Species · Omnivore rodent
Gerbil
Meriones unguiculatus
The busy desert digger — bonded for life in clans, endlessly burrowing, and prone to the drama of “declanning”.
Difficulty: Beginner–IntermediatePrintable care sheet →
Gerbils are the desert diggers of the pet world — tireless little burrowers that build tunnel systems, gnaw everything, and bond into tight family “clans”. They’re clean and nearly odourless, but they come with two catches: they need a deep tank to dig properly, and their clans can dramatically fall apart (“declanning”), so you have to watch the social side. This is the honest guide — what’s normal, what’s urgent, and what the shop got wrong.
Care at a glance
| Adult size | Small — adults weigh about 50–90 g, with a body around 10 cm plus a fur-covered tail adding roughly another 8 cm. Males are slightly larger than females. |
|---|---|
| Lifespan | Typically 2–3 years. |
| Enclosure | A “gerbilarium” rather than a standard cage: large, with solid glass or plastic walls, a secure wire-mesh top, and a solid floor — deep enough to hold a thick bed of substrate. Barred cages aren’t recommended, because gerbils can injure their legs on the bars and gnaw them (damaging their teeth). Aim for around 50 cm of height with 20–30 cm of bedding, so they can dig proper burrows and still stand fully upright above ground. Include a stone or rough surface to help wear their claws down. |
| Companionship | Gerbils are clan animals (wild groups run from two to fifteen) and must never be kept alone. Keep them in same-sex pairs or groups formed early in life and kept stable — don’t add an adult stranger later (established clans rarely accept newcomers, except juveniles under about five weeks, introduced gradually through a split cage). Watch closely for sudden fighting between clan-mates (“declanning”); if it happens, they may need to be permanently separated. Never pick a gerbil up by its tail — the skin can slip off, exposing the bone. |
| Temperature | An ideal range is about 20–24°C. Keep them out of direct sun and away from damp and draughts; they’re desert animals but still need a stable, comfortable room temperature. |
| Bedding & substrate | A deep layer (20–30 cm) of a mix of rough-grained woodchips and hay, so they can dig and build stable burrows and gnaw at the same time. Give plenty of shreddable material too (ink-free cardboard, plain paper, toilet-roll tubes). Spot-clean every few days and deep-clean only every two to three weeks, since over-cleaning destroys their scent and burrows. |
| Enrichment & exercise | Gerbils are highly motivated to dig, gnaw and explore: deep substrate for tunnelling, plenty of cardboard and gnaw sticks to shred, and wooden tunnels, bridges and toys to climb on and chew. A large-diameter, solid, axle-free exercise wheel is good — never an open-rung wire wheel, which can trap and break a leg or tail. |
| Grooming & upkeep | Gerbils keep themselves clean and are nearly odourless. Their claws wear down naturally through digging and walking on rough surfaces (a stone helps), and their teeth wear down through gnawing, so keep gnaw materials available. Check for overgrown teeth and, in older gerbils, lumps on the belly scent gland — and never handle by the tail. |
| Diet | A good-quality food made specifically for gerbils — a compound pellet or a proper seed mix — as the base. You can supplement with small amounts of fruit (pear, melon, apple, orange) and vegetables (cucumber, carrot, pumpkin, fennel) as part of the ration. Avoid feeding too many fatty seeds like sunflower (they cause obesity), and never give grapes or rhubarb, which are poisonous to rodents. Provide fresh water at all times. |
| Supplements | None needed on a good-quality gerbil diet. |
🤎 Did you know? — Gerbil fun facts
Little true delights about the gerbil — each one checked against a named source, no pet-shop myths.
- Gerbils are desert survivors that conserve water so well they pass only small amounts of concentrated urine and dry droppings.Animal Diversity Web
- Gerbils drum their hind feet on the ground to raise the alarm — a signal you can feel as well as hear.BMC Zoology (peer-reviewed)
- The gerbil is a surprisingly new pet — the first documented pet Mongolian gerbil lived in the UK in 1961.Animal Diversity Web
What it's like to live with a Gerbil
Living with gerbils is watching constant, cheerful industry — digging, tunnelling, rearranging and gnawing, largely in short bursts through the day and night. They’re dry-climate animals, so they’re remarkably low-odour and low-mess. The part that needs your attention is the social bond: a settled clan is delightful, but declanning can happen suddenly, so check daily for fresh wounds or a gerbil being driven away, and be ready to separate. And always scoop them up in cupped hands, never by the tail.
Your first month together
The settling-in period, in order — so you know what's normal and when not to worry.
- Set up a deep-bedded gerbilarium so they can burrow from day one; let them settle before much handling.
