How do you look after a gerbil? Gerbil owners please?

1. The standard is 2 gerbils but you can keep groups of anywhere up to 5 or 6, you shouldn't keep one alone. And with numbers larger than two, there is a possibility of declanning(gerbil(s) being rejected from the group)

2. Like any animal, they will smell if their habitat is not regularly cleaned, but otherwise they shouldn't too much, when you start to smell them, it usually means it's time to clean their home.

3. I clean my gerbils' tank every 1-3 weeks depending on the amount of bedding I have, and as far as I've heard, most people believe that they do not need to be cleaned out as much as a hamster's cage.

4. Agouti is the most common color, their natural color which is similar to a squirrel's, their are so many different colors though, like doves, and honeys(which are a beautiful orange color) if you search gerbil colors, you'll see them all ;)

5. Best go with same sex, unless you want dozens of little baby gerbils running around :)

6. Anywhere from 2-5 years is the norm

7. for the staple, you can buy standard gerbil diets and give them a handful or so every 2-3 days.The first food I got was Oxbow Healthy Handfuls for hamsters and gerbils, which I loved. But when I found a gerbil only diet, Gerri Gerbil by Supreme, and I switched to that. Although I'm going to be switching back when I finish the bag, because my girls don't eat everything, and Oxbow has a pelleted mix, so they get a more balanced diet. There are also many types of safe fruits and veggies to give them, just be sure not to leave any leftovers in for over a day.

8. for 2 gerbils, my recommendation is to go with a 20 gallon fish tank/aquarium. Cages are messy, escapable(trust me, gerbils are master escape artists), and they will chew on the bars, which can give them poor noses.. Gerbils love to burrow, so you need to give them at least 3-4 inches(or more) of bedding, and with a cage they'd kick bedding everywhere.

9. Lots of chews and cardboard... Cardboard will become your best friend. Save up your TP tubes and just throw them in every once in a while. Gerbils teeth are always growing so they should always have something to chew on. A wheel is not a requirement but it is recommended, some gerbils don't use them at all! It just depends on their personality. If you see your gerbil using their wheel to an extent where it is affecting their weight or health, you need to take it out.

10. I get loofa chews, lava rock, wood pieces and things related, stay away from plastic, as they can chew it and if swallowed it can cause some problems. My girls don't chew their plastic wheel though.

11. I gave my girls a wooden house, they love to chew it but they don't really sleep in it. They just sort of burrow down in the bedding on their own and take a little nap, you can give them tissue more something soft to nest in. Don't buy commercial nesting fluff, their limbs can get caught in the fibers.

12. There is the possibility of fighting, this may happen if they do not have enough space or for other reasons I can't remember... There is a very high probability that they will not fight all their lives though.

13. Depends on where you get them from, they may come tamed. But they can easily become tamed in a couple weeks, and they will love to be around you. Just don't force anything or treat them as if they were toys and you should be fine.

14. Some, once again a personality thing...

15. Not as far as I know, my friend is a tiny bit squeamish of their tails, but everyone else I know loves them :)

16. Check out www.gerbilforum.proboards.com you can more easily weed out the stereotypical information and get help from people who have been owning gerbils for decades!

17. Advantages:

Fun and cute :3

Low maintenance

Don't bite

Not nocturnal

They make cool tunnels in the bedding against the glass of the tank, so you can see their little underground mazes

They're adorable when eating/grooming :)

They love to run and explore

You can have more than one

Disadvantages:

Don't always stay still for too long

Need a good amount of space and bedding

If you get a cage, they'll kick bedding everywhere

possibility of fighting

Gerbils make good pets

1. It's best to have 2, of the same sex.

2. No they don't have a strong smell

3. Every couple of weeks. I used a thick layer of sawdust (from petshop). Gerbils love to chew stuff up - see 10,, toys.

4. Yes, they come in the normal brown colour and a black variety.

5. No you should not keep males and females together. If you did, they would be mating constantly and having so many babies that you'd be overrun with them.

6. They live for a maximum 3 years.

7. Hamster, guineapig, rodent food. peanuts, sunflower seeds

8. Don't keep them in a cage, keep them in a glass fish tank, the bigger the better

9. Apart from the tank to keep them in, you'll need a water bottle and possibly a dish for their food.

10, Gerbils love to chew. They are shredding machines. To keep them busy you can put empty toilet roll and kitchen paper tubes, cereal boxes etc into their tank. They will demolish those and add the shredded stuff to their bedding. You should know that they also like to dig and make tunnels so the deeper the layer of bedding and shredded stuff, the better for their tunneling. This is also why a tank is better than a cage. However, be aware that they can jump so the tank has to have a mesh cover to stop them jumping out. The mesh - or whatever else you use, has to let air circulate.

