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Diet
Gerbil
food is available at many pet stores, but gerbils can be given sunflOver
seeds, nuts, alfalfa pellets and fresh vegetables as well. Be sure
to clean up any leftover fresh food before it spoils. It is best
way to provide water is by using a bottle with a drinking tube.
Behavior
Gerbils'
teeth grow continuously, just like those of all other pet rodents.
So, it is important that they be given a sterilized bone or twig
that has not been treated with pesticides or any other chemicals
to gnaw. Gerbils are social pet animals, so it's best to get at
least two. However, since gerbils are prolific breeders, keeping
males and females together is not recommended unless you are going
to breed them, in which case, the best way to introduce gerbils
is before they have become sexually active. To introduce gerbils,
set up a clean tank with a mesh divider down the middle, and make
sure the divider is very secure. In one side place the female and
leave her in that section for an hour or so to give her time to
scent the area. Remove the female, then place the male gerbil in
the other side of the tank. Again, leave him for an hour or so to
let him scent his area. After removing the male, place the female
in the male side of the tank to allow her to familiarize herself
to the male's scent. She should be left in the tank for about 30
minutes. Once she is removed, the same process should be done with
the male Gerbil , placing him on the female gerbil side for 30 minutes.
Next, place the female on her side of the tank, and the male on
his side of the take with the divider still in place. Let both gerbils
sniff each other through the divider. If any aggression is shown,
it is likely that the female gerbil is not in her estrous period.
If aggression continues, try the process again. If the gerbils still
do not get along, try the procedure again except replace the aggressive
gerbil with another gerbil.
Health
Allergies
Constipation and Diarrhea Injuries Tail Breakage Parasites
Gerbils
are hardy little animals that are not very likely to catch illnesses.
To keep a gerbils health at its best, there must be good management
and husbandry of the gerbils. It is important that any illnesses
are caught straight away and recognizing that a gerbil has an illness
is also very important. Prevention is better than cure.
Allergies
At first, your gerbil may seem to have a cold. The symptoms of an
allergy may look similar to a cold but gerbil cannot catch colds
from humans. The cold virus is species specific, therefore, colds
cannot be passed on from a human to a gerbil. Allergies usually
come from the environment/living conditions. Gerbils with sawdust
are likely to have allergies due to the dust. Some types of wood
shavings also may make a gerbil prone to allergies. Cedar wood shavings
are not recommended as the dust is likely to cause allergies. This
has also been reported with pine wood shavings, but this is uncommon.
The safest type of wood shaving to use is aspen. When a gerbil suffers
from an allergy, there is no need to separate the gerbils as allergies
are not infectious. The symptoms of an allergy are a runny nose
and eyes. Scratching of these areas are not uncommon. The best thing
to do if your gerbil suffers an allergy is to change the type of
bedding to something more suitable.
Constipation
and Diarrhea
Diarrhea
stops the intestines absorbing any vitamins or minerals. This may
make the gerbil more lethargic. Diarrhea is more common that constipation
and is usually due to the type of food given to the gerbil. A high
level of green food in the gerbil's diet is likely to cause diarrhea
due to the high level of water in green food. Green food should
be given at maximum, two times a week. If diarrhea is present, reduce
the amount of green food. If green food is not the case, it could
be due to contaminated or stale food. Check for any rotting food
in the cage. If one or more gerbil develops diarrhea, isolate the
animal(s) to prevent the condition from spreading. Make sure the
water bottle and food bowl in the isolation cage are cleaned thoroughly
with disinfectant and have been rinsed properly afterwards before
placing sick gerbils in isolation.
Injuries
The
most common injuries gerbils suffer are cuts and scratches. These
can be caused by fights which are not uncommon. The best way to
treat these injuries is to dab them with an antiseptic, which can
be purchased from your vet. It is quite rare for gerbils to break
bones. If a gerbil has broken a bone, it is unlikely to be detected
by the owner. Most breaks seem to heal without bandages or any other
supports. However, on rare occasions, some breakages can be fatal.
Pinning gerbil bones together can be virtually impossible due to
the thickness of the bone. Applying a cast would also be impractical
as a gerbil would be able to gnaw though it very quickly. Considering
the gerbil's quality of life if other injuries, including infection,
occur. It may be a wiser and kinder choice to have the animal put
to sleep.
Tail
Breakage
It
is sometimes possible for a gerbil's tail to obtain an injury. This
is usually due to mishandling of the gerbil. Gerbils have gained
this adaptation as an escape route if prey may have hold of its
tail. This is why it is strongly recommended not to pick up a gerbil
by the tip of its tail. If this procedure is carried out, the base
of the gerbil's tail should be used. Injuries range from the skin
on the end of the tail pulling away to part of the tail actually
breaking off. If the skin on the end of the tail comes off, it is
best to leave it alone. If the blood circulation to the tip of the
tail ceases, the bare part of the tail may fall off. Once the gerbil's
tail has fallen off, the gerbil is likely to be a bit "wobbly"
at first. The gerbil will then adapt to using a smaller tail.
Parasites
These
include mites, fleas and lice. Mange is caused by mites laying eggs
underneath. the gerbils skin, which may be itchy for the gerbil.
This scratching will result in the loss of fur. Wet mange is the
mange that cause blisters that burst, releasing their contents.
The blisters then turn to sores. Dry mange causes baldness and itching.
Fleas and lice are also responsible for scratching. They are uncommon
among gerbils but if a case of fleas or lice is present, they can
be hard to remove. It may be tempting to use flea powders that are
intended for dogs, but these should NEVER be used on gerbils. The
powders and sprays that are intended for dogs are too strong and
can do a gerbil a lot more harm than good. Special flea and lice
powders for gerbils should be bought from your local pet shop or
vet.
Breeding
Gerbils,
both male and female, become sexually active from about 8 weeks.
For breeding to be successful, the female gerbil must be sexually
active and in her estrous period. The male gerbil will perform his
mating procedure many times. It may take as many as ten times until
the male gerbil ejaculates. The male gerbil makes an excellent father
and will help the mother with her pups. The gestation period can
last for up to 28 days, with 24 being more common. The female gerbil
will gain weight and her shape will change accordingly. If all goes
well, the female gerbil will give birth to approximately 5 pups.
Each pup is the size of a peanut and is born deaf and blind. Relying
in the mother's milk for food, these furless pups will be weaned
at the age of 30 days.
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