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Selecting a gerbil for yourself and housing it properly
Selecting a gerbil for yourself and housing it properly
Gerbils, the relatively lesser known member of the rodent family, have consistently maintained its reputation as an adorable pet over the years. It has been the ideal choice for kids to keep as pets in their homes or schools. Larger than a rat but smaller than a hamster, with a funny body structure balanced by its large tail, these animals are easy to handle, feed and give shelter to. Being a brother to hamsters, kangaroos and lemmings, they are also devout followers of the burrow culture.
They are happiest when kept in pairs, since it loves to groom each other, burrow together and even sleep together! Their bonding amongst their own species is fabled, they will die protecting their homes and their kin. When excite, they lift their hind legs, utter barely audible squeals, stand up in a curious manner to let their excitement be known to the world.
In their natural habitat in Asia and Africa, gerbils don't have to spend much time in defending themselves since their enemies are numbered and human beings seem to make them inquisitive instead of being afraid. The Mongolian gerbil, which is incidentally the most common species in the world, is a burrow dweller and loves to develop networks of tunnels and caves, in and around its living space.
Gerbils come in various colors of chocolate, lilac, black, brown, gray and some with red or black eyes. The skin color varies with the climate of the place from where the gerbil originated. After undergoing several stages of mutation, gerbils are now available in various hybrid forms suited to the pet owner's aesthetic taste. With the hybrid count exceeding two dozens, some of the most rare species like Jirds or Libyan gerbils, Egyptian gerbils, Indian (pink footed) gerbils are now available to us through the local pet shop owners.
Just buying a gerbil won't do since you have to provide it with the proper housing facilities to keep it happy. In order to do this, you have to provide it with ample space for digging and burrowing. Keeping a cage is a god idea but you will always run the risk of the gerbil slipping through the bars of the cage. Again a box would prevent to from enjoying the gerbil engrossed in its act of digging with its front foot and shoving away the dug material with its hind feet.
Go for a glass aquarium which is 10 inches wide by 18 inches long and 15 inches of height. Fill up the bottom of the aquarium with soft pliable wood shavings up to a depth of 4 to five inches to make scope for those imminent burrows and holes. Cover the top of the glass tank with a firmly attached mesh top. Put in some gerbil sized PVC pipes and a drip water bottle to keep the gerbil's thirst satiated.
Keep the aquarium clean since odourlessness is an integral part of any gerbil's habitat. Try investing in an aquarium which comes with a slide in tray from disposing off the waste material.
Gerbil pets, Gerbil information, Gerbil tips, Gerbil advice
Next Article: Introduction to the Mongolian Gerbil
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