Gerbils

Gerbils are not extrmely hard to take care of. They need a cage (obviously (: ) but not a very large one; I have two and they used to live in a ten gallon terrarium just fine. (I got an attachment for Christmas last year). They need food, which is not hard to find at all. Food specifically for gerbils is available, but most hamster foods also work. Also, they need oats, and green vegetables, like lettuce and spinach. They LOVE oats and veggies.Treats are also a nice addition to their eceryday meal, but should not replace anything. There are many treats in pet stores that gerbils like. Mine like 'Honey and Yogurt Drops'. They also like Cap'n Peanut Butter Crunch. They need a regular-sized rodent water bottle and cold water, renewed once weekly. For their health, a weekly cleaning is good. To set up their cage, I put paper towels in to keep their, eh, digestion byproducts from sticking to the glass on the bottom of the cage. On top of thatm I put about one and a half to two inches of ASPEN wood shavings, which are also sold at many pet stores. Again, ASPEN. This is best. Pine, I don't know, but DO NOT GET CEDAR. This can cause disease, fungus, and all sorts of nasty things. To clean the cage, I take the gerbils out and put them in a exercise ball and just let them roam my room. I then dunp the old shavings and paper towels into a trash can (with a bag), use Clorox Wipes to clean out the cage (there will occasionally be some stuff stuck to the bottom glass, this is normal.) I then put paper towels in, then shavings, clean out their bottle with hot water and fill it up with cold water, and you're done. A lid for the cage is necessary. This can be a normal top for a ten gallon aquarium (which is what the terrarium is; as a structure, they're identical), or an expansion-type thing that sits on top and has its own door-thing. Also, gerbils need an exercise wheel and other opportunities for exercise. For example, small rodent/lizard pens are available. I put down two layers of newspaper in the area of the pen, put in some toys, and pretty much let them go crazy. You should get an exercise wheel with no openings in it. You will see why when you read more. It is best to get a wire-bar cage attachment and a wheel with a connector thing for the bars. For example, mine has a turnable knob that I slide throught he bars and then twist to keep it up. When you first get your gerbil(s), try not to touch them and DO NOT pick them up for the first three or four days. Allow them to get used to their new home, and your voice and the sounds of your home. Then, start with touching and light petting in-cage. When they seem comfortable with that, then you can pick them up one at a time (recommended until you are experienced; I've had mine for two years now and I love to have them both running around on my arms and shoulders.) Beware of biting at an early stage of ownership. After about a month, biting is less common. I am never bitten now. Gerbils live for two to four years. If one of your gerbils escapes, the first thing you need to do is shut of the room the cage is in from the rest of house. If the escape was less than, I'd say, fifteen to twenty minutes of your discovery of the escape, chances are your furry friend is still in the room. Watch your step carefully, and look anywhere, ANYWHERE it could be. Mine have been under my bed, dresser, nightstand, even in a little space behind my computer desk. (That was the worst!) If you start to notice your gerbil's behavior change, it may be sick, You should contact the pet store you got the gerbil from for advice (or other pet stores); there are not many veterinarians who specialize in rodents. A particularly common disease in gerbils is called 'wet-tail'. It is characterized by irritableness, lethargy, loss of appetite, and frequent urination and defecation. It is highly contagious, and if you own more than one gerbil, separate the sick gerbil from the others. Danger rates vary, but some cases are fatal. Luckily, neither of my gerbils have contracted this disease. If you want to own more than one gerbil, you should introduce them to each other at a young age. This works best if they are from the same litter. Gerbils are naturally nocturnal, bur may eventually adapt to their owner's schedule. Mine used to keep me awake nights on end with their scurrying and chewing and such, but they have settled down (thank God). Your gerbils should be kept somewhere with light, such as a well-lit bedroom. My room is well-lit, and the cage is right by a window. The gerbils seem to enjoy this. If you notice a crook in your gerbil's tail, it is most likely broken. Though it may heal incorrectly, it does not cause any major problems. One of my gerbil's tail was broken in two places due to an accident involving an old free-standing exercise wheel. He gets around just fine, and doesnt seem to even notice his slightly bent tail anymore.

I hope you enjoy your new members of the family!

I do not think that you can walk a gerbil. you would need a whole body harness small enough for a gerbil, and even then they will chew through it or slip out of it. Gerbil are masters of escape. not to mention that if you were to walk a gerbil, they would get all dirty and get fleas, and if you saw them walk out of your sight into a bush while on the walk, they may get squished by something.

Honestly, what I am trying to say in a whole round-about way, It is not a good idea to walk gerbils.

I really cannot think of any Pros to walking a gerbil, only cons. now, if you have a whole play pin set up for them in a room where no other animals are, and make sure that they cannot get out of it, then you can put them in that and let them run around your room.

Food was definitely less expensive in the UK in 1982 than it is in 2014. A loaf of bread was about 32 pennies while a pint of beer was about 73 pennies. A pint of milk was about 20 pennies at this time.

I'm not really sure, but if your gerbils are a bit aggressive and your rabbit is sensitive, I wouldn't really recommend that. Try it if you want, tell me what happens!(:

Absolutely not. Rabbits are too large, and will hurt a co-habiting gerbil.

Gerbils mucas is red. People often mistake it for blood. Chances are the gerbil's nose is just irritated, but if it is prolonged it could be caused by an allergy from the bedding or nesting materials used. If this is so switch beddings and see what works. Also make sure all nesting material is unfragranced or dyes because they are known to irritate gerbils.

Yes! It would be best if the gerbils were raised in the same litter, so if they aren't, be careful. It should work out though. Anyway, it is best to keep female gerbils in groups instead of by themselves.

