All About Gerbil Care!

Gerbils don’t need as much space as hamsters, but bigger is always better. In the USA, the bare minimum for a pair of 2 gerbils is a 20 gallon fish tank, or 10 gallons pet gerbil. Unlike hamsters, bin cages aren’t really recommended for gerbils, simply because they chew EVERYTHING, so the ideal cage wouldn’t have any plastic on it that they could chew. Also, personally, I don’t recommend barred cages for gerbils. There’s a couple reasons as to why I think that. First, even if your barred cage is the correct size, you can’t fit enough bedding in most barred cages for them to burrow properly. And my gerbils like to chew and climb and chew the bars even if the cage is the right size.

Hamsters and gerbils actually have fairly similar diets. Gerbils should have a high quality seed mix such as Higgins Sunburst Hamster and Gerbil food, and veggies 2-3 times a week. Some gerbil safe veggies include cabbage, carrots, cucumber, broccoli (in small amounts), parsley, etc. Avoid any fruits/veggies with high water contents such as celery, watermelon, romaine lettuce, etc. Gerbils are desert animals, so they don’t need a lot of water in their diet. If they are given too much water, it can cause stomach upsets. Also, since gerbils are omnivores, they will need some source of protein in their diet, such as mealworms.

The simple answer is, yes. Your gerbil should have at least 1 friend. Gerbils are very social animals, and therefore, they need to be housed in pairs or more. 

Just like with most small animals, there is some good types of bedding, and some bad types of bedding. We will be going over both good, and bad beddings for your gerbils! When getting your bedding for your gerbils, avoid pine, cedar, and anything scented. Gerbils, along with most small animals, have very sensitive respiratory systems, and those all can easily cause an upper respiratory infection in your gerbils. Some good beddings are paper based bedding, and aspen bedding. 

Gerbils need at least 8 inches of bedding in one spot of their cage to burrow properly.

Gerbils, just like hamsters, need an exercise wheel to get their energy out and to exercise. When you get a wheel for your gerbil, avoid the following: wire, mesh, or anything under 8 inches. The ideal wheel for a gerbil would be a plastic wheel that is at least 8 inches.

Gerbils should never be bathed in water. The reason for that is, gerbils have oils on their fur that helps them stay warm, and when you put them under water, the water permanently washes off all of those natural oils, so the gerbils can’t keep themselves warm. A good alternative for bathing your gerbil in water is a sand bath! It is a much better option than water because it’s more natural for them, and doesn’t harm their natural oils! They may even use it as a litter box out of their natural instinct to use the restroom wherever there’s sand! When picking out the right sand for your gerbils, avoid anything labeled “dust” or “powder”. Those are very dusty and can give your gerbils an upper respiratory infection. Some good alternatives for those are children’s play sand (bake at 350°F for 1 hour and sift before using), and reptile sand (without calcium)!

Just like every animal, gerbils need enrichment. Gerbils teeth never stop growing, therefore, they need a lot of things to chew on to keep their teeth nice and trim. Gerbils also chew EVERYTHING. So they may need some extra chew toys as well. Gerbils will also need at least 2 hides per gerbil.