Gerbil care

Suitable gerbil homes

Minimum size is 100cm x 40cm for a pair of gerbils. 

Gerbils love to burrow and dig, making typical hamster cages unsuitable for them. We recommend using glass tanks to house gerbils in. Here we often use 3 foot glass tanks, but there are plenty of other suitable tanks on the market. Many people use old fish tanks with a handmade mesh lid. Gerbils need at least 8 inches of substrate (preferably more) to enable them to exhibit normal, burrowing behaviours, so make sure any gerbil housing is tall enough to allow this, plus space for them to run around on top.

The floor space should be a minimum of 100cm x 40cm for a pair of gerbils. We recommend more space if possible.

We do not recommend plastic cages or cages with tubes attached. Gerbils can often chew out of these and they can lead to territorial fights over different chambers. Typical hamster cages, that have wire sides, are not suitable homes for gerbils. 

Below are some tanks we do recommend for gerbils. 

Ikea detolf
Small pet Kerry terrarium
Falco small pet cage
Skyline Marrakesh

Bucatstate

Jungle pets tank

Substrate and Bedding

For the main substrate, we recommend using - Megazorb, Carefresh, Fitch bedding, shredded card, Auboise, Kaytee clean and cosy, Coconut fibre bedding or similar products. We also add in cardboard tubes, boxes and egg boxes for them to chew and make nests in.. They will need about 8 inches worth of substrate to enable them to tunnel normally. 

For nesting material we use hay as it is more natural than most bedding sold and they love to chew it too. You can also use safebed, a shredded tissue like bedding. Never give gerbils fluffy bedding, the cotton wool like bedding.. It can wrap around gerbils limbs, causing nasty injuries and can even lead to their death. 

Gerbils also require a sand bath. This helps keep their fur in good condition. 

We never use sawdust or wood shavings as they can irritate gerbils eyes.

Below are some photos of one of our rescue gerbils, Rose. The two photos on the left are when she arrived, after being bedded on sawdust. The two photos on the right are 2 weeks after arriving here, after being bedded on megazorb.
Feeding 

You can buy gerbil food very easily from most pet shops. We avoid using bowls and instead scatter the gerbil food in their substrate. This is much more natural than a bowl and encourages them to forage providing added stimulation. We also add treats such as dried grass, goji berries, meal worms and vegetables, though vegetables must be removed before they rot.
     
Toys and enrichment 

Gerbils love to chew, due to this we avoid using plastic toys. For cheap but entertaining toys, we use cardboard tubes, boxes and egg boxes. We also use wood/branches from fruit tress, gerbils love to climb and chew these. Below are some photos of food enrichment ideas. Stuffing boxes/jars/cardboard tubes/egg boxes with food and hay and letting gerbils chew/dig through or wrapping food in paper are a few things we do here.
Gerbils living together

Gerbils are very sociable and are best kept with other gerbils. On some occasions gerbils do fight. Once gerbils have started to fight to the point blood is shed, it becomes dangerous to keep them together. Some people do mistake play for fights, gerbils will chase each other around and wrestle, this is normal. You should however been concerned if one gerbil causes injury to another as gerbils can and do fight to the death. Thankfully these fights are uncommon and gerbils are usually very sociable.

We have had great success here keeping gerbils in groups. We have found that males tend to be less likely to fight than females when in groups. Females tend to do better kept in pairs, while males seem to do well in anything from a pair to a small group. We have also had great success with neutering males and then pairing them up with females. We have also found that a pair or more neutered males can live happily with a single female. 

To limit fighting, try to keep the cage simple when your gerbils first enter their new tank. Lots of bedding to dig, things to chew but not too many pet shop toys. Avoid plastic cages with tubes or joining two cages together by tubes as this can lead to gerbils claiming individual territories, leading to fights. Once the gerbils have settled, you can then add more toys for them to play with. 

If you have single gerbils the best way to introduce them is through the split cage method. Gerbils under the age of 8 weeks can usually be introduced to one another with no problems. Gerbils older than 10 weeks will usually fight if introduced to one another straight away. It is always advisable to use the split cage method when introducing gerbils as they can be very territorial.

The split cage method is only recommended to introduce 2 gerbils to one another. Pairs or more are less likely to accept a newcomer and are more likely to attack. You will need one cage with mesh separating each gerbil. They should be able to see and smell each other but not able to bite each other. Each side of the cage should have a very low amount of substrate and no toys, although you can add bits of cardboard for chewing. Each side should have the same things in it. Some people use a smaller cage inside a larger cage. If choosing this method, remove the base of the smaller cage and weight it down so they can see each other clearly but not get in with one another.

The gerbils should be swapped from side to side once per day. During his time, do not clean them out as they need to get used to one another's scent. this should be continued for about 1-2 weeks. After this period of time and once they seem fairly relaxed, remove the partition and carefully watch them for about 3 hours. If they seem relaxed or snuggle up to sleep with one another, they will hopefully have bonded. Leave them without changing the bedding for another 3 days. After this period, if they are happy with one another, you can clean them out. Keep a small amount of the old bedding to mix into the clean bedding. If they start to fight they will need to be separated and you will need to start from the beginning. Some gerbils will not get along so be prepared that this may not work.

It is very important to only introduce gerbils this way. Although it may seem the best option, you must never introduce gerbil on neutral territory. Gerbils will almost always fight if introduced this way. 

Below are two very simple split cages we use here. 

General information


Gerbils are generally diurnal, meaning they are mostly active during the day. Most gerbils seem go be most active early in the morning and evening. However, some will be active at night. 


In the wild, gerbils live in underground tunnels, so housing must replicate this. 


Gerbils have upper incisor teeth that continue to grow throughout their lives. They must be provided with wood to chew on, so they can keep their teeth from over growing. 


Gerbils will stamp their feet when they are startled. This is normal and a way of communicating danger to other gerbils. 


They have scent glands on their stomachs and use these to leave messages to other gerbils. 


Common health issues


Although gerbils are hardy rodents, the more common heath issues related to gerbils are strokes, scent gland tumours and over grown teeth.


Lifespan


Gerbils live around 3-4 years.