- Confirm the group is same-sex and already bonded, and watch closely for any early aggression.
- Handle gently in cupped hands (never by the tail), building trust with a calm, predictable routine.
- Keep the diet steady and provide constant gnaw materials for their teeth.
- Find an exotic vet that treats gerbils — and know that seizures can occur in gerbils and are worth mentioning to your vet.
Through the year, and as they grow
Keep them at a steady room temperature year-round and out of summer heat and direct sun. Watch the clan’s dynamics especially as young gerbils mature, when declanning becomes more likely, and check older gerbils for scent-gland lumps.
Gerbil colours
Pet gerbils (Mongolian gerbils) come in a wide range of colours — but they are all one species and all need exactly the same care. The colour itself never changes how you look after a gerbil; the only real implications are for breeding.
- Golden Agouti — The wild colour — banded hairs over a pale belly. The classic gerbil look.
- Argente (Golden / Cream) — A warm golden or pale cream coat with red eyes.
- Black, Slate, Lilac & Dove — Solid “self” colours, from jet black to soft greys and a pinkish lilac.
- Nutmeg, Honey & Red Fox — Warm reddish-brown shades. Cosmetic.
- Burmese & Siamese (colourpoint) — A pale body with darker face, ears and tail — the “point” pattern. Cosmetic.
- Whites (pink-eyed & dark-tailed) — Near-white coats produced by stacking diluting genes. Cosmetic.
- Spotted / Pied — ⚠️ White patches on a coloured coat. A single spotted gerbil is perfectly healthy, but the spotting gene is a breeding consideration — see below.
Colour is cosmetic — care is identical across every variety. Two things are worth knowing, and neither is a reason to avoid a colour: the spotting/pied gene is fatal when doubled, so two spotted gerbils should never be paired (about a quarter of the litter is lost); and gerbils as a species can have brief, usually harmless “seizures” that are heritable and stress-triggered (gentle early handling reduces them) — a species trait, not a colour one, so no colour is “more epileptic” than another. Don’t breed from gerbils that fit.
Sources: National Gerbil Society — gerbil genetics (spotting lethal gene) · National Gerbil Society — seizures in gerbils · MSD/Merck Vet Manual — Gerbils · American Gerbil Society — colours
The pet store gets these wrong
Common myths, kindly corrected — no shame for having believed them.
- Gerbils aren’t truly “beginner-easy” — the social side (declanning) can be tricky and needs watching.
- A standard barred cage isn’t ideal — gerbils need a deep-bedded tank to dig, and bar-gnawing can damage their teeth.
- They can’t live alone — gerbils are clan animals and need gerbil company.
- Never pick a gerbil up by the tail — the skin can strip off (“tail slip”).
- Shallow bedding isn’t enough — the whole point of a gerbil’s day is digging deep burrows.
Before you buy
- Can you keep two or more (never one), and cope if a clan “declans” and needs splitting?
- Can you provide a deep-bedded gerbilarium (glass/plastic tank) rather than a barred cage?
- Will you always handle them in cupped hands, never by the tail?
- Do you have an exotic vet that treats gerbils?
- Are you ready for a 2–3 year commitment?
See a vet if…
We can't diagnose from afar — but these are the signs to stop watching and get a professional:
- A seizure or a frozen, trance-like episode — gerbils are prone to epilepsy; usually brief, but tell your vet
- A red, crusty or sore nose or eyes (nasal dermatitis, often stress-related)
- Diarrhoea with a hunched posture, dull ruffled coat and low appetite — a sick gerbil needs a vet promptly
- Any lump, especially on the belly scent gland in an older gerbil
- Sudden fighting, wounds, or one gerbil driving another away (declanning)
- A degloved or injured tail after rough handling or a trapped limb
Never
- Never keep a gerbil on its own.
- Never pick a gerbil up by the tail.
- Never use a bare barred cage or a wire-floor/open-wire wheel (bar-gnawing harms teeth; wire traps limbs).
- Never use shallow bedding — gerbils must be able to dig deep burrows.
- Never feed grapes or rhubarb, or too many fatty sunflower seeds.
- Never add an adult stranger to an established clan.
Common gerbil questions
How hard are Gerbils to keep — are they good for beginners?
Beginner–Intermediate. Busy, curious and fascinating to watch — but marketed as “beginner-easy” when the social side is actually delicate. Gerbils must live in company yet a bonded pair or clan can suddenly turn on each other (“declanning”), and they need a deep-bedded tank to burrow, not a typical barred cage. Get the housing and the grouping right and they’re rewarding and low-odour.
