Gerbilpedia - the Complete Gerbil Reference

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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
• chasing around the tank with the victim running away
• chasing with the victim leaping in the air
• aggressive posturing, where a gerbil fluffs up his fur and curls sideways, keeping his side facing his opponent (similar to a cat)
• 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 another 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.

A gerbil bite can be quite painful. Gerbils generally bite because they are fearful, in pain, or smell the scent of an unknown gerbil on your fingers. Always wash hands in between each gerbil you handle. 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.

A 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.

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. Over time, your gerbil should come to trust you and will stop biting.

A gerbil who suddenly becomes a biter may be ill. If biting persists, especially if accompanied by other symptoms of illness, see a vet.

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 indivdual.

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 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, absorbant 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.

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 Agoutis’ pedigree, all the letters are capitals so the Agoutis’ 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.

A, a	The a gene removes the white belly and the yellow from the Agoutis’ fur.
C, cb, ch	The cb gene lightens the body, leaving the nose, tail, feet, and ears dark (colorpoint). The ch gene makes the body even lighter. The C gene leaves full color.
E, e, ef	E means that the ticking is left in the coat. While e reduces the black in the coat. ef reduces the amount of black plus the color of the fur fades as the animal ages.
G, g	G means not grey and g removes yellow from the fur and makes all the black in the fur grey.
P, p	P is black eyes and p means pink eyes.
Sp, sp	Sp means spotted, and sp means not spotted. Gerbils with Sp Sp die in the womb.

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 noctural; 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.

Purple Kat Kritters has a thorough web site comparing different breeds of pocket pets.

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. For more information on illess, see our article.

A male and female gerbil left together will, without doubt, mate. 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 and move her tail to the side 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 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.

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 ].

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.

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.

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 faciliate re-introduction.

If you have a male and female with a weaning-age litter (4-5 weeks old) and would like to separate them, watch the mother carefully. About 2-4 days before birth, she will finally look pregnant. 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 daughter(s) will help their mother raise the next litter.

In all other situations, leave happy gerbils together. They love and need each other.

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, comformation, 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, non-competetive 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 seperate 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” (above, left) [ from Petco ] and place this inside your tank as shown above (right) .

If your gerbil(s) have presented you with a surprise litter of pups, you must first determine which situation caused it:

1. the new mother was pregnant when you got her, or
2. you have an adult male and female (rather than the same-sex pair you thought you had)

If you adopted one pregnant female and have no other adult gerbils, 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 adopted other gerbil(s) along with the mother, you must now determine the gender of the other gerbil(s) correctly. Kismet's Korner has an excellent article on sexing gerbils of different ages. Use the chart below to determine the next step.

If the other gerbils you adopted with the mother are...	Then you should...
one or more adult males	As long as the males are getting along, leave everyone together. The mother will mate again, probably before you notice. See Separating Gerbils about how to separate the pair correctly.
two or more adult females	It isn't a miracle. Your female got pregnant in the pet store 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.

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.

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.