Should I get one or two gerbils?

Gerbils are highly social colony animals and get miserable and depressed by themselves . If you aren't planning on breeding the best thing to do is to get two females or two males, preferably from the same litter. Two same-sex gerbils will pair bond as closely as a mated pair and will be perfectly happy together.

What should I look for in a gerbil?

When you look at the gerbils in the store the first thing to look for is curiosity. When you walk up to the cage they should come to see what is happening. (Of course, they might be sleeping, that's normal.) Have the store clerk take the cages off the shelf and handle the gerbils. They will run when you try to catch them; make sure you pick them up with two hands. When picked up, the gerbil should be curious and try to investigate, provided you have it in a stable position. The eyes should be large and clear, the fur soft, and the tail as long as the body with a tuft of fur at the end. The body should be well formed and stocky. You should avoid a gerbil that has bites on it or that bites you, this may indicate overcrowding or a bad disposition. Gerbils that are missing part of their tails normally indicate a pet store or owner that gave them an improper wheel (to be discussed later) and there is nothing inherently wrong with such an animal except that they look less attractive. Look closely for a depressed, listless gerbil or one that has diarrhea. This indicates a serious disease and might indicate that the store does not take care of its animals properly. Make sure the animal does not have a sore, red, or bleeding nose, which indicates an infection or allergy to the bedding in the cage -- this may be aggravated by metal bottom cages. Dry or ruffled fur and runny or dull eyes are also indicators of a sick animal. Sometimes a healthy animal will be depressed if it has been alone for too long -- if the animal perks up when you handle it and the fur and eyes look good, then it is probably healthy.

How do you sex gerbils?

Gerbils seven weeks or older are fairly easy to sex. The testicles on the males are very prominent -- enough so that he will look as he is carrying a little duffel bag under his tail. Before seven weeks is a bit more difficult but it is possible. Some people hang gerbils upside down by the tail to sex them, but it is just as easy to let the animal rest on the palm of your hand and gently lift the tail until you can see the genital area. There is a small bare patch of skin there. In males, it will be farther away from the tail that it is in females. The easiest way to see the difference is to have the store clerk or a friend help you and compare two gerbils at the same time. The only other obvious physical difference is males tend to have a tapered rump and females tend to have a more rounded rump. This difference is more obvious when the animals are sexually mature.

How long do gerbils usually live?

I have seen the lifespan of gerbils listed as three to five years

What colors are available?

The two basic colors of the gerbil are black and agouti, which is a variegated brown, field mouse color. The black variants will be the same color all over (refered to as self colored) except for small white patches on the throat and feet, while the agouti variants will have a creamy colored tummy and feet (refered to as non-self colored.)

The most common variations on these two colors are lilac, dove, argente golden, argente cream (called cinnamon and cinnamon cream in some areas), white, and spotted gerbils of any of these colors.

Spotted gerbils can come in every color. They will normally have a spot or stripe on the forehead, a white shawl around the neck, white feet, a white tail tip, and a white tummy. Sometimes white will also be dappled through the body of the coat; this is referred to as pied rather than spotted.

There are several more specialized colors that are only found in limited geographical areas.

How do I introduce a new gerbil to my old one?

If you already have a sexually mature gerbil (older than ten weeks) the best thing to do is to get a young gerbil (under seven weeks). With either a mixed age pair (one sexually mature and one not) or with two fully adult gerbil, there are two main introduction methods. In either case, when doing an introduction protect yourself by wearing gloves. In case of a fight, you need to break up the gerbils and while they do have small teeth, those teeth can go fairly deep and it can be rather painful. Note that gerbil introductions generally seem to go better if the gerbils have been somewhat isolated for a little while, so they have forgotten previous companions and are a bit lonely. Be aware that some gerbils simply will not accept a stranger, and if you already have a bonded pair (even a same-sex pair) it is not recommended to place another gerbil in with them. Even if you break up the pair you may not get them to accept another gerbil, especially one already sexually mature.

