Gerbil Knowledge

[greysome]

Today, I was informed about a gerbil in the backroom of a petstore who was up for adoption. He was said to be aggressive and nasty but the worker had little knowledge about his background other than that he had been dropped off by a family some time back. Tomorrow, when I go to pick up my latest (and for the next year, likely at least two) and last hammie addition to the family, I'm going to ask the manager in charge of the small animals department about him. I don't plan on taking him in at the moment because I know nothing about gerbil care and have nothing prepared for him from what I have read in the couple of hours since I came home (any extra "cages" are actually plastic bins and I only have plastic water bottles at the moment) but all the same, I would like to know about gerbil care.

I am researching online currently and am looking for a good gerbil forum to learn more about gerbil care. I was wondering if anyone here was knowledgeable/experienced with gerbils or had any good site recommendations. Like most other things, there's a bunch of information about gerbils and their care floating around but like always, there's a lot more misinformation out there than accurate info for proper care and I don't yet know enough to be able to separate good info sources from...less than good. Any information at all would be helpful as even though I don't plan on taking him in at the moment, once I feel I have a decent grasp on providing gerbils (or in this case, a gerbil--I know they're social creatures but he is kept by himself and I at least know enough to know not to just throw two strange gerbils at each other) with a good home/environment, I will probably go back to the store to ask about him. If he hasn't yet been adopted (I'm hoping he'll have been adopted to a good home by then though as I'm thinking the earliest I would feel prepared will be a couple of weeks but more likely a month or so) and I believe I can provide him with what he needs, then I'll likely take him in...but first, I need to research gerbils and everything caring for them would entail.

Which brings me to pleading for help from anyone who has any inkling of good resources for gerbil care/info or knows about gerbil care.

[kyrilliondaemon]

I'm by no means an expert but I've got quite a few gerbils so am happy to try and share the basics in the hope that will help a bit I've done a lot of research but haven't managed to find an active gerbil forum and can't really remember what websites and forums I used for most of my research now.

Diet - Mine just get a normal gerbil mix, they seem to do pretty well on it
Treats - A general rule seems to be that if its safe for hamsters its ok for gerbils, but I still google to check before feeding anything unusual/new to my lot
Housing - Glass/metal is usually strongly advised. If you use anything else you basically do so at your own risk as gerbils can chew through plastic cages really quickly if they decide they'd like to. Most of my gerbils are either in glass tanks or all metal cages and those cages work really well for them, but to be honest as long as the cage is chewproof I'm happy
Substrate/bedding - My gerbils generally get the same as the hamsters except with a lot more substrate depth for burrowing. Apart from that the biggest difference is that I find gerbils far more willing to shred their own toilet roll bedding than most hamsters are.
Toys - If its safe to chew then chances are a gerbil will like it. If I buy a pet toy for a gerbil its generally wooden, but I also keep back lots of cardboard recycling (like food packaging) and hand that over to the gerbils too whenever its safe to do so. Some of my gerbils like a wheel (both for running in and chewing), others just ignore or chew a wheel, it all seems to depend on them. All of my gerbils seem to like a good sand bath though, the sand bath is probably the only non-chewable toy most of them have

I hope that helps a bit, feel free to ask more questions or say if something isn't clear though I know its nowhere near all the information you'll need before getting a gerbil but I figure it might at least provide a bit of a starting point for you.

[greysome]

Thank you so much--your reply was very helpful. I have been reading up on gerbil care and found a forum that seems at least semi-active (of course, it's possible it's very active but I've only been reading threads regarding gerbil care). I've decided to adopt the gerbil and much sooner (likely this weekend sooner) than I would have otherwise due to events/learning of things that left me less than pleased, to put it very kindly.

I will have to remember to do as you do and google check safe gerbil treats--I was thinking that everything safe for hammies must be the same for gerbils for some reason, even though I know they have different nutritional needs. It makes sense that while most hammie-safe treats would also be gerbil-safe, there may be some variations.

Cagewise, I think I'm going to first have him in an IKEA samla bin because once I move my dwarf hammie into his new home, I'll have a free one lying around. I'll have a 10 gallon tank on standby just in case--I'm a bit confused by the size requirements for tanks though. Honestly, trying to figure out what kind of cage to house him in was probably one of the more frustrating part of this as I have read a lot of "it must be a glass tank--no plastic!" and yet also saw a lot of positive responses (and in the same forum as well) regarding gerbils in bin cages. I figure I'll have him housed in the Samla at first and if that doesn't work out, he'll go in the 10 gallon tank until I get and set up a larger tank.

I was wondering if you had any experience with gerbils that were housed alone? Since he is going to be a single gerbil (and likely remain one depending on his age and whether or not he appears happy being a single gerbil), will his care be different? Most things I've read stress that gerbils should be kept at least in pairs as it is necessary for their well-being to have another gerbil around. I'm having trouble finding information on whether or not I would need to change/adjust care with a single gerbil rather than a pair/group.

