Make sure your gerbils have a suitable place to live

Facts

• Wild gerbils live in dry climates, in large, deep burrows that they dig themselves to protect them from extremes of weather and from predators.
   
• Gerbils have fur on the soles of their feet and so do not climb well.
   
• Gerbils naturally build nests.
   
• Gerbils communicate using ultrasonic frequencies so are sensitive to some sounds that we cannot hear.
   
• Gerbils excrete small amounts of highly concentrated urine and dry droppings.
   
• Gerbils have an acute sense of smell.
   
• Gerbils claws need to be worn down through regular digging or walking on rough surfaces or they may grow too long.

Things you should do

• Provide your gerbils with a comfortable, dry, draught-free, clean place to live, in a quiet place where they can rest undisturbed. Make sure they are not exposed to draughty or damp conditions but also do not keep them in direct sunlight or next to a radiator. An ideal temperature range is 20-24°C.
   
• Provide your gerbils with a gerbilarium large enough to provide shelter, opportunities to dig and space to exercise, with adequate bedding and nesting material; see
  Gerbil housing advice (PDF 101 KB).
   
• Make sure you house your gerbils away from items in the home which can generate ultrasound, such as television sets, computer screens, vacuum cleaners or sources of running water.
   
• Make sure your gerbilarium is kept clean. Do not allow the bedding material to become damp or smelly. Clean once a week or fortnight as required.
   
• However, cleaning can be stressful and removing all odours may trigger fighting so transfer a small amount of used but unsoiled bedding and nesting material when you clean out your gerbilarium.
   
• Provide a rough-surfaced object such as a stone to help wear down claws and give further structure to burrows. These also provide suitable places for scent-marking.