The most preferred method is the split-cage. Place an aqariums divider in the cage to divide it in two. You can find some in the fish section of some pet stores or make one yourself out of wire, but the important this is that scent passes through it but the gerbils do not. For safety, if you use wire make sure that the openings are small enough that the gerbils can not bite at each other's feet if a gerbil is holding onto the wire. We had a gerbil that ended up missing most of the toes off her front paws because of this problem. Leave the gerbils in this split cage for about a week or so, switching them to the opposite sides of the cage every day to get them used to the scent of the new gerbil. After about this much time, try removing the divider and watch very closely for at least a half an hour. If everything is going well, you can relax somewhat, but keep a generally close eye on them for the rest of the day, just in case. Once they've snuggled up to each other to sleep, you're generally out of danger.

Another method that sometimes works is to cover the scents with something strong like cheap perfume or vanilla. The theory behind this is to eliminate the "stranger" scent while they adjust to each other and the new surroundings. The covering scent wears off gradually and they adjust to the stranger scent gradually. This method is usually not preferred as it tends to be less successful, but sometimes it will work when the split cage method has failed. I suppose it's a personality difference with some gerbils. Personally, we have used both methods with success and with some failure. To use this method, put he covering scent on the gerbils' nose and scent mark, and use a recently cleaned cage with no residual odors or "landmarks" in it -- ie, if one of the gerbils has been living in the cage, move things like toys, food dishes, and water bottles around so it is unfamilar to both gerbils and thus neutral territory. Again, wear gloves, and keep a very close eye on the gerbils in case of fights. For this method, I would recommend extremely close watching for a longer time, at least an hour, and again keeping an alert eye out for the rest of the day. Two sexually immature gerbils can simply be placed in a cage together. Watch them for twenty minutes or so to make sure no problems develop and be watchful for the rest of the day.

What is the best housing for gerbils?

In our opinion, if you only have a pair of gerbils, breeding or non-breeding, one of better and least expensive forms of housing is a simple ten gallon aquarium. In fact, you can often buy aquariums with small animal lids, water bottles, bedding, food, and a wheel. This is perfectly a perfectly fine arrangement, but you must cover the wheel if it is an open hamster wheel (to be discussed later.) This is our prefered form of housing.

Another alternative is a modified bird cage. These are decent for a non-breeding pair, but I would not recommend them for a breeding pair due to lack of space. These can be somewhat expensive. There are small ones made for a single hamster or gerbil, and there are taller ones that are perfect for a pair. These will often include a wheel (again, probably an open hamster wheel), a small plastic house (your gerbils will probably chew this apart eventually), a water bottle, and a couple movable ladders and shelves to create more floor space. These are easier to clean than an aquarium and provide more exercise as the gerbils run up and down the levels. A definite positive is these cages will often have a sliding tray built into the floor, making cleaning up a snap. Open wire cages are generally healthier, as air can circulate, helping volatile oils from certain types of bedding evaporate more quickly and lessening the dust the animals will breathe from any sort of bedding. Some drawbacks are the gerbils won't have any place to dig, may catch a cold if you place them in a drafty area, and the animals will have a tendency to kick the bedding out of the sides of the cage, creating a monumental mess. This last reason is probably the major reason why we prefer aquariums to wire cages. If you choose wire, you may want to cover the nearby floor area in plastic, set the cage in a box to catch flying litter, and vacuum more.

Why can't I just use a normal hamster wheel?

A normal hamster wheel is a metal or plastic wheel with open spaces between the bars of the wheel. A gerbil has a risk of catching its long tail in this wheel and having it broken or even amputated -- if you have a wheel like this, simply tape if over with duct tape and it's fine. Make sure to cover the struts on the side as well as it is not uncommon for young gerbils to be thrown into those struts and break a leg or tail, especially if the youngster is sharing the wheel with an adult. Slowly spin some bedding on the inside of the wheel after taping it over to reduce the stickiness of the tape. Gerbils are not often amused at having their feet stick to tape.

