StoryBooks Pocket Pets

Mongolian Gerbil also known as the Clawed Jird (Latin name -- Meriones unguiculatus meaning Little Clawed Warrior). It was first seen by Europeans in Eastern Mongolia in 1867. They were successfully bred in the 1930's in Japan and in 1954 they were imported to the USA and from there several pairs were sent to UK in 1964. The man responcible for discovering our furry friends is Armand David.

They where called "the yellow rat" Armand had sent some of these "yellow rats" back to the museum d’Histoire Naturelle to be identified. At the time it was classified as Gerbillus unguiculatus, it wasn’t until 1908 when Oldfield Thomas  (The duke of Bedford’s Zoological exploration in Eastern Asia IX. List of mammals from the Mongolian plateau) finally referred to it with its modern name, Meriones unguiculatus.. Yet, In 1935 a Professor Kasugo who had been studying the Mongolian gerbil in the wild, imported a batch of twenty pairs into Japan.  The scientific community then used this initial batch for research.  It is this first batch of gerbils that were originally captured around Eastern Mongolia and Manchuria that are the probable ancestors of most of the gerbils that we now keep today as pets.

Some Common Gerbil Questions

 

 

Should I get one or two gerbils?

Gerbils are highly social colony animals and get miserable and depressed by themselves. If you aren't planning on breeding the best thing to do is to get two same-sex gerbils. They will pair bond as closely as a mated pair and will be perfectly happy together. Like wolves in a wolf pack, gerbils spend their time grooming and nuzzling with each other.

 

Should I get male or female gerbils?

 

In my opinion, I prefer males. I also tend to keep a lot of male pairs for my own enjoyment. I feel they bond together better then females. Females can live together their whole lives without declanning, however there may come a time when one female goes into heat and she will fight with the other female. Males are gentle and easier to pair with a young pup. A Trio of males also clans together nicely. A Trio of females may pair up and later on pick on the out cast. I would keep females in pairs of two. I have been successful with a clan of eight boys in a 45 gallon tank.

 

How long do gerbil live?

 

The average life span is 2-3 years of age. I've had some live to be four and I've heard of 5 year olds.

 

What cage should I get?

 

Please refer to PocketPet Care

 

What Wheel can I use?

Gerbils have long tails. Unlike mice, when a gerbils tail is caught or pulled they will release it like a lizard. Only a gerbils tail will not grow back. I don't even recommend a gerbil being picked up by the base of it's tail.

 

The best wheel for a gerbil is a Wodent Wheel. These wheels are completely inclosed. One other wheel more common in stores is one where the wire looks like little squares, like the pic above. *Not bars*

 

What can gerbils chew?

Lots of paper towel tubes, Wrapping paper tubes, toilet paper tubes, soda can boxes, Capri juice bag boxes. Anything you can think of that would be safe for them. You can even glue tubes together to make little tunnels under their litter. Elmer's glue is a safer glue as it's used with small children. You can also make houses from 2x4, Elmer's glue, and wooden dowels. *No nails please* Stay clear of any plastic hamster houses or play tubes. PocketPet Care will also give you ideas like bird houses and cubes.

 

How do I tame my gerbils?

  Before you even place your hands in the tank you should wash them to be sure there are no foreign smells. If you have young pups the best thing to do while watching T.V is to place the ten gallon tank on your lap and drape your arm inside, palm down flat on the litter. The little one's will right away be curious to you and come over to smell. after awhile move your fingers to touch them, or place your finger tips on the litter to make a cave with your hand so the pups can weave in and out of your fingers. After you see pups jump on your hand others will soon follow. There is always one who will begin to climb past your hand and attempt your arm. A long sleeve shirt helps them climb better. Once one begins to do this others will follow. A half an hour each day till they come to you when you place your hand in without hesitation.

 

Once they are climbing your arm, attempt to hold one in your hand half way in the cage so if it jumps it won't be on the floor. Once you feel it would be ok to lift it out of the tank use both hands as a cup holding the gerbil in the center. As the gerbil walks in your hands start moving your hands in order so the gerbil may walk from one hand to the other.

 

Another way to tame a gerbil is to make a play area in one of those big tote bins.

 

Are gerbils good classroom pets?

 

Yes, they are  especially if your a teacher of Social Studies, or Science. Children love to watch the gerbils make their dens, groom each other, and chew those paper towel tubes. Gerbils also are more curious and have a lesser tendency to bite then a hamster, or become skittish like a mouse. If your Social Studies classroom is learning about the desert, Mongolia, Asia, Russia, China what better to bring in a gerbil same sex pair. Science can be studied as animals in habitat "cages can be built to resemble their natural environment" genetics, and so forth. Children really seam to interact in class better with the animals right there. "genetic color lessons  Please be sure that parents agree to take home same sex pairs as pets before the study is agreed by the class, Or you, as the teacher can find homes for the pups."

 

What are those thumping noises?

In the wild gerbils thump to warn of danger. I will notice sometimes when my children or I walk into the gerbil room some will thump while others stand at attention listening. Mostly these are young gerbils that do this, but at times I see an older one might if I startled it when I went into the room. Sometimes I wonder if they are color blind or only see some colors and maybe the color of my shirt startles them? If someone knows please emails me.

 

They do thump when my cat decides to walk across the tanks. But that is a natural predator.

 

Another time gerbils thump is when they are courting. This is a softer thump and other gerbils do not attempt to spring to attention like they do with a threat thump. As if they are giving the couple privacy.

 

Why is my gerbil dragging his belly?

If you have male gerbils you will notice when you clean the tank or place a new object in the tank the male will rub his belly across it. If you look at his belly you will notice a bald line running down the middle on his belly. This is a scent gland and he is marking his territory.

 

Why does my gerbil dig in the corners of it's tank?

Gerbils are natural diggers. In the wild they will dig a tunnel into the sand several feet down to make their home and to also escape the heat. Gerbils have not been domesticated very long and their instinct to dig is still strong. If you only have one pair of gerbils you can look into a bigger tank if you'd like to experiment with them. A 30 gallon long will give a pair enough room for extra litter to build a den and have a sand pool, and other things such as a reptile branch to climb on or a reptile hideaway cave for them to live in. The imagination is endless.

 

Some Gerbil Links

 

 

AGS

NGS