Gerbil loversGerbil loversCare guide

Supagerbilicious

General introduction 01

Housing 02

Companionship 03

Feeding 03

Handling 04

Exercise and play 05

Health 06

Common health problems 08

F inal checklist 09

ContentsContents

For everybody who loves For everybody who loves gerbils as much as we dogerbils as much as we do

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Just because they’re small, don’t go thinking that you can give gerbils any less care, commitment and love than you’d give to a bigger pet. In this guide, we show you by far the best way to give your pets the time of their little lives – which usually last around three years.

Gerbils (Latin name – Meriones unguiculatus) make great pets, especially for children. They’re friendly, inquisitive and generally very happy to be handled; they very rarely bite.

Unlike hamsters, who perk up when the lights go down, gerbils are active throughout the day. Just like you. And when we say active, they’re very, very fast. So when you’re handling your pets, always make sure it’s in a safe, contained area.

BackgroundThere are lots of different gerbil species, but the Mongolian gerbil is the one most often kept as a pet. In the wild, Mongolian gerbils live in the desert and have learnt to burrow to protect themselves against this harsh environment. Lying cosily under the sand protects them from the intense daytime heat. And at night, when desert temperatures fall dramatically, being underground protects the gerbils from the cold.

Gerbils live in colonies. Their burrows grow to form a complex network with tunnels linking nesting areas and chambers for storing food.

Until relatively recently, no-one had gerbils as pets. They’ve only been domesticated since the 1960s.

An ordinary pet cage just won’t do for gerbils. No, what any self-respecting gerbil needs is a gerbilarium – there are many kinds available from pet shops in the high street or online.

A gerbilarium is a wire cage on top of a tank fi lled with natural wood shavings which takes account of your gerbils’ natural instinct for burrowing. It’s very digging-friendly.

The cage can be unclipped from the base, making it easy to get your gerbils out for playtime and to clean the cage. You can fi nd gerbilariums with two or more fl oor levels connected by ladders, which is ideal for them.

These cages are usually durable, lightweight and relatively cheap. But there are three points to watch out for:

• A shallow base makes it easy for your gerbils to kick wood shavings out – it’s messy, and deeper is better.

• Double-check that the door fastening is secure before you buy – a pushy gerbil will soon be free.

• These cages aren’t draught-proof, so careful siting is required.

Another welcome addition is somewhere to have a bath. A dust or sand bath, not the shampoo and fl uffy towel kind. Make a special corner in the cage for this. No need for curtains, gerbils aren’t shy. Put some fi ne, dry, absorbent sand available from specialist retailers into a bowl or box. They’ll love it. And it helps to keep their coat in good condition by removing excess oils and encouraging grooming.

Gerbils are very clean animals, so you don’t need to clean out the accommodation very often. But hygiene is still important, so give it a thorough clean once a week with pet safe disinfectant. And replace the tank contents every two weeks.

To keep the gerbilarium comfortable, try to maintain a constant temperature. That means keeping it away from radiators and draughts. And avoid direct sunlight at all costs – gerbils can suffer from heat-stroke.

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What any happy gerbil needs is the company of other gerbils. Solitude can lead to unhappiness and illness. Keep a pair, or a group, preferably of the same sex and ideally from the same litter. Getting them all at the same time as babies is perfect. Males and females can be kept together, but that will defi nitely lead to the patter of tiny gerbil feet.

After 10 weeks of age, gerbils won’t welcome newcomers, and they’ll be in a fi ghting mood. If you’re bringing a new furry face into the gerbilarium, some remodelling is called for. That means dividing it into two compartments with wire mesh, keeping food and water in each.

Swap the gerbils from side to side a few times a day. Once there’s no sign of aggression – usually after two weeks or so – the divide can be dispensed with. And all will be harmony in the gerbil world.

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In the wild, gerbils are omnivorous. Which means they eat both plants and animals. Their usual diet is seeds, grains and grasses. Plus the occasional creepy-crawly for essential animal protein. To stay healthy, your pets will need a good quality complete food – Supagerbil Gerbil Granola is ideal. It copies their natural diet and ensures that all the vital nutrients and proteins are supplied.

Give your gerbils around a tablespoon of food a day, split into two servings. Never add more until all the previous food has gone.

A healthy snack adds a little welcome variety – Excel Nature Snacks are perfect. Hide a few around the cage for a tasty treasure hunt. You should never offer human food. Some, like chocolate, can even poison your pets.

And fi nally, make sure your pets have fresh water in a drinking bottle.

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In the wild, Dwarf hamsters are omnivores. They’ll happily munch on grasses, seeds, plant roots and the occasional tasty creepy-crawly. Supahamster Dwarf Hamster Harvest is an ideal replacement: a complete food containing small seeds and grains, wholesome peas and whole, dried mealworms for essential animal protein.

Provide fresh food every day: around a tablespoon is plenty. It’s best served at your Dwarf hamsters’ breakfast time – which is when they wake up in the evening. Use a ceramic bowl, which is more stable and gnaw-proof, and give fresh water daily in a bottle.

For a treat, provide Excel Nature Snacks – made from all-natural good things. Hide them round the cage so your pets have to forage to fi nd them, just like in the wild. It prevents boredom, promotes exercise and helps to keep Dwarf hamsters very happy.