A gerbil is about the same length of its tail.

ask her when she is available and take that time with her and cherrish it. be nice and make sure on the first date that you give her space dont crowd up on her. then each date get closer by the 3rd or 4th date you can mayb kudle if u already go out!!

Maybe they escape because they don't like you..... or they don't like being in a cage..... or if you don't keep them in a cage then they might not like the habitat....or maybe you just a bad pet keepeer! That's a sensible answer

You can keep your gerbil entertained by giving them lots of stuff to chew on, such as Popsicle sticks ( not recommended due to splintering ), toilet paper rolls, paper towel rolls, cracker boxes, etc., lots of stuff to run through, like paper towel rolls, toilet paper rolls, open boxes, etc., lots of bedding to dig in, I know my gerbils really like to dig.

They also like to have a friend, if you only have one gerbil. But if you have two, then you're fine.

They also like all kinds of tubing for cages. ( If you have an aquarium, then you may not be able to connect tubing )

Gerbils also love to run on wheels, and explore new environments. If you change around your gerbils cage about once every 3 or 4 days, ( moving around their house, food, water, etc. ) then they should be well entertained.

Hope this helped!

Newborn gerbils weigh only 2.5-3.3 grams, and are about 3 centimeters long. That's about the size of a penny!

if you been with it for a long time no

yes .... altough two boys will fight sometimes and two girls are fine cause i have two girls they never fight they only play with each other and well ... if ou put a girl and a boy you know what will happen

No, gerbils are definitely social animals, but they are territorial. Gerbils get depressed if alone, and may even become aggressive. It is best to keep gerbils in same-sex pairs, this way they have one buddy, and there is no chance of declanning, which can happen with groups of gerbils mroe than two.

Gerbils are not like dogs they dont pee to mark there territory instead gerbils use there scent gland witch it located right in the center of there tummy they will rub it agaisnt an area to mark there territory:)

Yes. Give him some sheets of unscented, non lotioned tissue and he will shred it up for bedding. Not all gerbils are the same, though, so make sure he doesn't eat it. My gerbils shred toilet paper for bedding.

The best way to grab your gerbil is around its neck. Use your thumb and index finger to gently grab it around the neck. This way, the gerbil is much more calm and is less likely to fall or get squeezed in the wrong place.

Yes. Do not let them have access to it.

Girl: Blossom, Lily, Flower, Peach, Cherry, etc.

Boy: Something that starts with Mr. , such as Mr. Popcorn

Or, also for a boy bambi's good, That's what my hamster's name is...

No Questions, for me!

Bianca, Nia, Sandi, Wanda, Coconut, Lucky, Meadow, Goldenlock, Corana, Nikki, Fushia, Pwinkle, Misty--or Mist--, Missy, Natasha (or Nat, for a boy), Kevin, Kiki, Tweak, Pinky, Keera, Indisha, Yoki, Lindey, Hauna, Haywood, Brownie, Cupcake, Marshmellow, Snowflake, Buttercup, Rumpkin, Tonio, Jingle, Belle, Shawna, Wrinkles, Satin, Furball, Aia, Lana, Twitters, Peakaboo, Tansy, Pansy, Sunflower, Rosepetal, Sunkiss, Sunners, Willow, Winna, Kia Nory, and Skittles.

My hamser's name is Twinkle Star, we call her Twinkle for short.

i have three other hamsters, girls: Meadow Spark, and Pedal Sky, and Northa Belle

"D

In the wild, gerbils do hibernate. Gerbils kept as pets will also hibernate if the temperature of the room they are kept in drops. But, domesticated gerbils will not be able to hibernate without dying or becoming sick.

You must first have all the supplies for them, such as the basics of a:

cage

water bottle

food dish

FOOD

bedding

running wheel

P.S. have either a wire mesh or solid wheel, because plain wire wheels or lined wheels will catch their feet/tail and injure the little guys!

For the gerbils happiness:

toilet paper tubes (to chew)

untreated wood sticks (to chew)

vitamin water drops (drop in water bottles to make their little bodies strong)

house (for shelter)

CritterTrail tubes (attach to have them crawl up though)

(if possible) another gerbil to keep company and love

DO NOT BUY ANOTHER GERBIL AT SEPARATE DAYS OR THEY WILL FIGHT TO THE DEATH!

Have a happy gerbil!

Yes. Let them eat fruits and vegetables along with their main diet, and sometimes seeds and nuts as treats.

In general, it is better to have two guinea pigs than one because these are social animals that normally form communities in the wild (yes, there are wild guinea pigs). However, it is important to ensure that they are either the same gender (two boys or two girls) or that you have one or both neutered so that you don't go from having two guinea pigs to having a dozen.

Not usually but it is known. They start off bald when born, and can possibly shed for summer, but just a few hairs, if they sweat it will only look like they're losing hair but it's simply wet.

Otherwise, you should take your gerbil to the vet.

It may be because of stress if your gerbil is losing hair. If you have any other pets then you may want to keep them out of the room the gerbil is in, check their bars to see if it is wearing down (so the gerbil is just rubbing it self against the bar, as this will cause a few hairs to fall out)

first, you will will need a large heavy duty plastic bin with a lid, some wire netting, wood cutters, and the clear tape you put on boxes when you move. cut a big hole in the lid of the plastic bin that takes up ALMOST the whole lid. next, cut enough wire to cover the entire hole with a little extra (to make it sturdier). tape the wire to the lid of the bin, over the hole. make sure that all the sharp pieces of wire are covered by tape and that it is sturdily attached. you are now ready to put a couple inches of bedding and all the things your gerbil needs in the cage, and move your gerbil into his new .