Pet Gerbil Care

If you have a gerbil, then you need to know about pet gerbil health care.



A gerbil is a small rodent that lives for about two to three years. It has a long and furry tail with a little tuft of fur at the end of the tail.

While gerbils are not nocturnal, they can be active at night time. Curious by nature, they are eager to explore and are entertaining.



Gerbils are social creatures and live in colonies in the wild. They can be territorial. If you want to keep a gerbil as pet, then they adapt quite well to families and can be tame. They are friendly creatures generally and there is only a small risk that they might bite if they feel threatened.

How to Care for Gerbils

If you want to keep a gerbil, then you need to know how to take gerbil care.



Caring for them would include buying the right cage, giving them the right kind of food, and grooming them.

• Cage: If you have a gerbil or plan to get a pair of them, then we suggest that you buy a large and spacious cage, so that they have enough space to move around. Some people prefer to keep their pet gerbils in glass aquariums instead of wire cages. A deep layer of bedding helps gerbils to burrow deeper and with a secure mesh, the gerbils cannot escape either, and the cage remains well-ventilated. If you plan to get a wire cage, then make sure that the wire spacing is about half-an-inch or less.
• Bedding: While caring for your pet gerbil, you also need to think of the bedding. The bedding should be about two to three inches, so that the gerbils can dig a bit. Try to choose from an array of pet-safe beddings. Aspen is one of the options to mull over while choosing bedding for your gerbil. It is a good idea to get nesting material that your pet can shred. Alternatively, use strips of tissue, paper towels or grass. You might also like to get a nest box for your pet gerbil. Clay flower pots, ceramic or wooden nest boxes are the other options.

Also provide your gerbil with platforms, ramps, ladders, stable rocks, and pieces of wood, so that they can climb and scurry around.

• Feeding: Make sure that the diet of the gerbil consists of a seed mix. You can buy a prepared seed mix as these are nutritionally balanced. You can supplement your diet with bits of fresh fruits and vegetables. Give these bits of vegetables in limited quantities.
• Taming: You need to handle the gerbil frequently to keep him tame.