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Newly-arrived gerbils like nothing better than to be left alone in their new home for the fi rst few days. Let them settle in. Then you can start chatting to them. You won’t get any answers back, but your gerbils will be appreciative and it will help them get used to you. Only when your voice is familiar should you try picking them up.

Hold your hand as a closed fi st in the gerbilarium and see if a gerbil approaches. Then gently open your hand and let your gerbil scamper onto it or slide your hand underneath him. Finally, hold your gerbil in cupped hands.

Gerbils are Olympic-standard wrigglers and very good at jumping. So hold them over a table or a sofa or close to the fl oor or they could fall and hurt themselves.

Never pick a gerbil up by their tail: it is painful and distressing for them. The skin can often slip off leaving a raw, exposed stump that can go rotten.

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Gerbils love toys. And they get some much-needed exercise while all that playing is going on. So tubes, tunnels and playthings of all shapes and sizes are very welcome. Exercise wheels are fi ne too, but only solid models. Open ones can trap tails.

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As with all animals, there are some common health problems that gerbils may suffer from. Learn to give them a regular weekly health check – and if you have any concerns, always go direct to your vet.

The weekly health checkGet into the habit of examining your gerbils carefully every week. It’s a good idea to weigh them too. The idea is to catch any problems early.

GeneralTheir coat should be sleek and shiny and happy gerbils will be active and playful. Look out for a matted and greasy coat, limping and signs of listlessness.

TailCheck that their tail is fully covered in fur. Hairless patches could be due to mites, or could indicate over-grooming, which is a sign of boredom.

Mouth and noseThe nose should be clean with no discharge (which might indicate infection). Most gerbils will happily let you check their teeth and you should see that they haven’t grown too long and that they’re not misaligned or chipped. Losing weight and loss of appetite can be a sign of problems here. A healthy gerbil’s teeth are yellow, not white.

Looking after your Looking after your gerbils’ healthgerbils’ health

Gerbils can also develop sores around their mouth and nose from burrowing in material that is too rough, or from rubbing against their cage. To avoid this happening, keep the burrowing material in the tank beneath their cage nice and soft and make sure your gerbils have plenty of toys.

NailsLike their teeth, gerbils’ nails grow continuously. Playing with wooden toys will keep them short, but you should still check to see they haven’t become overgrown. If they have, your vet can clip them safely.

Scent glandThis is a small, bald patch on your gerbil’s underside which it rubs against things to mark them with scent. Males in particular can be at risk from tumours in the scent gland, so feel gently to see if there are any lumps. Tumours grow very quickly, but can easily be removed by your vet if they’re found early enough.

BottomMake sure it’s free from discharge or swelling. Staining or stickiness around the bottom can be a sign of diarrhoea or infection. A trip to the vet is essential.

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Dental problemsYour gerbils’ teeth will grow throughout their life, so they’ll need plenty of things to gnaw on to keep those teeth ground down. Cardboard, wooden toys or healthy snacks like Excel Gnaw Sticks are all excellent.

Overgrown teeth can cause discomfort and stop your pet eating, and that may lead to malnutrition. Older gerbils might not gnaw as much as they used to, so you might need a vet to clip the teeth safely and painlessly.

ColdsGerbils can catch a cold from humans, so if you have one, don’t handle your pets. Their symptoms are similar to ours too, like sneezing and a runny nose. If one of your gerbils catches a cold, isolate it from the rest to stop it spreading.

Keep the poorly gerbil in a warm room and if the symptoms haven’t cleared in two or three days, visit your vet – colds can easily become something more serious, like pneumonia.

Tyzzer’s diseaseThis is a very serious bacterial disease that causes diarrhoea and can often be fatal if left untreated. Other symptoms are loss of appetite and tiredness. You must take your gerbil to the vet as soon as you spot any of these signs.

The condition is picked up from diseased bedding and can be avoided in two ways: maintaining good hygiene and using good quality bedding. An outbreak is often caused when something stressful happens – such as when the gerbil is introduced to a new environment.

Common health Common health problemsproblems

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To take the best care of your gerbils, you’ll need all these things:

Gerbilarium

Gnaw-proof food dish

Supagerbil Gerbil Granola

Water bottle

Wood shavings

Soft bedding

Healthy snacks

Gnaw block

Toys

Pet safe disinfectant

F inal check listF inal check list

• Gerbils can’t look you in the eye. But they can look you in the knee. In the wild, they can leap as high as 45cm (1½ feet) – normally when escaping danger. Long hind legs launch them and long furry tails maintain balance.

• The fur on those tails has a dual function. As a sunscreen in the summer and protection against cold in the winter.

• Don’t be surprised if you see your gerbils kissing. It’s a perfectly natural way to communicate.

• Strange but true: baby gerbils are called pups. But don’t expect them to woof.

Wild and Wild and Wonderful FactsWonderful Facts

Supagerbil Gerbil Granola is a supagerbilicious luxury granola meal created especially for your pet gerbils. They’re omnivores, so as well as cereals, vegetables and fruit they need meat too – in the wild, they eat grubs and insects. That’s why Supagerbil Gerbil Granola is a complete food, with chicken in the crunchy cereal bites for essential protein.

The combination of our fi nest quality natural ingredients including exotic succulent fruits of scrumptious banana fl akes, tempting apricots and juicy apple cubes, with lush vegetables, energy-boosting seeds and grains ensures the optimum balance of nutrients.

For further information contact us free on 0800 413969 or visit online at www.burgesspetcare.co.uk