How to Care for a Pet Gerbil

Gerbils in a sleeping pile

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.

Things You'll Need

• Large cage or aquarium
• Water bottle
• Ceramic food bowl
• Gerbil food
• Wooden toys
• Cage litter
• Exercise wheel
• Exercise ball

Instructions

1. 

   Purchase a cage large enough to accommodate more than one gerbil. The spacing on the cage bars should be less than 1/2-inch apart to prevent escape. Make sure the cage is large enough for each gerbil to have its own private area. Or, use a large aquarium for housing a gerbil pair.

2. Line the bottom of the gerbil habitat with newspaper for easy cleaning. Use recycled newspaper or unscented wood chips for cage litter at a depth of 2 to 3 inches. Change litter every 2 to 3 weeks, or when obviously soiled.

3. 

   Offer solid wooden toys of oak or other untreated hardwoods to promote healthy teeth in pet gerbils. Chewing and gnawing are what a gerbil does best. Like rabbits, a gerbil’s incisors continue to grow in length throughout the life of the pet. Providing hardwood toys allows the gerbil to work and whittle down the front teeth and keep them at a comfortable length.

4. Feed pet gerbils a packaged diet consisting of pellet food and various seeds. Give the pet gerbils a treat of pumpkin seeds for extra nutrition. Provide fresh water at all times through a hanging water bottle. Add vitamin supplements to water for pets that need extra nutrition.

5. Give pet gerbils exercise everyday to increase their lifespan. Choose an exercise ball that is secure so the small animals can come out of the cage and explore the world. Provide each gerbil with its own exercise wheel inside the habitat for exercise.

6. 

   Handle pet gerbils daily to socialize them and let them become familiar with your scent. Gerbils are naturally inquisitive and like to investigate new people and surroundings. Place a hand palm up flat in the center of the habitat and a gerbil will usually crawl right onto it. Let the pet smell and investigate your hand thoroughly before trying to remove it from the safety of the cage. Once a gerbil knows a handler’s scent, it will gladly climb into your hand to go out exploring.

Tips & Warnings

• Unlike the hamster, gerbils are social animals that enjoy handling and having a lifetime mate. Solve the issue of what to do with the offspring by purchasing a pair beyond mating age.

• Set up a relationship with a local pet shop for adopting baby gerbils.

• Gerbils are easy to catch if they escape from a cage or exercise ball. Don’t chase the gerbil, simply watch and monitor where it is investigating. Gerbils don’t like to be alone for long; it will come out into the open to be rescued soon.

• Gerbils are fearless and curious. This combination gets them into trouble if left out of the cage unattended. Always supervise a loose small animal.

• Gerbils can jump several feet on their hind legs. This is cute, but use care when holding a pet in the palm of your hand. It may jump and land on a hard surface.

• Keep gerbils in mating pairs. Two males or two females fight if they were not raised together.