What about using those neat hamster/gerbil module homes with all the plastic tubes?

You can use these if you wish; however, gerbils chew constantly and they will eventually chew their way out of these cages. In fact, I have several around that are only useful if we tape screening to the entrance holes and tubes that are now completely useless. These are a lot of fun in the beginning, watching the gerbils learn their tunnels and moving the tubes around from time to time, but they won't last very long and we consider them a waste of money.

One thing about them that is nice, though, is the bigger cages that are made to sit on top of aquariums. You can either put dirt into the aquarium to give them a digging room (I will discuss the pros and cons of this later) or simple use it as an extra room. The gerbils will still chew on the parts of the cages that they can, however.

Should I put toys in the cages?

Yes, it will keep their minds occupied. Toilet paper tubes make a fun toy and are good chewing exercise. Small boxes work the same way. You can also make lego buildings, or buy small buildings and nests and things, or even construct a maze to put them in. The more variety of toys they have, the less bored they will be. I suggest ceramic toys rather than plastic as the ceramic can not be chewed to bits like plastic can. Not only is this more economical, there is less risk of accidental injestion of the plastic.

What do I feed my gerbils?

There are several options here; you can buy prepackaged pellets, buy gerbil seed mixes, make your own seed mix, or get lab blocks. You should supplement any of these diets with fresh vegetables and, if you wish, small insects like crickets, wax worms, and meal worms. Fresh veggies gives them some extra moisture and vitamins and they like them; insects are an extra source of protein -- especially important for pregnant gerbils, nursing mothers, nursing babies, and youngsters. If you feed your animals a mix of things, such as a gerbil mix or your own mix, provided you have picked something with a good nutritional balance, they will generally pick out a healthy diet for themselves. Be aware that some seeds (like whole corn and milo) may only have the hearts bitten out; the gerbils may not eat the larger, starchy part -- this is fine as they will stay slimmer.

It is recommended that you have made sure your gerbils have eaten everything you have placed in their dishes before giving them any more. This prevents problems such as gerbils just picking out sunflower seeds, corn, and other high fat foods and leaving the higher protein, lower fat foods behind. We solve this problem by only feeding our gerbils every other day (or every three days if the gerbils in a particular cage eat the food at a slow rate) and leaving lab block or dessert block in the cage at all times in case the gerbils have eaten everything in their dishes before the next feeding day.

Note that gerbils will have different dietary requirements if they are breeders, geriatric, or pets. For non-breeding pets look for a moderate protein content (about 12%) and a fat content between 6% and 8%. For breeding gerbils 15%-16% protein and 7-9% fat is recommended. For geriatric (past breeding age or about two years old) 10-11% protein and 3-5% fat works well. Try to have as much variety in of food as possible in any of these diets to be sure the gerbils are getting all the micronutrients they need. Remember that gerbils are highly active animals that need fat for energy and to keep their coats soft, but too much will give you obese animals in a year or two. If you are breeding too much fat can render your females sterile by building fat deposits around their ovaries.

Prepackaged pellets are not a recommended diet as the sole diet of the animal (note that these are not the same thing as lab blocks). Think of it this way, you can live off of complete vitamins, protein supplements, and sugar water, but you wouldn't enjoy it and you might develop some health problems simply because it is hard to be certain that you were getting all of the micronutrients you require. Pregnant and nursing mothers tend to love these because of the high protein content. The food mix that we use has high protein/vitamin pellets mixed in with all of the other items, but they are not the primary constituent.

Gerbil seed mixes are a decent food source, but can be somewhat expensive -- especially if you have large amounts of gerbils. However, if you have just a couple as pets, these are pretty much ideal. If you have just one or two breeding pairs, these are also very convenient; however, you will need to add a high protein chicken feed or a cat/dog food to bring the protein content up high enough -- these mixes are rarely suitable for breeders. Some of the cheaper mixes will be good for geriatric gerbils, but probably aren't suitable for younger individuals. Try to find mixes with a good variety of foods.