I've been told he's coming with his wheel and hide though I don't know whether that is true or not, nor do I know if he uses his wheel. In any case, I plan on chucking the wheel relatively soon after getting him due to rust and the fact that I don't like mesh/wire wheels around such tiny toes or delicate tails. Assuming he does use a wheel, what size should I be looking towards? Also, if he doesn't use his wheel, do I need to do/add anything to his cage for him? I've heard that for hammies that can't/don't use a wheel for one reason or another, people hang tubes up for them to run through

Sorry if I'm rambling or don't make sense--I was up pretty much all night looking up gerbil care and then today--well, today has been a rather long day.

[racinghamster]

Hi greysome, I saw your post yesterday buy didn`t have time to answer it properly so thanks to kyrill, you got some good feedback!

Gerbils love deep digging, nesting materials like ripped up plain white toilet paper (don`t use kitchen towels as these are thicker and not as degradable), hay for nesting and chewing on (good fibre!) and a good variety of gerbil food. Steer away from sticky treats or chocco drops. Although these are okay now and then, gerbils and other small rodents are better fed things that are natural to them and you know won`t cause any issues. Chopped up safe nuts, millet spray sold for cages birds and what kyrill said regarding what`s safe for a hamster should be fine for a gerbil.

The basics are tank, substrate, diet and nesting with cage accessories. Try not to bog yourself down with overload to begin with. Just note the requirements, if the gerbil in the store is on a mix he likes, stick with that and perhaps buy another food to mix with it to offer more variety. Scatter some of his food around too for him to find.

Single gerbils who are single should stay that way as adults. Don`t be fooled by reading about cage splitting unless it`s something you feel confident attempting because although adult single males can be introduced to a baby male gerbil, you really need to know the character of your adult male and have some knowledge of gerbil behaviours to be confident with gerbil pairings. If a pair are brought up together or introduced while under 10 weeks of age, things usually work better. But a single gerbil will occupy her/himself fine and also with interaction when you spot clean the tank and give him a few sunflower seeds while he runs around in his tank!

It can be exhaustive, but keep to the basics and learn more as you go along. Take notes and anything you feel doubtful about, always ask on here or on one of the good gerbil forums. It`s always better to be safe than sorry.

Gerbils have a knack of finding trouble for themselves, so always handle him low down or ask him to walk into a jar or a box if you are transporting/transferring him. They don`t really require a wheel as plastic ones will be chewed. Metal wheels are usually meshed so may be sore underfoot to use. I never bothered with wheels for my gerbils when I had them. I did offer a silent spinner once and they didn`t know what to do with it!

Hope you get him and hope this has helped in the meantime. I`m sure being in a private home rather than a pet store will be wonderful for him. x

[BluerayDarkes]

I actually kept gerbils once my first one was a female who was housed on her own until a year old, she got lonely and started thumping her back feet on the glass platform of her tank. I was at college at the time studying animal care, my teacher said that's a sign of loneliness. Unless you get signs of behavior such as feet thumping to signal its lonely, then I would suggest you let them live a single life. Its easier to pair an older gerbil with a younger one of the same sex or opposite sex but expect lots of babies, and introductions should be done on neutral ground. There is lots of infos in books that help you to introduce a new one, always be prepared they might not get on at all and might need to live alone.

With my female she was too old to breed and my local pet shop only had in a litter of males, I took the one who was being beaten up by his brothers. His nose was bloody, he was unhappy, and obviously needed to get away from his horrible litter mates. I introduced the two together in an empty cage, my female called Misty instantly pounced him and licked his nose. The whole time he squeaked and squeaked even tried to fend her off, but she punched him then went right back to licking his nose and caring for him. I called him Toffee the two lived together until I had to have Misty put to sleep due to severe illness, Toffee got depressed right after she never came home and he refused to do anything but lay in the bottom of the tank. He didn't eat, he didn't drink, he just laid there.

I would have gotten him a male playmate to cheer him up but as is a strange fate, pet shop only had females in this time around and I picked up a little black one I called Popcorn. The instant she was put in his tank he perked up and began to cuddle her, they had many babies of which I kept their last litter they had that was two black males. One of them had a front hand that he couldn't use at all it remained curled up, but it never bothered him at all.

[racinghamster]

Gerbils can be complex pets especially when in pairs or groups and feet thumping can also mean a danger/warning that they have heard or seen like a shadow or a noise! I can`t say I`ve heard of or read about gerbils drumming their back feet to be a sign that they are lonely? Never heard that.

Having kept males myself and done one adult male to baby male introduction only, I wouldn`t even try this unless I knew the adult`s character and knew he was a laid back, docile animal. Gerbils attack strange gerbils and can de-clan (fall out) big time even if they have lived with cage mates for life. It happened to my four males (all brothers).

I miss my gerbils but I loved and lost mine to old age or ill health and didn`t look for more due to my own circumstances. But my advice would be, keep this single male for a while and see how he gets on and how you feel about gerbil ownership. Better to do that than throw yourself into the deep end too soon. x

[kyrilliondaemon]

I'm glad my reply was helpful As far as the cage goes using the SAMLA and having a glass tank on standby sounds sensible to me, I've used plastic cages for gerbils temporarily before but I do find most seem to start chewing their cage sooner or later (I even have some gerbils in a SAMLA at the moment but I have spare tanks too).

