 Hi Nellie,
I had two gerbils, Gems and Sparkle, but Gems died. Is Sparkle going to be OK? What should I do?
- A.
 Dear A.,
Thanks for your letter! I'm so sorry to hear about Gems. I'm sure you miss her a lot. :(
How is Sparkle doing now? Is she doing OK?
When my friend Maeby's sister died, I came to Twin Squeaks to be Maeby's friend so that she wouldn't have to live alone. But it is not easy to make two gerbils who don't know each other get along! A pair of gerbils who don't know each other can hurt each other if they don't meet the right way. To do this, you'll need to use the split-cage method. You can read more about making and using a split cage on our Gerbil Tips page. To use a split cage and help two gerbils meet, you'll need a lot of help from your parents, so please don't try to do this by yourself.
If you can't get help using a split cage or if your parents don't want to bring another gerbil home, it will still be OK, though! I know several gerbils who lived alone after a friend died, and they lived long, happy lives. You'll just need to make sure that you spend a lot of time Sparkle and give her lots of things to do. Give her lots of cardboard tubes and boxes to chew, and make sure she has an exercise wheel. If your parents say it's OK, you might even give her some time to play in the tub a couple of times a week.
Please give Sparkles a treat and a toilet paper tube for me, and tell her that I'm sorry that she lost her friend Gems.
Your good friend,
- Nellie
Previous Questions from Fall 2006 & Winter 2007
How many times a year can a gerbil have babies?
What can I feed my gerbil?
How can I encourage my gerbils to run on their wheel?
When can I hold gerbil pups?
Why didn't my gerbils live very long?
Do gerbils have babies?
Can I introduce a pair of gerbils without using a split cage?
Can I let my gerbils run around outside of the tank?
How much should I feed my gerbils?
How can I keep my gerbils safe from my cat?
Read Older Letters or Ask A Question
Dear Herman and Nellie,
My gerbil had babies the night before last night, and I was wondering how many time a year a gerbil can have babies?
- J.
Dear J.,
This is Herman. Thank you for your letter. If the mom and dad gerbil still live together, they'll have a lot more pups. (Gerbil babies are called pups.)
A pair of gerbils will have a new litter of pups about every five weeks. That means that your gerbil will have pups about 10 times over the next year!
If you don't want your gerbils to have any more pups, it's important that you remove the father from the mother's tank right before she has a new litter. Good luck!
Your pal,
- Herman
Hi!
I don't know what food my gerbil can't eat, so I feed her dry corn, and she loves it. Could you help me?
- Whiskers' mom
Hi Whiskers' mom,
This is Nellie. Thanks so much for writing!
Gerbils can eat most of the premixed foods at the pet store that are labeled for hamsters and gerbils. Usually they have too many sunflower seeds that can make us fat, so pick out most of the sunflower seeds before you feed Whiskers. Then you can put the sunflower seeds next to her tank and feed them to her every now and then as a special treat!
You can also give your gerbil plain Cheerios (the kind without honey) or plain Puffed Kashi cereal as a treat. The food you give your gerbil every day should be the mix you buy at the pet store.
I hope that helps! Tell Whiskers hello from me and Herman, okay? :)
Your friend,
- Nellie
Hi Herman,
My name's Z. Can you please tell me how to encourage my gerbils Zac and Cody to go on their wheel?
Also, Zac and Cody like to go toilet in a jar. Is that OK?
Hi Z.,
There aren't many ways to get your gerbils to run in their wheel. Some gerbils love running in wheels, and others don't. My best advice is to leave the wheel in their tank and wait. Someday they may figure it out. The very first gerbils at Twin Squeaks were named Audrey and Ramona. They didn't run in the wheel for many months. Then, one day, Audrey figured out how to use the wheel, and a few days later, her sister Ramona was running in the wheel, too. Sometimes gerbils never do run in a wheel, but sometimes they just need some time to figure it out.