What do Gerbils eat?
A good-quality food made specifically for gerbils — a compound pellet or a proper seed mix — as the base. You can supplement with small amounts of fruit (pear, melon, apple, orange) and vegetables (cucumber, carrot, pumpkin, fennel) as part of the ration. Avoid feeding too many fatty seeds like sunflower (they cause obesity), and never give grapes or rhubarb, which are poisonous to rodents. Provide fresh water at all times.
How big an enclosure do Gerbils need?
A “gerbilarium” rather than a standard cage: large, with solid glass or plastic walls, a secure wire-mesh top, and a solid floor — deep enough to hold a thick bed of substrate. Barred cages aren’t recommended, because gerbils can injure their legs on the bars and gnaw them (damaging their teeth). Aim for around 50 cm of height with 20–30 cm of bedding, so they can dig proper burrows and still stand fully upright above ground. Include a stone or rough surface to help wear their claws down.
Do Gerbils need a companion, or can they live alone?
Gerbils are clan animals (wild groups run from two to fifteen) and must never be kept alone. Keep them in same-sex pairs or groups formed early in life and kept stable — don’t add an adult stranger later (established clans rarely accept newcomers, except juveniles under about five weeks, introduced gradually through a split cage). Watch closely for sudden fighting between clan-mates (“declanning”); if it happens, they may need to be permanently separated. Never pick a gerbil up by its tail — the skin can slip off, exposing the bone.
What temperature do Gerbils need?
An ideal range is about 20–24°C. Keep them out of direct sun and away from damp and draughts; they’re desert animals but still need a stable, comfortable room temperature.
What bedding and substrate do Gerbils need?
A deep layer (20–30 cm) of a mix of rough-grained woodchips and hay, so they can dig and build stable burrows and gnaw at the same time. Give plenty of shreddable material too (ink-free cardboard, plain paper, toilet-roll tubes). Spot-clean every few days and deep-clean only every two to three weeks, since over-cleaning destroys their scent and burrows.
What enrichment and exercise do Gerbils need?
Gerbils are highly motivated to dig, gnaw and explore: deep substrate for tunnelling, plenty of cardboard and gnaw sticks to shred, and wooden tunnels, bridges and toys to climb on and chew. A large-diameter, solid, axle-free exercise wheel is good — never an open-rung wire wheel, which can trap and break a leg or tail.
What grooming and upkeep do Gerbils need?
Gerbils keep themselves clean and are nearly odourless. Their claws wear down naturally through digging and walking on rough surfaces (a stone helps), and their teeth wear down through gnawing, so keep gnaw materials available. Check for overgrown teeth and, in older gerbils, lumps on the belly scent gland — and never handle by the tail.
What supplements do Gerbils need?
None needed on a good-quality gerbil diet.
How big do Gerbils get?
Small — adults weigh about 50–90 g, with a body around 10 cm plus a fur-covered tail adding roughly another 8 cm. Males are slightly larger than females.
How long do Gerbils live?
Typically 2–3 years.
What are the signs Gerbils are sick or need a vet?
See a small-animal or exotics vet if you notice: A seizure or a frozen, trance-like episode — gerbils are prone to epilepsy; usually brief, but tell your vet; A red, crusty or sore nose or eyes (nasal dermatitis, often stress-related); Diarrhoea with a hunched posture, dull ruffled coat and low appetite — a sick gerbil needs a vet promptly; Any lump, especially on the belly scent gland in an older gerbil; Sudden fighting, wounds, or one gerbil driving another away (declanning); A degloved or injured tail after rough handling or a trapped limb.
Free tools for your gerbil
Sources & further reading
This guide was written and fact-checked against these authorities. It's kind, general guidance — not a diagnosis or a substitute for an exotics vet:
- RSPCA — Creating a good home for gerbils — gerbilarium, 20–30 cm deep bedding, 20–24°C, glass not bars, claw stone
- RSPCA — What to feed gerbils — gerbil-specific food, fruit/veg supplements, avoid grapes/rhubarb and excess sunflower
- RSPCA — Keeping gerbils together — clans, never alone, stable same-sex groups, declanning, never lift by tail
- Merck Veterinary Manual — Description of gerbils — weight 50–90 g, ~10 cm body, lifespan 2–3 yr
- Merck Veterinary Manual — Disorders & Diseases of Gerbils — epilepsy/seizures, Tyzzer’s disease, tail slip, wheel/limb injuries, scent-gland tumours
Written and fact-checked by The Hayfold Team against veterinarian-authored sources — if your pet shows a red-flag sign above, see an exotics/small-animal vet promptly.