Do gerbils need less protein or fat when they get older?

Although I've never discussed this with a veterinarian, common sense would dictate gerbils, like most animals, need less protein as they get older. This seems to be a common thing among most household pets; however, it probably affects breeding animals more strongly than others. Breeders, especially females, need a lot of fat and protein to nurture their litters. We do feed gerbils that are retired from breeding a diet that is lower in protein and fat.

My gerbil book says I don't need to give them water if I give them vegetables. Is this true?

NO!! Do NOT do this! While gerbils are desert animals and can survive without water, they will not be as healthy and you will probably shorten their life span. They will be thinner and their coats will not be as healthy. They will be much more aggressive without water, and if one gets pregnant, the babies will either die or the mother will eat them. Just get a water bottle of a size that they will empty on a regular basis and keep it full.

What about vitamins?

Using vitamins is a personal preference. Some people prefer to add them to a diet to make sure there are no trace minerals or nutrients missing, some prefer simply to have the diet as balanced as possible. Although it is important to remember that supplements will not fix a poor diet, adding vitamins to the diet of an animal that is having trouble (for example, is having problems with his teeth due to a calcium deficiency) or a breeding gerbilcan be useful.

Vitamins typically come in liquid and powder form. Liquid are usually added directly to water in the bottles; follow the instructions on the package. Some powdered vitamins can be added to either the food or the water; again, follow the instructions on the package. There are also brands that can be used for many animals, depending on the exact dosage used. These are normally powdered vitamins that can only be added to food. This is handy if you have a lot of animals of various sorts.

Adding iodine in small amounts to water can increase resistance to disease, improve fertility, improve the health of embryos, and help prevent fungus from growing in the water bottle. The maximum dosage is two or three drops per gallon of water from a 5-7% solution of iodine. Be aware that iodine will decrease the potency of vitamins, so you will need to either rotate vitamin and iodine water or use powdered vitamins mixed into the food.

Should I use those salt/mineral blocks?

Although trace minerals and salt are important in a diet, gerbils tend to ignore these blocks. We recommend having a diet that is as balanced as possible and adding a vitamin/mineral powder to the food if that is your preference of it is necessary.. Vionate Vitamin Mineral Powder or SuperPreen Powder for birds are both excellent and will take care of the problem. If you use these in the food, add a couple drops of cooking oil to make it stick to the seeds. Water based vitamin drops will pretty much take care of the problem as well. Be sure to use good vitamins with a wide range of nutrients. I recommend Oasis for water based vitamins.

What do I give my gerbils for bedding?

The most important thing to remember is NO CEDAR! Cedar has highly volatile oils that can cause skin rashes, respiratory distress, liver damage, and in extreme cases, neurological damage to small animals that have to live in and breathe the fumes daily. You run a serious risk of impairing you gerbil's health and reducing its lifespan when you use cedar bedding. Pine is usable, but it has similar volatile oils as cedar (along with all soft woods). Use kiln-dried pine, as it has been baked in order to liberate the oils from the wood, or failing that, at least let your pine air out for several days before putting it into the cages so that the oils will have a chance to undergo some evaporation. Aspen shavings are much better, because they don't have any of the aforementioned oils. If you have a cage with a wire bottom over a pan, corn cob bedding underneath the wire makes a good absorbent base, and you can put a softer litter over it. Black and black-based gerbils (lilac, dove, and others) seem to have a higher risk of developing an allergy to wood bedding that may be aggravated by a cage with a metal bottom, rather than plastic or glass. If your gerbil gets a red, sore and bleeding nose, try aspen chips instead of pine. If you are already using aspen, remove the wood altogether and a try bedding such as CareFresh, which is made of celluose fibers, or another non-wood bedding product. These are generally more expensive than pine, though are often comparable to aspen based beddings, and they are very hypoallergenic.