11. They sleep in their own nests/tunnels, usually huddled up to each other.

12. Not usually.

13. Yes, handle them frequently, you can hand feed them too.

14. They can.

15. Only if they already have a phobia of rodents

16. Can't think of anything - except that they shouldn't be let loose to run around on the floor unless the room is absolutely escape proof and there are no wires or cables anywhere - they will chew !

17. You don't have to walk them, they don't smell, they are very entertaining to watch and are cheap to keep.

I owned gerbils for years and kept them in a big fish tank - the sawdust didn't spill out all over floor. I used to let them out in the evening when I got home from work and they would have races through the flat (not much furniture). I also had a dog which allowed them to jump all over it. I'd lose then every now and then - they usually ended up behind the fridge under the motor where it was warm. It's fascinating watching them making their tunnels when they had enough stuff to do it in.

1. Is it best to have more than one gerbil? How many would be a good number?

- Yes. Gerbils are a social species and need to be kept in pairs. Males do okay in trios, but females tend to do better in pairs. Groups are tricky and not many last.

2. Do they have a strong smell?

- Depends on what you define as "strong". I don't notice much odor at all.

3. How often do they need cleaning out?

- I spot clean every few days and deep clean once a month.

4. Do they come in different colours?

- Yes.

5. Can you keep different/same sexes together?

- They are social and should be kept in pairs. It's best to do same-gender pairs unless you want to pay to have one or both fixed (spayed/neutered) - otherwise opposite gender means babies.

6. How long do they live?

- 3 to 4 years or so.

7. What it their diet?

- Good quality block or home made diet. Hay is not necessary but many gerbils enjoy it. Same with fruits/veggies.

8. How big does the cage need to be?

- Ten gallon plus high rise topper OR twenty gallon long with mesh lid: both would work for a pair.

9. What must I have if I keep a gerbil?

- The basics. Cage, water bottle, bedding, food, wooden chew blocks, at least one wooden house or hut. Plastic is not recommended because gerbils can't block from swallowing when they chew (like rats can) so plastic may be ingested and can cause problems.

10. What type of toys do they like?

- Anything wood. Or cardboard/paper, which makes great shredding material and nesting stuff.

11. What do they sleep in? (Nest boxes? Burrows?)

- Mine sleep curled up under a pile of eco-bedding. Some will use wooden houses/huts.

12. Do they fight?

- Anything is possible.

13. Are they tame?

- Only if you put in the effort to hand tame them. My friend has 20+ and all of them will ride her shoulders (or sleep in her hoodie).

14. Do they like jumping from ledge to ledge?

- They are agile, but prefer digging to climbing/jumping.

15. Do many people have a phobia of gerbils?

- A lot of people will mistaken them for rats. What does it matter what other people think of your pets, though?

16. Anything else I need to know?

- Plenty. Use google and research gerbils and their care. Particularly their health. A vet fund is recommended for basics like respiratory infections and tumors.

17. Advantages and disadvantages of owning a gerbil?

- Research them and figure out what YOU consider to be advantages or disadvantages.

1. Having gerbils in pairs is best. They are social animals and get depressed if alone.

2. Gerbils are the least smelly of the rodents, but if you don't clean them out regularly then they can become smelly

3. Water bottle, food bowl, bedding and any wet substrate needs cleaning out weekly. The whole cage needs doing about once every 2 - 3 weeks.

4. Yes.

5. Same sexes - yes, girls must only be kept in pairs, boys can be kept in as much as 4s but the more you have the more likely they could fight, so 2 boys is safest. You shouldn't have one of each gender as they breed a lot.

6. 3 - 5 years

7. Gerbil muesli plus hay daily. As a treat sometimes veg and fruit

8. The minimum for two is 2 foot, however 3 foot or bigger is better. Do NOT get plastic or one which is just bars - they will chew plastic and escape and they can get through bars, plus it'll get very messy.

9. Substrate (deep enough so they can dig), bedding, chinchilla sand, food bowl, food, toys, wheel, water bottle.

10. Climbing and tunnels

11. my two sleep in a cardboard box

12. They can do, there is no garentee that they won't fight, but it is rare (for as long as they are brothers or sisters)

13. Depends on their personality but my two are.

14. ?

15. I know at least 5 people who won't come to my house because of the gerbils (they say gerbils are just small rats), but I don't know in general

16. This is a great gerbil cage: http://www.zooplus.co.uk/shop/small_pets/hutches_c...

Make sure you read a book about gerbils, the internet, especially a site like this is not the best way to find out about a possible pet.

