Ask The Gerbils

Dear Hallie,

My gerbil buster wont take a sand bath. He just digs it all out.

From,
Archie

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Dear Archie,

It usually takes a gerbil a while to figure out how to take a sandbath.

Don’t be surprised if Buster wants to dig in the sand and even nibble on the sand (it won’t hurt him) instead of roll in it.

You might be able to help Buster figure it out by sprinkling a little bit of sand on his back while he&@8217;s standing in his sand bowl. When he shakes the sand out of the fur on his back, he might start rolling in the sand bath.

A few gerbils never will take sand baths. We have had lots of gerbils here at Twin Squeaks but only one who didn't learn to take sand baths. (His name was Buster, too!)

Most gerbils do like to roll in the sand, though. It just takes them a while to figure it out. Give Buster some time, and he’ll probably figure out what to do. :)

Your friend,
Hallie

Hi Hallie!

I’m Karmin. I am about to adopt a pair of gerbils, and I’m wondering:

1. How do you know how old your gerbils are?


2. Can we visit any vet? How often should our gerbils visit the vet?


3. How can you tell if a gerbil is allergic to it’s bedding or any other object?


4. What do I do if a gerbil gets pests?

Please help me! The people at the pet shop can’t answer any of my questions!

From,
Karmin

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Hi Karmin!

Thank you for your letter!

I’ll try to answer some of your questions.

1. 
   If the place you get your gerbils from can’t tell you how old your gerbils are, it can be very hard to know exactly how old they are. Young gerbils are smaller than adult gerbils, but some adult gerbils get very big, and others stay pretty small, so it’s hard to know age based only on size.
   
   Older gerbils have lighter fur, as their coat fades with age. But this, too, is hard to use to tell exactly how old your gerbils are.
   
   Most gerbils are adopted pretty young, so they are probably less than a year old. In fact, most gerbils are about 2-4 months old when they are adopted from pet stores.
   
   If the people you get your gerbils from can’t tell you how old they are, they also probably can’t tell the difference between boy and girl gerbils. You want to be careful to get either two males or two females.
   
   Look here for help telling which gerbils are boys and girls.



2. You should look for a vet who has treated small animals like gerbils, hamsters, or rats.
   
   You shouldn’t need to take your gerbils to the vet very often. Gerbils don’t need any special shots or anything like that, so you only need to take them to the vet if they are sick or need help.



3. If a gerbil is allergic to something, you’ll probably see signs. The most common sign is a red, runny, sore nose. If it looks like a gerbil’s nose is bloody, it may be allergic to the bedding.



4. If you keep your gerbils inside and are careful with any toys, food, and bedding that you give them, they probably won’t get any pests. If they do, you’ll want to call your vet for help treating your gerbils and getting rid of the pests.

You might also want to read some of the pages in the Gerbil Care Guide. It has some tips for choosing the right gerbils, setting up your gerbils’ new home, and more.

Good luck finding and adopting your first gerbils!

Your good friend,
Hallie

Hi Herman,

I’m getting a gerbil soon. I want to know how I pick the right gerbil for me. Do I ask if I can hold the gerbils to see which one likes me the most?

Which ways can I pick up my new gerbil?

I also wanted to know if I had to do the split-cage method if I got 2 gerbils at the same time.

From,
Jonah

P.S. I think You guys are really cute!!!

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Hi Jonah,

Instead of asking to hold the gerbils, I would ask to put your hand in their tank. See which gerbils are the most curious and interested in your hand. Do any gerbils crawl into your hand when it’s in their tank? Do any try to crawl up your arm? If so, these are friendly gerbils, and they’ll probably win your heart over. :)

You’ll also be able to tell if one of the gerbils in the tank likes to nip your fingers. Try to pick a gerbil who is curious and comes to see or crawl on your hand but who doesn’t nip your fingers.

You should also read How To Select The Right Gerbils in the Gerbil Care Guide. The second half of the article is about how to tell if a gerbil is healthy. Make sure you read that part so you can adopt healthy gerbils. There is also a link at the end of the article to how to tell if a gerbil is a boy or a girl.

You can read How To Pick Up A Gerbil to learn how to safely pick up your gerbils.

You won’t need to use the split-cage method to introduce your gerbils if you get them from the same tank at the same time. As long as your gerbils already know each other and come home with you at the same time, they should get along.

I hope that helps! Good luck!

Your friend,
Herman