It's OK if your gerbils use their jar as a toilet. Most gerbils do. The jar gets smelly, and that's not nice, but what is nice is that you have potty-trained gerbils! If you take the jar out every day or two, rinse it out with hot water, let it dry, and then put it back in the tank, things will stay clean. If your gerbils go to the bathroom in their glass jar, it keeps the rest of the tank clean longer! You have very smart gerbils! :)
Please tell Zac and Cody hello from me. I hope that they're both having a great weekend!
Your pal,
- Herman
Dear Herman and Nellie,
My gerbil had babies last night or this morning.
My questions are when may I sell them, and when may I pick them up? - W.
Dear W.,
This is Herman. Congratulations on your new gerbil babies!
By the way, gerbil babies are called pups. If the dad is still living with the mom, you'll have more pups in about 5 weeks!
Usually, you want to wait about a week before you handle the pups. When you do, keep your hands inside of the tank, and cup the pup in your hands. Pups move very fast and can easily fall, becuase their eyes aren't open yet, so they can't see where they're going.
You shouldn't take the pups away from their mom until they are about 5 weeks old, so that's a good time to start placing your little gerbil pups in their new homes.
You can learn a lot more about raising gerbil pups at the sites below:
Your friend,
- Herman
Dear Nellie,
If a gerbil is close by the window, will it get dehydrated? Or too hot?
We've had two gerbils that we've taken great care of that only lived a short while, and we can't figure out what happened. We are really sad.
From,
- H., age 8
Dear H.,
As long as your gerbils have a working water bottle and are healthy, they shouldn't get dehydrated. (We're desert animals, so we don't need a lot of water.)
If the sun shines directly on the tank, it can heat the tank and trap warm air inside, so if the sun shines directly on the tank, try closing the blinds or shades when the sun's shining through that window.
I'm so sorry to hear that your two gerbils died. I know how hard that was and how sad you must have been. I came to Twin Squeaks to live with Maeby after her sister Lindsay died. Lindsay was really young, and everyone was so sad that she didn't live longer.
Our vet said that Lindsay had something wrong with her when she was born. Your gerbils might have also had something wrong.
If you want to adopt new gerbils, read How To Select The Right Gerbils in our Gerbil Care Guide. You'll find a lot of information about places where you can adopt gerbils and how to tell if the gerbils you see are healthy.
Also, consider adopting from an American Gerbil Society breeder if one is in your area. These gerbils are usually healthier (and often cheaper) than the gerbils in a pet shop!
Again, I'm so sorry that you lost your gerbils. It sounds like you took really great care of them, and I'm sure that you miss them a lot.
Your friend,
- Nellie
Dear Herman,
I really like Pippi, and I really wonder if gerbils make babies?
From,
- P., age 4
Hi P.,
Thanks for writing!
Yes, gerbils really do make babies, so that's why you should get two boy gerbils or two girl gerbils. If you get a boy and a girl gerbil, you can have too many gerbil babies!
Gerbil babies are called “pups.” Once two gerbils have pups, they will keeping having more pups. A litter (group) of 5 to 9 pups is born every 5 weeks!
Thanks again for your letter. It was great to hear from you!
Your friend,
- Herman
Hey, Herman!
I was just wondering, I have had my male gerbil Carl for about two years now, and he lives in one of those plastic cages, not a glass one, but don't get me wrong! He loves his home a lot! But he lives by himself, and from your Web site, I have learned that gerbils need friends, too.
The last time that I emailed Pippi, she offered the split-cage method to see if he would get along with another gerbil pal. But the thing is, I cannot afford a glass cage, because they are quite pricey. But I have another cage that can be attached to Carl's to have a gerbil friend. But the problem is, how can I tell how much he can get along with another gerbil safely without having to use the split-cage method? Can you help me out? If so, thank you so much!
From your pal,
-A.
Dear A.,
Hi! Thanks for your letter! It was great to hear from you, especially since you wrote to Pippi before. :)
The only way to really safely help gerbils meet is with the split-cage method. It's because we need a week or two to get used to each other. When we switch from side to side in the split cage, we get used to each other's scents, and we get used to sharing our space with the gerbil on the other side of the divider. We get to see each other, and we can touch noses through the divider, but we can't actually get to the other side to hurt each other. Sadly, two cages that connect won't give Carl the same chances to carefully get to know the other gerbil.
