Gerbil information??

First off gerbils should be kept in same sex pairs... Never alone!

1- Gerbils live to be around 2 to 4 years old

2 - a 20 gallon long (long not tall) tank is definitely the best cage for them! Gerbils are huge chewers and burrowers so they cannot live in those fancy wire and plastic cages sold at petstores. Once the newness wears off they will ruina 50 or more dollar cage in a big hurry!

Gerbils also need at least 5 inches of bedding in their cage so tanks make this possible by being so deep... They also keep the bedding where it should be.... in the tank!

3 - No 2 gerbils will not fight, they are highly social animals and need ot be kept in same sex pairs.... With hamster on the other hand they must be kept alone or they will fight to the death.... maybe that is what your friend is thinking of. Gerbils love living in pairs and need the socialization!

4 - Gerbils definitely do not train like rats, rats are much much more intelligent and bong more with their owner then gerbils do

5 - Gerbils are probobly the hardest of all pet rodents to tame, they are skittish, nippy and jumpy.... There are many videos on youtube about hand taming gerbils on youtube. It is very possible to hand tame gerbils, it jsut takes time and patience and getting bit quite a few times. They are social with eachother but not so much with humans or their owner

6 - Gerbils do not like hamster balls, this is why they are for hamster.. Out of the many many many gerbils I own and have owned I have only had 2 or 3 that have enjoyed the hamster ball and even then they didn't like it too much. So all in all no they don't like them at all.

Gerbils chew everything so toys and stuff at petstores get ruined in aday! It is best to just get them their tank, wheel, tons and tons of bedding, water bottle, and tons and tons of cardboards.. Kleenex boxes, egg cartons, pizza boxes, cereal boxes, toilet paper rolls etc. They do need hidy huts though..

Gerbils change their sleeping area around every week to every month just to feel safe. So there must be at least 3 hidy huts available for the pair to sleep in.

Hope I helped

First, please don't get a single gerbil. They are social animals and should be kept in pairs. Gerbils alone have increased health and behavioral problems, along with shorter, unhappier lives.

-How long do they live?

Gerbils living alone like 1-2 years. Gerbils in pairs like 3-5 years.

-What habitat is best? Aquarium with deep padding for digging or standard cage? prices?

Don't get a standard 'hamster' type cage. Although money-grabbing companies advertise these as 'suitable for gerbils' they are certainly not (e.g. crittertrail).

Get an aquarium (15 gallons minimum) OR a gerbilarium.

http://www.petsathome.com/shop/extra-large-gerbila...

Notice gerbils need lots of sawdust because they burrow.

-I can only have 1, 2 will be slightly overcrowded and my friend said if you have 2 they fight. Will that be a problem?

Your friend could not be more wrong! Gerbils in pairs are incredibly happy, much happier than they are alone. Gerbils kept alone can suffer depression and some gerbils even die of loneliness. Some people think that as long as they play with the gerbil it will be fine, but this is not the case. They really need a cage mate. They form an amazing bond and they're very cute together.

If you only want one pet, don't get a gerbil. Some even consider keeping a gerbil alone is cruel.

-Can they be trained slightly like rats can to come when called by tapping dinner bowl? + know it's unlikely but any other training applicable?

They are not as intelligent as rats, but yes they do learn certain traits. For example I put chinchilla sand in a bowl so they can have a sand bath. My gerbils know the sound of the bowl and come running for their bath, they love it

-How friendly, well tamed, and social are they?

They are very friendly, they bite far less than hamsters. However, as with any rodent, they will not be tamed. Pet stores don't tame the gerbils for you, that's your job. But it's easy to tame with with patience and care.

-Nocturnal?

Gerbils take short naps during the day and night, meaning they are usually up. However I find my gerbils have started to sleep during the night like me, and be up during the day when I'm caring for them.

-Where they will be, in my room, is adjacent to a night club. We get paid to let them have loud music so will it affect the gerbil? Or will it not mind? I know hamsters hate loud noises.

Hmm, well I guess it depends how loud you are talking about. One of my gerbils cages is currently right near the TV and that can be pretty loud, he doesn't seem bothered by it. I play music too and that doesn't affect them. The only thing my gerbils hate is the hoover.

-Can you put them in balls like you do with hamsters?

Well yes you can, but they probably won't run. Most gerbils when put in balls just sit there. The balls are more of a hamster thing and I've found gerbils don't really like them.

If you try it, make sure its a big ball. The small ones can hurt the gerbils back if their back/tail is too bent.

1) Properly taken care of, gerbils can live 3-5 years. If their needs are not met, 2-3 is more common.

2) An aquarium with deep bedding for digging and burrowing. Gerbils are not as domesticated as hamsters and even the most domesticated among them are still naturally inclined through instinct to dig and build burrows. They get most of their exercise from doing so (and as such even a wheel is optional). Standard cages are not at all suitable for gerbils. The bar ones do not offer enough space for deep bedding and the plastic ones will be chewed through (much like mice, gerbils can chew through nearly anything!). A 20 gallon is ideal. 10 gallons can usually house one comfortably, though you shouldn't have one unless there's a very good reason (more on that in a minute).

3) Addressing my above point, this WILL be a problem. I do not know where your friend heard that you should not have two. He needs to do more research before he advises you on how to care for gerbils. Gerbils, unlike hamsters, are a social species. This means they do their best when kept in pairs or groups. Some gerbils will fight - but they are the exception, NOT the rule. Should your gerbils fight, you can separate them and they will live happily. However, you should never keep a gerbil alone otherwise. Two will not be overcrowded at all. A 20 gallon will hold both of them and 20 gallons don't take up much space at all. If you are set on one, please either buy one that is in the tank at a pet shop by himself already, or adopt one that cannot be kept with other gerbils due to fighting with them. Though, it will be much easier to keep them happy if there are two.

4) No, not really. Rats are the smartest rodents and therefore, the only ones capable of learning complex tricks. Gerbils can be trained in agility, that's about all that I know of. You can get them used to a schedule (such as my gerbils will wake up for dinner the same time every day, for one example) but their memories aren't that great, so training isn't really possible with them.

5) On a scale of one to ten, I'd say a six or seven. Gerbils rarely bite as they prefer the flight option. With patience, taming is very possible. They are a bit skittish, so you will need a lot of patience with them. Some gerbils tame faster than others. Typically, breeder gerbils are easier to tame than pet shop gerbils. They do not like attention as much as rats, but they are moderately social and will grow to accept (and maybe even like) attention from you.

6) No. Though they are not diurnal, either. Gerbils seem to have various schedules. It seems to largely depend on the activity around their cage.

7) They grow accustomed to loud noises. That actually goes for hamsters, too. (Neither my gerbils nor my hamster seem at all perturbed by loud noises) Though, if at all possible, put them in the quietest location in the room.

8) You can, but I wouldn't recommend it. Most gerbils hate those balls.

You might want to look into Syrian hamsters or male mice. They, unlike most other rodents, can be kept solitary and will be happier kept as such.