Gerbil
Small Mammals
Beastly Facts · Updated
The tidy desert burrower that wants deep bedding, not a bare cage floor!
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Did you know? Gerbils came out of the Mongolian desert with a water-conserving physiology that makes them one of the least smelly pets you can keep. They produce only a few drops of highly concentrated urine a day, so a well-kept gerbil tank barely registers compared with a mouse or a rat.
The first week
The numbers a new owner needs in the first week, each from the article it links to. Rows with no link come from the encyclopedia.
- Never just one
- A same-sex pair or sibling group; introductions between unfamiliar adults frequently fail. Diurnal and crepuscular, so awake when you are, unlike a hamster.Handling guide →
- Enclosure
- A glass aquarium with a mesh lid, not a wire cage, since wire cannot hold deep bedding. A 20-gallon long is the minimum for a pair; a 40-gallon breeder, about 36 by 18 by 16 inches, is the better target.Setup guide →
- The burrow
- 6 to 10 inches of digging depth at minimum, in aspen and paper bedding with some hay worked in so tunnels hold, plus a buried tunnel that leads to a chamber. No cedar, aromatic pine, scented bedding, or fluffy cotton nesting material.Setup guide →
- Humidity and temperature
- Humidity below 40% with good ventilation: above 50% is where the sore red nose starts. Room temperature, 65 to 75°F.Setup guide →
- Wheel
- Solid-surface, 8 inches minimum and 10 to 12 better. Wire rungs injure.Setup guide →
- Cleaning
- Keep some old nesting material aside during a cleanout and put it back. A fully fresh-smelling tank can set cage mates fighting.Setup guide →
- Staple diet
- A uniform pellet or lab block at 18 to 20% protein and fat at or under about 4%. Seed mixes fail because gerbils eat the sunflower seeds and leave the rest.Feeding guide →
- Portion
- Roughly 5 to 8 grams, about a tablespoon, per adult per day, once daily. Vegetables every other day, fruit as an occasional treat. Gerbils under 6 months and nursing females need more.Feeding guide →
- Foods to avoid
- Grapes and raisins, rhubarb, chocolate, onion and garlic, avocado, raw potato, raw kidney beans, and apple seeds, plus processed human food and dairy.Feeding guide →
- Sand bath
- Chinchilla sand, not the finer dust, a couple of times a week rather than left in. Plus cardboard, seagrass, and untreated hardwood to gnaw.Enrichment guide →
- Never by the tail
- Grasping pressure strips the skin, and the bare portion has to be amputated. Scoop by the body, low over a surface.Handling guide →
- Nails
- Digging and running wear them down, so there is no trim schedule. Check for overgrowth in an older or less active gerbil.Grooming guide →
- Diarrhea
- Tyzzer's disease is the most common infectious disease here and kills quickly. Ruffled fur, hunched posture, poor appetite and diarrhea: a vet immediately.Health guide →
- Past two years
- Head tilt from an ear canal growth in half of gerbils over two, and tumors at 25 to 40%. Seizures in some lines start at 2 to 3 months, last minutes, and leave no damage.Health guide →
- Legal check
- Banned in California, which restricts the whole rodent order, and in Hawaii. Legal in the other 50 of 52 jurisdictions.Legal guide →
- Budget
- $5 to $50 each and you need at least two, roughly $165 to $350 to set up a pair, about $10 to $20 a month.Cost guide →
- Lifespan
- 2 to 3 years.Cost guide →
- Adult size
- 4 to 5 inches (10 to 13 cm) body, plus a furred tail of similar length; about 2.5 to 4.6 oz (70 to 130 g).
Emergency card
Call the vet now if you see any of these.
- Diarrhea, with ruffled fur, a hunched posture, or poor appetite: Tyzzer's disease kills quickly
- A tail stripped of its skin, which needs amputating before infection sets in
Book a vet visit promptly for these.
- A lump along the belly midline
- A head tilt
- Dropped food or drooling
- A nose that stays red or bloody after the humidity has been brought under 40%
Diarrhea in a gerbil is an emergency. The second list is a prompt visit, not a wait, and a red nose is a humidity fix first.
Where to go next
How Much Does Gerbil Ownership Really Cost?
$5 to $50 a gerbil and you need two, $165 to $350 for the pair setup, and why the monthly figure is smaller than it looks.
Gerbil Enclosure Setup: Depth Is Everything
Why it has to be glass, the 6-to-10-inch digging depth most starter kits can't hold, and the humidity number that prevents sore nose.
Gerbil Feeding: Schedule, Diet, and Why Seed Mixes Fail This Species
The 18 to 20% protein target, the 4% fat ceiling, and why a seed mix that looks complete on the label doesn't get eaten that way.
How to Handle a Gerbil (And Why It Needs a Companion)
Same-sex pairs, day-active hours, and the one rule that matters most: never by the tail.
Common Gerbil Health Issues
Tyzzer's disease as a same-day emergency, cholesteatoma in half of gerbils past two years, tumors, seizures, and tail degloving.
Gerbil Enrichment: Deep Bedding Alone Does Not Stop the Digging
The burrow study, the sand bath, and a priority list you can shop from.
Is It Legal to Own a Gerbil? The California Ban Explained
Where a gerbil is banned, and the exception-by-absence trap that catches it.
What to buy
As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Underlined items are paid Amazon links, at no extra cost to you.
Prices and the reasoning behind each item are in How Much Does Gerbil Ownership Really Cost?.
Full Gerbil gear listFrequently Asked Questions
What is the best staple food for a gerbil?
The best base is a uniform pelleted diet or lab block made for gerbils, since a gerbil can't pick favorites out of it. Aim for 18 to 20% protein and keep fat at or under about 4%. The 14% minimum often quoted for gerbils is a floor rather than a target, and many bags labeled 'Hamster and Gerbil Food' miss even that.
How deep should gerbil bedding be?
6 to 10 inches of digging depth at minimum, and some welfare-focused sources go further, so a pair can build real tunnels instead of surface burrows. It is the most commonly under-delivered part of gerbil care.
Can you pick a gerbil up by the tail?
Never. Grasping pressure causes tail slip, where the skin and fur come away and the whole tail can be lost. That one needs a vet. Scoop by the body.
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