Society has an excellent article on sexing gerbils of different ages.

I've Sexed Them - What Next?

If You Have a Male and a Female	Read the section on fathers next.
If You Have One Adult Female Adopted Alone	If you adopted a single adult female who you now know was pregnant, plan to let her raise her litter and keep one or two daughters for her to live with afterward. Gerbils do not like to live alone anyway, so the pups have saved you the problem of getting their mother a companion. See placing gerbils for ideas on how to find homes for other babies.
If You Have Two or More Adult Females	It isn't a miracle. Your female got pregnant before you bought her. This happens often as young gerbils can be difficult to sex. The non-mother could be a danger to the pups unless the two females are both quite young. If they were housed together where you got them, chances are good the non-mother will be a mother soon too. Consider splitting the family from the other female using a split cage.
If You Have a Trio or larger	These are complicated situations. Assume any other females are pregnant. If there is more than one male and only one female, the trio might be okay, but watch for fighting between the males the night after the birth, when the female will be in heat again. Contact us for help on the next step.

Superdad Young Sam builds a nest for his babies. Sam raised these babies alone from 3 weeks on after their mother rejected them.

The Father

Gerbil breeders universally advise: do not remove the father. Gerbil fathers are loving and helpful. They sit on babies to keep them warm and protect them while mom is out. They wash the babies and fetch them when they run off. They provide important emotional support and full-body massages to mom. There is just one downside to leaving dad in: he will mate with mom again the night she gives birth.

Most likely by the time you read this, it is too late - Dad has done his thing and Mom is pregnant again. So stop worrying, and leave Dad with his family to enjoy raising his babies.

Separating a Male-Female Pair with Pups

As you have read elsewhere, your female will be pregnant again the day after she gives birth, so a second litter is on the way while the first is growing up. To get off the gerbil-breeding train, you will separate the male and female when their current litter is about 4 to 4½ weeks old. Watch the mother carefully from the babies' 4 week birthday. About 2-4 days before birth, she will finally look pregnant. This might be a gentle and attractive pot belly, or a larger pear-shape. Some mothers will look like they swallowed a bag of marbles. You will also notice that instead of laying in the nest with the babies nursing, she will lie down on her belly next to them, effectively cutting off the milk supply. At that point, separate the father and his sons into one tank, and leave the mother and at least one daughter in the other. The daughters) will help their mother raise the next litter.

Even if you think you know for sure who was boys and who was girls among the pups, check again before you separate them. See Sexing for a link to helpful photos. You don't want to leave a boy with his mother and sisters and start the whole process again!

Like all rodents, gerbils’ teeth grow throughout their lives. A young gerbil with plenty of cardboard and wood to gnaw on will probably have few tooth problems. However, tooth problems can appear if a gerbil’s teeth become too long, from insufficient chewing, or too short, from chewing on metal. Tooth problems are most often noticed when weight loss occurs. It is advisable to check your gerbil’s teeth fairly often. The bottom teeth should be fairly short and the top teeth longer. If the bottom teeth appear to be growing apart in a V shape, or if the gerbil cannot close its mouth fully, take your gerbil to the vet for a tooth clipping. Some vets allow technicians to perform this procedure at low cost.

If your gerbil is experiencing weight loss due to tooth problems, feed him or her a soft diet until the vet can make repairs or nature solves the problem. You can feed your gerbil many foods right from your table: cooked vegetables or meat, bits of toast, applesauce and blueberries are favorites. Avoid sugary foods.

Gerbils thump, or loudly stamp their feet, (1) as an alarm to other gerbils ("danger!"), (2) as an aggressive gesture ("stand back, stranger!"), or (3) when sexually excited. If there is more than one tank of gerbils present, the thumping may begin with one gerbil and spread to other tanks, who "send along" the message when they hear it. In each tank, one gerbil usually thumps while the others listen and/or hide.

This advanced scent gland tumor is scabby because the gerbil is biting at it.

While gerbils are not as prone to tumors as rats, they are not uncommon. The most common type of external tumor is a scent gland tumor, which begins as a small lump or skin flap on the scent gland but over time and with the gerbil picking at it, will probably grow to a large, crusty mass. You should have your vet examine any growth on the scent gland. Small tumors can often be removed, preventing metastasis. Some growths can start benign but turn malignant.

A rarer type of external tumor is a melanoma, pictured below. It appears as a hairless bump, not weepy or irritated, but it will grow. The melanoma pictured was removed by amputating the tail in order to prevent its spreading.

Melanoma on tail.
Photo courtesy Ben Bowers

Internal tumors are not uncommon in mid-aged to older animals (1½ years or later). Sometimes, a lump can be felt or seen in the gerbil's abdomen. More often, it is not noticed until the animal's general health has declined. Animals with internal tumors will lose considerable weight and gradually weaken until they cannot move around or care for themselves. At this point, humane euthanasia should be considered.

Occasionally a gerbil will seem to gain weight rapidly; this can be a tumor or an ovarian cyst. In some cases, a cyst will correct itself and the animal will recover.

Any commercially available 4-8 ounce bottle should work for gerbils. Gerbils housed in an aquarium will also need a metal holder from which the bottle will hang. The main considerations are size and material. The trade-off on size is that a smaller bottle is better if it will encourage you to change it more often. A larger bottle is better if you know you will not get around to it. The most important thing is that it not run dry.

Some gerbils are relentless water-bottle chewers. If one of your gerbils is a water-bottle chewer, position toys so that the gerbil cannot use them to climb up. Keep the water bottle high enough the she cannot sit on top of it (but low enough that she can drink). You may be forced to move up to more indestructible bottles and holders. See our article on choosing a bottle. If you have a water-bottle chewer, keep an extra bottle on hand so that a destroyed bottle is not an emergency. In a pinch, a soy-sauce bottle (carefully washed) will hold a water-bottle spout and fit in an 8 oz. holder perfectly.

Gerbils love wheels, but they can be dangerous if you don't know what to look for. The criteria is simple: the wheel has to be solid plastic or mesh. (see picture) This is so the gerbil's tail doesn't get caught in the slats. If it does, it will break off. That's very painful for the gerbil and expensive for you to get it fixed!

People also often get the wrong size wheel. You should get an 8-inch wheel, not a 4-inch wheel. 4-inch wheel is designed for mice, not gerbils. Even though it may look like the right size for baby gerbils, your gerbils will soon outgrow it.