There are many places online to find good gerbil care information. This page is how I care for my gerbils, and what I think is best for them.

Housing
I house my pairs in ten gallon glass aquariums with metal screen covers, with screen cover clips to keep the lids firmly clamped down. Trios or more of adult gerbils are housed in larger aquariums, 15 gallons or 20 gallon longs.

Glass aquariums are very easy to clean, and provide a roomy, safe environment for gerbils. Plastic habitats are easily chewed through, and hard to clean. Wire cages can cause irritation to gerbil noses from biting on the wire, and are drafty.

Bedding
I use aspen shavings or Carefresh pet bedding for my gerbils. Kiln dried pine can also be used, but this is not commonly found in pet stores. If it doesn't say kiln dried, its not. Regular pine should not be used, cedar should also never be used, the aromatic oils in these bedding can cause respritory problems in gerbils.

Bedding should be about 2-3 inches high, and should be completely changed once every two weeks.

Unscented tissues, paper towels, and toilet paper can be given to gerbils for them to make nests with. The fluffy bedding/nesting material found in pet stores is not safe for gerbils. It can cause problems if ingested, or fibers can become wrapped around legs and cause injuries. You can also buy timothy hay in pet stores that gerbils love to shred up, eat, and make nests with.

Cage Accessories
The most important cage accessory is a good water bottle. 8 oz sized bottles work great for gerbils. You may wish to purchase a food dish as well (ceramic or glass, not plastic) but a food dish is not really neccessary, as gerbils will scatter and bury their food in the bedding anyway. (this is their way of hiding their food and keeping it safe from other gerbils and animals)

Gerbils also enjoy playing, hiding, and sleeping in wooden nesting houses, found in the small animal aisle in most pet stores. Stay away from plastic houses, gerbils will chew them up, and ingesting a lot of plastic is not good.

Gerbils LOVE cardboard! Paper towel and toilet paper tubes, as well as empty cereal, cracker, etc... boxes can be given to gerbils, and they will have a great time playing in them and chewing them up.

Tail safe (no horizontal bars, either a solid or small mesh surface) exercise wheels can be used, but aren't really neccessary. Some gerbils like them, some don't. In my experience it seems that most gerbils prefer playing with cardboard and wooden houses than in wheels.

Gerbils also enjoy taking sand baths! You can buy boxes of chinchilla sand at the pet store. (get the sand, NOT the dust) The sand can be placed in a shallow dish and gerbils will have a great time digging, rolling, and bathing in it. Sand helps to keep their coats clean and shiney.



Gerbil Diet
When buying a bag of gerbil food, try to get one that contains 12-15% protein and 5-7% fat. I recommend staying away from foods that have a lot of artificial colors, flavors, and preservatives added to them. Try to get a food consisting of seeds like millet, milo, safflower, sunflower and pumpkin (sunflower and pumpkin in moderation since they have a lot of fat in them) and grains like wheat, oats, barley, etc... Foods with a lot of colored "cookies" or pellets should be avoided if possible.

Plain, uncooked oatmeal bought in the grocery store is a great thing to add to your gerbils food, as well as whole grain unsweetened cereals like cheerios and bite size shredded wheat.



Handling Gerbils

If you get your gerbils from a breeder, chances are that they will already be on their way to being tame, loving pets, and are already used to being handled by people. Gerbils that are raised in a good environment, are healthy, and handled from a young age, rarely ever bite. I've been breeding gerbils for four years now, and have only been bit once, and it was by a gerbil in a pet store, never one in my own kennel. Gerbils, especially young pups, will sometimes nibble and "taste" your fingers, but they should not bite hard enough to cause pain or bleeding. Gerbils that bite this hard are usually being handled wrong, are hurt or sick, or have a history of abuse.

When you first get your gerbils it will take a little time for them to get used to you, and you to get used to them. For the first few days, its a good idea to let your gerbils get used to their new cage and surroundings, and not handle them yet. After a few days you can start by taking the cover off the cage and putting your hand down on top of the shavings. The gerbils will usually climb on and under your hand, and get an idea of what you smell like. (please make sure to wash your hands before handling gerbils! If you smell like food, they may nip!) Once you are comfortable with them climbing on your hand in the cage, and can try lifting them out. Its a good idea to use two hands cupped together at first. If you are nervous about dropping them, handle them over their cage, a bed, pile of clothes, or something else soft, so if they fall or get dropped they won't be hurt.

After several days of handling, most gerbils realize that you are the fun person that takes them out to play, and will climb right up your arm to come out, or jump right into your hand. By this time you are usually pretty comfortable with handling them as well, and know how to hold them securly without fearing that they will fall. Most gerbils seem to have a pretty good idea that they are up pretty high when being held by people, and don't try to jump out of your hands. They can fall though, so you have to be aware of what their doing, and have a gentle hold on them. Some gerbils like to sit on shoulders, others like running up and down the insides of sleeves, or back and forth over your arms. Never take gerbils out of their cage around dogs, cats, or other pets, and never take them outside unless their in a cage or carrier. Remember that they are very small compared to you, and should be handled gently and quietly at all times.


 

I highly recommend visiting the AGS Gerbil Care pages for accurate gerbil care information.
CLICK HERE to visit the AGS Gerbil Care pages.