17. Look that up, read gerbil forums and websites, see what people say

A 10 gallon is fine for 2 gerbils. Put on a screen top and clean it every week and it won't smell at all. Don't get a wire cage, you will regret it. Gerbils will kick out the bedding and make a huge mess. Aspen shavings are NOT POISONOUS! I have used them for 3+ years. Some gerbils get a bit of nose irritation with aspen, you can switch to Carefresh for a week or so and when the nose gets better you can usually put them back in aspen with no problems. Don't use sand, sawdust, or pine. Pine is poisonous and sand and sawdust can get in their eyes and irritate them. Males do sometimes play fight, but if there is any bleeding separate them. An older gerbil from a breeding pair from the pet store will usually be mellow and old enough to keep the other in line if one is determined to attack. I have gotten two older gerbils and they are really wonderful. Good job getting a pair! Gerbils need a friend to keep them company. Males and females are both about the same temperament, I would hold them to make sure they are nice, they will be squirmy but shouldn't bite (hard that is, sometimes they bite to 'explore' how something feels.) I once had a male that would sit on my hand for half an hour without moving and would even fall asleep on me :) Good luck with your gerbs!

1. Get either 2 females or 2 males. (i have two females and theyre so sweet together) just make sure they are sisters from the same cage.

2. No they dont stink, as long as you keep up on their cage cleaning

3. 1ce a week or when their cage begins to smell.

4. yes they come in many different colors. black,brown,tan,white,grey, spotted.

5.yes you can keep same sexes together but youl have babies (not recommended )

6. 2-4 years

7. mixed seed diet is fine.

8. if you going for something like crittertrail at least 2 larger cages with tubes, they enjoy tubes. or a large bin or fish tank least 20 gal

9. food, water, bedding, chew toys.

10. Anything wood, pet stores have a ton of toys, wooden blocks wooden stick pieces.. never take anything from outside and give it to them it can be infested with bacteria and parasites. toilet paper and paper towel tubes, they would love to chew and go through them.

11. any kind of hut, even a tissue box works. any kind of hideout is fine.

12. mine dont fight, jus make sure they have been together their whole life and it should be fine... but yes it is possible for fights.

13. they usually dont bite a lot, but they are not so tame, they are very skittish at first and will need a lot of handling to get used to you..

14.yes they can jump from ledge to ledge, but prefer bridges which you can make from popsicle sticks..

15. it depends if they are afraid of rodents, but it depends on person.

16. you pretty much asked all the questions.

17. they are cute and fun to watch, and they are very friendly animals.

Goodluck have fun!

Gerbils are a great choice of pet as they are one of the friendliest rodents :) I own 1 female gerbil.

Gerbils are happiest in pairs (my gerbil is alone as her and her sister didn't get along). Gerbils of opposite sexes will reproduce rapidly with the female getting pregnant again the day she gives birth so you're better off getting the same sex. Females should only really be kept in pairs of 2 as 2 females can pick on another one. Males, however, can be kept in larger groups. (in the wild they live in groups of about 20).

Gerbils are better off being kept in a tank as they will eat a plastic cage. the tank must be at least 10 gallons for 1-2 gallons and larger for more gerbils. I clean my tank out every 2 weeks and even at that it doesn't smell.

Gerbils come in a large variety of colours including black, white, brown, grey, sandy or a mixture of colours.

They eat gerbil food which can be bought in a pet shop, mine is labelled 'gerbil and hamster mix'. They must always have food as they eat throughout the day and night. as they are desert animals they drink very little but still need fresh water at all times. Aswell as their gerbil mix you can give them small bits of bread, yogurt, fresh fruit and pieces of dry dog food for protein.

Most gerbils love running on a rodent wheel (make sure its big enough for a gerbil!) get one which is closed in as ones with spokes can catch their tail. My gerbil has a little wooden see-saw and a wooden tunnel. Gerbils LOVE toilet paper tubes! They chew them up.

My gerbil doesn't have a house. I fill her tank half way up with sawdust aswell as some hay and tissue bedding and she makes her own little burrow to sleep in.

My gerbils did unfortunately fight but if they come from the same litter and are of the same sex you should be fine (mine had been separated in the pet shop).

Gerbils are very friendly and curious. Try feeding them from your hand to get them used to you before trying to handle them.

A rodent ball or a box with high side or a lid is a must for your gerbil when you are cleaning out the cage/tank.

I'm not sure about the jumping from ledge to ledge but gerbils are afraid of heights.

Lots of people i know don't like gerbils because they find their long tails weird.

Advantages of owning a gerbil are that they are very friendly and don't require as much time as larger pets.

Good luck if you get a gerbil :)

I used to have a few gerbals so I'll help as mush as I can.

I would say having one or two (of the same gender unless you want herbal babies) would be best. The smell isn't to bad as long as you clean the cage out about everyweek. if you get a cage make sure it and the toys inside are metal because they just chew everything plastic to bits. Their life span is about 1-3 years and they come in mostly brown, white, grey or a mixture of those colours. As far as I know they don't fight and don't usually bite you but if they are nervous they will crap on you. you should fill the cage bottom with wood shavings and make sure they have some chewing toys. Hope I helped.

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