Gerbils

Gerbil Care

BACKGROUND
LenGTh: 4 inches, not including tail LIFeSPAn: 3-5 years COST PeR YeAR: $300 GOOD WITh KIDS?: Great for families with children 5 & up, but young caretakers should be supervised by an adult. FUn FACT: These desert dwellers don’t urinate that much, so they produce less odor than other pet rodents. WheRe TO GeT A GeRBIL: There are many pet gerbils available for adoption atanimal shelters and small-animal rescue groups. Call your local shelter and visit websites like www.petfinder.com for gerbils in need of loving homes.

off area that’s been secured so they can’t escape or get lost. Gerbils don’t have good eyesight, so take extra care that they don’t fall or otherwise hurt themselves. And remove all electrical cords from the area, please!

exerCise & toys
•Gerbils LOVe to play! Provide your pets with plenty of extra bedding, hay or shredded paper towels for digging, and PVC pipes and cardboard tubes from paper towel and toilet paper rolls for tunneling. Your pets like toys, too, but avoid anything made of soft plastic—it will almost certainly be chewed to bits! • Give your pets appropriate chew toys to help wear down their teeth, which growcontinuously. >> recommended: unpainted, untreated wood or twig, hard dog biscuits

daily Care
• Remove soiled bedding, droppings and stale/uneaten food daily. Clean and refill the water bottle every day. • Clean cage completely once a week by replacing dirty bedding and scrubbing down the cage with warm, soapy water.

Food
• Gerbil mix, made up of pellets, grains, seeds and dried veggies, should beavailable to your pets at all times. Some gerbils tend to pick out the tasty, high-fat sunflower seeds first, so you may wish to pick them out and feed them to your pets as treats. You may also feed gerbils a high-quality rodent chow (called rat blocks). • Fresh, clean water should be available to your gerbils 24/7. A water bottle with a drinking tube that attaches to the cage is the best way togo. • Offer small, bite-sized bits of fresh veggies (daily) and fruits (every other day). >> recommended: peas, broccoli, carrots, apples, bananas >> Avoid: chocolate, candy, junk food, onions, uncooked beans • Your gerbils may enjoy small bits of sugarless breakfast cereals and whole wheat bread as a treat.

signs oF illness
• Bring your gerbils to the veterinarian annually for check-ups. Don’twait for your yearly appointment if you think one of your pets is sick—seek help immediately. Common signs that something isn’t right include sneezing, lethargy, diarrhea and difficulty breathing. • Gerbils are susceptible to external parasites such as fleas and lice. If you think your pets are infested, consult a veterinarian.
IF YOU ThInK ThAT YOUR PeT MAY hAVe InGeSTeD A POTenTIALLY POISOnOUSSUBSTAnCe, CALL The ASPCA AnIMAL POISOn COnTROL CenTeR AT (888) 426-4435

A $65 consultation fee may be applied to your credit card

gerBil sUPPly CheCklist
4 10-gallon aquarium (minimum for 2 gerbils) with wire cover or wire cage 4 Gerbil mix or rodent chow (rat blocks) 4 Aspen or hardwood shavings or processed corn cob bedding 4 hay, extra shavings or shredded paper towels for digging 4Small boxes or flower pots 4 exercise wheel (solid, no rungs) 4 Cardboard tubes (recycle from paper towel and toilet paper rolls) or PVC tubes 4 Attachable water bottle with drinking tube 4 Unpainted, untreated piece of wood or twig, hard dog biscuit or safe chew toy
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