It's best if a gerbil has a friend, but it's better for a gerbil to be alone than to try to meet a gerbil without a split cage. If you try to introduce Carl to another gerbil without a split cage, one or both of them could get hurt very badly. If Carl's doing OK on his own, it's better to let him live alone but give him lots of love and attention than to risk having him meet another gerbil without a split cage.
If he's been alone for two years, he's probably gotten used to having the place to himself. ;) Just give him lots of love and lots of things to do. :)
Your good pal,
- Herman
Dear Nellie and Herman,
Are gerbils good pets to pet and let run around? Or can I get toys and put them in a cardboard box with the gerbils? I want to interact with them without worrying about them escaping. -S.K.
Dear S.K.,
This is Herman. Thanks for writing. :)
We are fun pets to interact with, but you need to make sure that we're safe first.
If you want to let your gerbils run around, it's a good idea to start by sitting in the bathtub (no water, please!) with your gerbils. You can read our Use Your Bathtub As A Gerbil Playground tip to learn more!
Your idea about putting your gerbils in a box with some toys is also a good idea. Remember that we can chew through cardboard, so if you use a cardboard box, keep a close eye on us so that we don't chew our way out. Instead of a cardboard box, you could also use a large plastic tub similar to this one. Make sure that the box or tub you use has tall walls, because gerbils can jump!
No matter where you let your gerbils play, it's important to watch them so that they don't jump out of their play area. If they start leaping in the air, it's time to take them back home to their tank.
Your buddy,
- Herman
Dear Nellie,
I just got my gerbil Gavraise Holaika, and I have bought gerbil feed especially for gerbils. How much should I feed Gavraise each day? -N.
Dear N.,
Thanks for your letter! I'm sorry that it took me a little while to answer. Thanks for waiting. :)
A good rule is to give each gerbil about 1/2 Tbsp. each day. This means that a pair of gerbils would get about 1 Tbsp. each day, and a gerbil who lives alone would get about 1/2 Tbsp. each day.
You may need to use a little bit more or a little bit less, depending on your gerbil, but if you give 1/2 Tbsp. each day, your gerbil should have about the right amount of food.
Tell Gavraise hello for me!
Your friend
- Nellie
Dear Nellie and Herman,
I don't have any gerbils yet, but I'm getting ready for them. The problem is that I have two cats, and I don't have anywhere to put the tank except my room. But I don't want to close the door to my room, because they love it so much. And I don't want my gerbils to be terrified their whole lives. Is there any way that I can block off their tank but not my room? Please note that my room isn't very big.
Sincerely,
- L.
Dear L.,
This is Herman. Thanks for your letter! I hope I can help!
First, at least at first, you should consider only letting your cats in your room when you're there. If you're going to open the lid to your gerbils' tank, make sure that the cats are out of your room, and shut the door to the room first. This is so if a gerbil would jump out of the tank or fall out of your hands, you know that your cats aren't there.
Next, make sure that you buy a sturdy mesh screen lid for your tank. We have lids like this on our tanks. The lids stay on and keep us safe with lid clamps like these. It's very important that you have a lid and clamps that will keep your gerbils in the tank and your cats out of the tank.
Gerbils are from the desert, where our enemies are animals such as birds and snakes. We aren't naturally afraid of cats, so your gerbils won't be terrified just by seeing your cats in the house. Even though your gerbils aren't scared, though, remember that your cats will hurt your gerbils if they get the chance, so always make sure that your cats can't get to your gerbils.
Make sure that your gerbils' tank is on something that won't tip over. The top of a table or a dresser is better than on top of a small shelf or something that your cats could tip over.
Finally, make sure that you always shut the lid to your gerbils' tank and that you always put the clamps back on. You'll have to be very careful to remember this every time you open your gerbils' tank.
If you're careful, though, you should be able to keep your gerbils safe, even though you have cats in your home.
Your buddy,
- Herman
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