Taking Care of Gerbils

1. Make sure the gerbils always have water. If they are staying alone for a few days, give them a carrot in case their water bottle goes dry.

2. Buy gerbil food from the store. Give them a handful every morning. If they eat all the food that day, give them more before you go home from school. They should always have a few seeds in the tank.

3. Clean the tank once a month or when it gets smelly. You need to use corncob, paper (Carefresh) or aspen bedding. You can not use pine or cedar shavings. Those make the gerbils sick. Wash the tank and fill it again with clean bedding.

4. Never pick up a gerbil by its tail. The tail can break off! Pick them up by scooping them up with both hands, or let them run up your arm.

5. Sit down when you hold the gerbils. Do not let them fall or get away. They will want to run around on your arms and hands. They might even sit on your shoulder or head!

6. If you give the gerbils some clean, dry toilet paper, they will make a nest.

7. Gerbils need to chew so their teeth don’t get too long. Their teeth grow all the time! Give them a cardboard tube or box to chew every other day.

8. Gerbils like toys but they will chew them up. Put the toys in for a little while, then take them out.

9. Gerbils do not like the smell of strange gerbils. Do not let two tanks of gerbils share toys. It is best to wash your hands before you touch the gerbils, in case your hands smell funny.

10. If a gerbil does get loose, stay quiet. Put a box or tube down near where the gerbil is, and wait. Most likely, it will decide to explore the box or tube, and then you can quickly pick it up with the gerbil inside.