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The decision to mate gerbils should not be gone into lightly. Caring for gerbils can take a lot of time and money, and breeding should be done only under the right circumstances. Make sure you have enough room to shelter them all (an average litter can consist of more than five babies, also known as "pups"). You must also make sure... more »
Many people can count gerbils as among their first pets. They're small, easy to care for, absolutely adorable and fun to watch. It's also just as important to keep them well-fed and happy as it is to keep ourselves functioning on a well-balanced diet. Gerbils can be just as picky as humans are, so we're going to look at a few ways you... more »
Learn how to find a healthy, well-socialized gerbil to be that perfect pocket pet. more »
Gerbils are one of the most loyal and easy to care for small pets. With bursts of energetic movement, gerbils are fun for children to watch. They are also exceptionally clean animals that make little or no noise. All of these traits combine to make gerbils the best small pet for any size home. more »
To keep gerbils healthy, their teeth can't be too long or too short. You can give them things to chew on and give them diet supplements to keep their teeth healthy. If their teeth break, give them extra calcium in their diets. more »
Deciding on gerbils as your families pets is only the first step. There are many other things to consider when purchasing gerbils. You want to... more »
Breeding gerbils is a hobby that many people enjoy. While it's not a very good choice as a cash flow operation, if you love gerbils, you will... more »
While gerbils are generally happy and healthy just about anywhere, they are curious and require adequate care. If you just got a gerbil, are... more »
Gerbils are rodents that originally hail from the deserts of Mongolia. Their native color is brown, but due to patient breeders and living in... more »
Owning and breeding animals can be an exciting way to view the workings of nature as well as a possible business venture. When breeding animals... more »
A Gerbil is a small mammal of the order Rodentia. Once known simply as "desert rats", the gerbil subfamily includes about 110 species of African, Indian, and Asian rodents, including sand rats and jirds, all of which are adapted to arid habitats. Most are primarily diurnal (though some, including the common household pet, do exhibit crepuscular behavior), and almost all are omnivorous.
The word "gerbil" is a diminutive form of "jerboa", though the jerboas are an unrelated group of rodents occupying a similar ecological niche.
One Mongolian species, Meriones unguiculatus, also known as the Clawed Jird, is a gentle and hardy animal that has become a popular pet. It was first brought from China to Paris, France in the nineteenth century, and became a popular house pet.http://www.huisdiereninfo.nl/content/gerbils.php It was then brought to the United States in 1954 by Dr. Victor Schwentker for use in research.Schwentker, V. "The Gerbil. A new laboratory animal." Ill Vet 6: 5-9, 1963.
Gerbils are typically between six and twelve inches (150 to 300 mm) long, including the tail which makes up approximately one half of their total length. One species however, the Great Gerbil, or Rhombomys opimus, originally native to Turkmenistan, can grow to more than 16 inches (400 mm) in length. The average adult gerbil weighs approximately 2 1/2 ounces. As of August 19, 2003, officials in western Chinas Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region began releasing eagles to combat the damage they say the great gerbils have done to eleven million acres (46,000 km²) of grassland. Deng Shasha, , Xinhua News Agency, 25/3/2009
Nick McMaster, , NEWSER, 25/3/2009
Gerbils as pets
Gerbils were first introduced to the pet industry in 1964. These were the Mongolia gerbils. Their value as pets was soon appreciated and they are now found in pet shops all over the UK and USA.
Due to the threat they pose to indigenous ecosystems and existing agricultura read more at » http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gerbil
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