Gerbils will want soft stuff to make their nests with. Tissue paper, cotton balls, cotton batting out of medicine bottles, used paper that you were planning to throw out, ect. all make good nesting materials. Tear the paper into strips and crumple it, but other than that, they will make the nest all by themselves, shredding and fluffing with their teeth and paws. There have been some instances of hamsters dying from ingestion of cotton and wool products, so you may wish you stick exclusively to paper products as nesting materials. Paper is cheaper anyway.

How often do I need to clean the cages?

Depending on the size of the cage and the type of bedding that is used, anywhere from once a week to once a month. The best advice I can give you is to follow your nose. When it starts to smell, or seems dirty, clean it. Just about a quarter inch coating of litter on the bottom of the cages is fine; although if you want them to be able to dig and make a few tunnels here and there several inches is better. One easy method for aquariums is to scoop out the litter, spray the floor with some warm water, and wipe it out with a paper towel. New bedding can be laid right away. If the cage need to be completely cleaned use a mild soap on the cage and rinse it thoroughly. Completely clean the water bottles at the same time to prevent fungus from growing inside them. Use a Q-tip for the shaft and an old toothbrush or a brush for cleaning baby bottles for the bottle itself.

Should I just skip the food dish and just scatter some food in the bottom of the gerbil cage?

Some people prefer to feed by this method, but I myself prefer to put my food in a dish. When you just got it into the cage there is no way to monitor how much your gerbils are eating and it is messier. Yes, the gerbils will scatter some about themselves, but generally they will sit in the dish and eat. You will waste less and keep a cleaner cage putting food in a dish. Pet stores and general stores sell small dishes or you can use a solid plant pot bottom. Ceramic or metal is best, so they don't chew it apart.

Can I tame my gerbils or will they always run from me?

The only way to tame gerbils is to handle them often. They will probably always run from you when you first reach down to pick them up, but when they will gradually become more tame and will even consent to sit on your shoulder. You can also teach a gerbil to ride in your breast pocket, if you start young. Be careful they don't escape while you aren't home if you have carried them elsewhere. The best way to bribe a gerbil to do anything is to hand feed it sunflower seeds. The animal will learn to trust you and your hands if you always come bearing gifts. For the best results, remove all sunflower seeds from the food and give them only from your hands when you are paying your gerbils a lot of attention and handling them.

My gerbil bites me a lot. What do I do?

Gerbils rarely bite for absolutely no reason at all, although there are isolated cases in which the animal just don't seem quite right in the head and are very aggressive. The two most common reasons are curiosity and fear.

Usually it's the young gerbils that bite out of curiosity. Like all babies, they explore with their mouths, and they're just trying to see if you might be something good to eat. If the behavior persists or is more than just a slight nip, try giving the animal a light tap on the head or a puff of air in the face whenever he nibbles on you. Be aware that if you have the smell of something yummy (to a gerbil) on your hands you may get more and harder nips.

If you're animal is skittish and afraid, there are various techniques to calm him down, some mentioned in section 4.10. If you have a truly frightened, or previously mishandled animal, I suggest using your bathtub to help tame him. Make sure the tub is generally clean and dry, and that the gerbil can't get down the drain. Lift the animal out of his cage by the use of a cup, can, or tunnel if he won't allow you to pick him up, and put him in the tub with a handful of food. When he gets used to the environment and calms down, climb into the tub with him. Just sit there for a while, and let him adjust to your presence. Start making friends in SMALL steps. First just holding your hand out flat on the bottom of the tub and letting him sniff and walk over it, then offer him some nice treats the palm of your hand, maybe pet him on the back very gently while he's taking the treats; you get the idea. Work up to actually picking him up a little bit at a time, and have patience. Trust takes time to build.

How should I pick up my gerbils?

