How to Feed and Care For a Gerbil

Providing the proper living environment and diet for your pet gerbils is essential to their health and well-being. Given the proper care, gerbils are active, friendly creatures that spend their days burrowing and tunneling. They require minimal care, making them an ideal choice for a pet. A member of the rodent family, a gerbil typically lives between two and four years.

Things You'll Need

  • Gerbil
  • Wire cage
  • Bedding
  • Liquid soap
  • Sterilized bone
  • Exercise wheel
  • Toilet paper tubes
  • PVC tubes
  • Wooden block
  • Gerbil seed mix
  • Fresh vegetables
  • Fresh fruit
  • Water bottle
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Instructions

  1. Habitat

    • 1

      Set up a wire cage in a location that is not accessible by other household pets such as dogs, cats and ferrets, and is away from direct sunlight and drafts. The cage should be at least 24 inches long by 14 inches wide by 12 inches high. Line the floor of the cage with two to three inches of absorbent bedding, such as Timothy hay or aspen shavings. Do not use pine or cedar shavings, as these may be harmful to the gerbils.

    • 2

      Remove soiled bedding daily along with any droppings. Completely clean the cage once a week by removing dirty bedding and scrubbing the bottom of the cage with liquid soap. Add fresh bedding after the cage has dried completely.

    • 3

      Give the gerbils a sterilized bone or a chemical- and pesticide-free twig to chew on. Both items are available at pet stores and eliminate any possibility of introducing toxins or mites to your pets. A gerbil's teeth grow constantly and the chewing will prevent dental problems.

    • 4

      Provide an exercise wheel for entertainment. Gerbils' tails can be caught in any openings or rungs on the wheel, so be sure to use a wheel without openings. Add additional toys such as empty toilet paper tubes, PVC tubes or an untreated block of wood with several large drilled holes.

    Diet

    • 5

      Place the food either directly on the bedding in the center of the cage, or in a small food dish. The gerbils will most likely bury the dish in the bedding, but they are able to easily find it.

    • 6

      Feed the gerbils a good commercial gerbil seed mix. The American Gerbil Society recommends a mix with seven percent fat content and 12 percent protein for gerbils under two years of age. Feed gerbils older than two years a mix with four percent fat and 10.5 percent protein.

    • 7

      Offer a small amount of fresh vegetables such as a carrot, two leaves of lettuce or a head of broccoli daily, and offer small amounts of sweet fruits such as half of an apple or a whole banana every other day. Remove leftover fresh food before spoiling.

    • 8

      Give your pet an occasional treat. Gerbils enjoy unsweetened cereals, peanuts and sunflower seeds.

    • 9

      Keep clean, fresh water available at all times and change the water daily. The best method for providing water is by attaching to the cage an inverted water bottle with a drinking tube.