Gerbil

The gerbil (Mongolian jird, Meriones unguiculatus) is a small rodent. Adults have a body about 110-135 mm long, with a tail of 95-120 mm, and weigh roughly 60-130 g. Adult males are larger than females.

Gerbils are kept as small house pets and are found in pet shops throughout the UK. Selective breeding has produced over 20 coat colours, plus a range of patterns such as pied slate.

Gerbils come from the grasslands, shrublands and deserts of China, Mongolia and Russia, including the sandy steppes, where winters are cool and dry and summers hot. The first known mention came in 1866, when Father Armand David sent "yellow rats" from northern China to the museum in Paris. They were named in 1867.

They were first brought from China to Paris in the 19th century and became popular house pets there. In 1954 Dr Victor Schwentker took them to the United States for research, soon recognised their pet potential, and they became popular pets there in the late 1950s. They were imported to the UK in 1964 and became popular here too.

The scientific name is often wrongly said to mean "clawed warrior". The genus name comes from the Greek word for femur, so it loosely means "clawed femur".

Gerbils are typically not aggressive and rarely bite unprovoked or without stress. They are small, easy to handle and sociable, enjoying the company of people and of other gerbils.

In the wild they live in family groups of a parental pair, their latest litter and a few older pups, sharing a central burrow with 10-20 exits. They identify clan members by smell and will attack, and often kill, those with an unfamiliar scent. A dominant gerbil may bully others by humping them.

Gerbils naturally eat seeds of grasses, leaves, bulbs and herbs. Pet gerbils also eat fruits and vegetables such as apples, pears, carrots and cucumber.

Gerbils are hardy, but several conditions are known in pets. Epilepsy-type seizures are reported in a sizeable share of pet gerbils, thought to be triggered by fright, handling or a new environment. They can be mild to severe but do not typically appear to have long-term effects, though rare very severe ones can be fatal.

Other known problems include overgrown or misaligned incisors, broken limbs or spinal fractures from falls, tail loss, ear infections that can cause leaning to one side, and tumours, most common in females over two. Gerbils with extreme white spotting are susceptible to deafness. Tyzzer's disease is the most common infectious illness and spreads quickly between gerbils in close contact.

Neglect of food and water can lead to dehydration, starvation and stomach ulcers.

This is general awareness only, not veterinary advice. Always consult a vet about your pet's health.

What is a gerbil?

A gerbil is a small rodent from the Asian steppes, also called the Mongolian jird. It is kept as a small house pet and was once widely used in research.

Do gerbils make good pets?

They are gentle, hardy and sociable, and rarely bite unless stressed. They are small and easy to handle.

Do gerbils smell?

Gerbils have kidneys adapted to produce very little waste to conserve body fluid. This makes them very clean with little odour.

Are gerbils legal in the UK?

They were imported to the UK in 1964 and are now found in pet shops throughout the UK. They are illegal to keep in California and to import into New Zealand and Australia.

Does gerbil mean "clawed warrior"?

No, that is a popular misconception. The scientific name, Meriones unguiculatus, loosely means "clawed femur".

Gerbils have a wide hearing range, from low-frequency foot drumming to high-frequency chirps. Males can make ultrasonic sounds.

They tend to mate for life, and litters are usually around 4-8 pups.

A wild gerbil group may range over roughly 325-1,550 square metres, and some deeper escape burrows may exist in its territory.