The best way is to make a little cave of with your two hands and scoop up the little guy. Let him or her poke his nose around in your hands for a minute, then when he calms down, open your hands and let him walk over your palms. Be careful to keep him over the cage, so if he jumps down you will not have to chase him all over the place. You want to be especially careful if the gerbil is a baby because they can easily jump out of your hands and hurt themselves. With time, the gerbil should become used to being picked up and handled, and you won't have to worry as much about him jumping down and leading you on a merry chase through your home.

Picking your gerbil up by the tail is not recommended, except in an emergency situation, as it isn't exactly the best way to make friends with a gerbil. However, if you absolutely must do this, make certain to grasp the gerbil's tail firmly at the base, right next to the body. Make sure that you can feel the bones a bit through the skin, because if you just get skin, you may pull it off and leave your gerbil with a bloody, painful tail!

Can I let my gerbils run around the house?

Permanently, no. However, if you "gerbil proof" a room by blocking off all exits, putting towels under the doors, and having no boxes and things they can get lost in then you can let them run around in that room for an hour or two while you supervise them. Be forewarned they may be difficult to catch again.

Should I give my gerbils something to chew on?

Yes. Gerbils, like most rodents, have a strong chewing instinct. They can keep their teeth at the proper length by grinding them together unless the teeth do not line up properly, but still instinctively chew on anything they can get their teeth on. Cardboard or store bought chew sticks are OK, but the cheapest and best thing to do is to use branches and bark from trees in your area. Pine cones are a great hit too.

What are all those thumping noises I've heard gerbil making?

Gerbils thump for two reasons: communication of danger and sexual excitement in a male gerbil. Gerbils startled by a loud noise or another pet will make a consistent, quick "da-dum, da-dum" sound. This often infects other gerbils in the room until it sounds like a gerbil percussion section. Males will sometimes make a long running thump during sexual activity as they move around.

Thumps are produced by the gerbils pounding their back feet on the floor together simultaneously. It is actually quite interesting to watch and a surprisingly loud sound for such a small animal.

My young gerbils seem to thump for no reason. Are they constantly in fear?

Young gerbils are somewhat more easily startled than adults, but it also seems to be a bit of a "Look, Ma, I can thump!" sort of thing. It's harmless -- even their parents ignore it most of the time. It is cute, though.

How do gerbils behave with each other?

Pair bonded gerbils or family units will cuddle, bathe each other, wrestle, box and play chase. They will often sleep in a heap, some gerbils lying on each other's backs. Mated pairs will often wrestle as they bathe each other, with the loser being held down and washed vigorously -- this is quite adorable.

How do I know if my gerbils are fighting?

Gerbils that are being aggressive to each other will often box with each other, push each other side to side, and chase each other violently -- one fleeing in a panicked way and one chasing. Aggressive and playful boxing can be difficult to tell apart, so the best thing to do is rely on other signals and the general mood of what is happening. When a gerbil feels itself in danger, it might squeak loudly in panic. The most dangerous behavior occurs when the two animals roll into a tight ball with each other. You must separate them at this point -- they are trying to kill each other. We have never been successful at reconciling two gerbils once this behavior has occurred.

Why do my gerbils rub their stomachs on everything?

They are marking their territory. Lift your gerbil and look at its stomach. You will see a small, narrow patch of bare skin there. This is the scent gland it is larger in males which produces an oily secretion with a scent unique to that animal. They will mark everything they consider their property and all the gerbils that are a recognized part of their family group.

What do I do if my gerbils have been fighting and one is bleeding?

There normally won't be a problem, but if you are worried about infection, wash the wound with hydrogen peroxide and/or use a topical antibiotic. You will need to ask your veterinarian for that. Neosporin has been suggested to me as a good topical antibiotic that you do not need to go to the vet to get.

My gerbil has broken its leg, what can I do to help?