As it happens I do have some experience with single gerbils. Me and my OH got a male/female pair a few months back and had to separate as soon as we'd confirmed the genders, we named the male Fixit and the female Bubblegum. We've also taken in two lone gerbils from people online, Mystery (male) and Apricot (female). We find that most of our single gerbils have tended to be a bit quieter than gerbils already in a pair/group but Apricot has always been an exception to that and she's bonkers nomatter what. Bubblegum did have a litter but then rejected them all just as they were old enough to be fine without her so she promptly returned to being alone anyway. We just tend to spend more time with single gerbils than with gerbils who have company and do our best to keep their cages as exciting and interesting as possible.
Mystery and Fixit now live as part of a group of four and Bubblegum and Apricot are in a split cage together. To be honest I think some of those four have benefitted more from company than others. Mystery and Fixit have personalities that really suit company, they're probably the most laid back and sociable gerbils we own. Bubblegum and Apricot on the other hand are the most independant gerbils we own, both chose to be solitary and while there're signs they like having each other nearby we're not completely convinced they'd like sharing their space 24/7 (over time the split cage has become semi-permanent and now each half is designed to be a suitable gerbil home as opposed to an introduction home).
Apricot was alone for at least two months when we got her and to be honest she was happy. Happy, healthy, bonkers... As long as your gerbil is happy then I'd not worry. I'd be prepared to spend a lot of time with your gerbil if they want it, but thats the biggest thing really. If it helps at all I do have a friend with a single gerbil who has been single for a good while now with no problems, she's happy, healthy and probably staying that way for life as there're reasons to suspect an introduction would be going against her best interests.

As regards the wheel, our gerbils get 8" wheels but I'm sure the rescue where we got our first girls uses 6.5" wheels just fine for gerbils. 8" wheels happened to be easier for us to get so thats what we got. If he doesn't use his wheel I'd not worry, quite a few of ours don't. We just give deep substrate and plenty of chew toys, our gerbils who don't use wheels get their excercise digging and running around the cage and their tunnels instead.



Blueray - Just so you know, I'm 99% sure drumming isn't a sign of loneliness, its just a perfectly normal part of gerbil communication. We often get gerbils in different pairs/groups drumming to each other across the room, they're all happy with their relationships and are close to their cagemates, but they drum anyway because its a perfectly normal gerbil behaviour. It can be caused by stress but it definitely isn't always a sign of loneliness.

[BluerayDarkes]

It was what my teacher told me in college while I was studying animal care, she only told me it was sign of loneliness. I wouldn't have gotten a second gerbil if it hadn't of been for what my teacher said, and I trusted her opinion as she was one of the animal care teachers. That same teacher also told me that gerbils are not omnivorous, that was after I told her I been feeding them mealworms.

[greysome]

Thank you everyone! You've all been very helpful.

I took in the gerbil, having received mixed reports about him. First I was told he was very aggressive and a biter, then I was told by others he wasn't very aggressive, just nervous and a jumper. Another worker (who was in the 'he's very aggressive' camp) talked about how the gerbil would bite him every time he went to fill his bowl and when he (the person) jerked back, the gerbil would come up with his hand and go flying to land on the shelf in front of the tank...which was pretty much what sold me on taking in the gerbil in now rather than wait and see if he would be adopted at a later time because that's just....ugh.

So far, I have him in a smaller bin than planned (but is larger than a 10 gallon tank so at least I know size-wise it's not an issue) and he has been curious and shown no sign of aggressiveness. Of course, he's also been very busy digging and tearing apart cardboard/paper. I'm keeping an eye to make sure he can't escape the bin and thus far, it seems good. There's no place for him to be able to grasp to chew but I'm keeping an eye out just in case. His coloring is gorgeous! I'll have to post pictures once everything has settled--and his fur is looking much better now that he's had his sand bath although the back of his head/neck still looks a little...bed-heady....if that makes sense for a gerbil.

I'm still doing research though since I at least have his basic needs taken care of, I'm much more relaxed about it now. I have had my hand in his bin several times while he was running about as I added substrate/nesting material and a couple more hides/chew things for him and other than a little initial curiosity, he pretty much ignored me to go about running around and digging. Unfortunately, no one could give me an idea of his age--I was told anywhere from maybe just under 6 months to maybe a year or a little over.

I'm taking all of your advice and will be keeping him a single gerbil--oddly enough, all the people who told me he wasn't aggressive--just nervous and jumpy were females while all the males swore up and down he was aggressive and a huge biter. One of the workers told me that he showed aggression towards other gerbils in the past--whether or not it's true, my gut tells me he won't get along with any gerbils. Tbh, I'm relieved to know he can be (and according to my gut, will be) happily kept as a single gerbil as my first and only experience with gerbils was with my friend's years ago and along with all the misinformation she received, one of the gerbils ended up dead and was partially eaten by his brother. Though I know it's not exactly a common thing, it has stuck with me.

[BluerayDarkes]

Looking forward to pictures, sounds like you took him home before he got seriously hurt too.