How to Determine the Sex of Gerbils

Look for a punctuation mark when determining the sex of gerbils, which is important if you don't want a bunch of little gerbils running around. The exclamation and colon marks are the best way to determine gender.

Things You'll Need

• Clear plastic box (optional)

Instructions

1. Wait until the gerbil is seven weeks old at which time you can place it in a clear, plastic box so you can observe the animal. Look for a pair of testicles. If you're still in doubt whether the gerbil is a male, look to see if there is a broad space between the sexual organs and the anus. Females have a shorter distance between their vagina and anus. There is a small bare patch of skin at this site. In males, it will be farther away from the tail than it is on the female.

2. Look at the gerbil's underside. In males, note the bigger gap between the urinary and anal openings. The perinea area (or the area between the genitals and the anus) comes to a point at the base of the tail in females, but this area looks more rounded in males.

3. Look for nipples and an exclamation point underneath. If you find it, the gerbil is a female. You can hang gerbils upside down by the tail or let the animal rest in the palm of your hand and then gently lift the tail until you can see the genital area. Males tend to have a tapered rump and females tend to have a more rounded rump, as noted in Step 2.

4. Don't partner gerbils of the opposite sex or they will breed --very quickly.

Tips & Warnings

• The easiest way to see the difference is to have the store clerk or a friend help you and compare two gerbils at the same time.