If it's a closed break, not much. Make sure the gerbil is warm and eating. Baby gerbils that are still nursing will stop eating and starve themselves to death if they are hurt, so you will have to nurse them by hand. If the gerbil eats and drinks, it will probably recover in a day or two and be hopping around as usual.

An open fracture is much more serious. The best thing to do is use a topical antibiotic every few hours and hope for the best. If an infection develops, your vet might need to amputate the leg. Never fear, gerbils can get around on three legs without much problem.

Remember some of these injuries will look worse than they are. This advice goes for all broken bones, I have seen a baby that I thought had broken its back walk in a few hours and fully recover in a day.

What's Wet Tail, how do I know they have it, and how do I treat it?

The most common form is an infectious disease called Tyzzer's Syndrome that prevents the intestines from properly absorbing water and nutrients, but the name "Wet Tail" generally covers all forms of diahrrea that are life threatening. All forms are extremely serious, young gerbils will often die from it before any symptoms are noticeable. Although it can be treated, gerbils that are in the diarrhea stage will usually die anyway. You can save the cage mates. It is normally caused by extremely dirty cage conditions or excessive stress and spreads quickly.

The common symptoms of Wet Tail are extreme, green-ish colored diarrhea, depression, listlessness, and a lowered body tempature. The first time our gerbils were infected with this disease, we also saw a red mucus gumming shut the eyes of the infected animals. This particular symptom lessened in severity as the disease progressed through the population until it disappeared entirely, and we have not seen it occur with later bouts of Wet Tail.

The remedy that has worked best for us involves two different antibiotics combined with subcutaneous fluids (if you are not confident with sub-Q fluids, use Pedialyte in the water bottle instead). Use the commercial medicine packaged as Wet Tail medication every day for each gerbil, putting four drops for youngsters and seven for adults directly into their mouths. They will struggle, but don't give up. Second, put tetracycline in their water and use it as their only water. If you have more than one cage of gerbils, wash your hands thoroughly before handling the second cage or you will pass the disease around yourself. Make sure all gerbils in the infected cage, even if they look well, are medicated every day for five days. The tetracycline should continue for another five days.

Clean cages are crucial with this disease -- the animals may keep picking it up from the bedding even after you think you have it licked. The first day you see the symptoms, and every two or three days after that, dump all food and bedding out of the cage and scrub the cage and everything in it with bleach water (a concentration of 1 part bleach to 10 parts water is an effective disinfectant). Rinse everything thoroughly and let it dry completely before replacing the animals.

My gerbil has a sore, red, or bleeding nose. What's wrong?

He probably has an allergy to the bedding. Switch to aspen chips if you are using pine. If you are already using aspen, try CareFresh or corncob. If it persists, give him an antibiotic for a few days and that should clear it up. A topical antibiotic will work best in these situations; oral antibiotics may not work unless the gerbil has another infection or illness. See section 4.6 for more information on bedding types.

Should I worry about new gerbils carrying diseases?

Yes, this is a common way to get infected by Wet Tail. We recommend giving antibiotics in the water of healthy looking animals for a week, and adding oral antibiotics to animals that already have an infection of some sort. You can also quarantine the animal for two weeks.

My gerbil has a tail that is going bald. What's happening?

That gerbil or its cage mate is plucking the hair on the tail. It's probably bored or lonely. Give it some new toys or a wheel. If you have a single gerbil, and it is a fairly non-aggressive animal, you might try a companion. To correct the problem, dip the gerbil's tail in Bitter Apple or something else that tastes nasty every day.

My gerbil is having a fit! What's wrong?

Sometimes gerbils, especially young gerbils, will be over stimulated by accidents or unusual things. The animal may have what looks like an epileptic fit or will suddenly become completely still, almost as if the animal has died. Keep the gerbil warm and it will normally come out of it in a minute or two. It looks scary, but it isn't as serious as it looks.

Information and advice contained in this section is for your consideration only. Please consult your veterinarian before implementing treatment for your pet .

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