Gerbils are small furry animals with long tails. They come from Africa and Asia. They are kept as pets all over the world. There are 8 species of gerbils: small gerbil, larger gerbil, naked-soled gerbils, cape short-tail gerbil, fat tailed gerbil, jirds (Mongolian gerbil), Przewalski's gerbil, and the great gerbil.Gerbils weigh 1 to 7 oz. They are 3 to 7 inches long with a 3 to 9 inch tail. They live for 4 years in the wild and 1 to 5 years if kept as a pet. After 3 weeks of being pregnant, a gerbil can have 1 to 8 young. Gerbils will often stand on their back feet to see what's going on, but they always walk on 4 feet. The picture on the right is of a female and male gerbil.
Wild gerbils like to eat seeds, flowers, roots, leaves, and insects. You should feed your pet gerbil every 1 to 2 weeks. When you feed your gerbil you should check the water. Pet gerbils like to eat lettuce, carrots, banana peels and food from pet stores. If you feed your gerbil banana peels don't give them too much at once. Gerbils love to gnaw. They are probably the most well know gnawer next to the beaver.
Gerbils make homes under the ground called burrows. Just like almost any other rodent there are rooms for sleeping and eating. The entrance to the burrow is round and is made a certain way so wind can't get in. Sometimes gerbils will build their burrows right next to each other and form a colony. Since gerbils are most active during the night they mostly stay in their burrow eating and sleeping.
Gerbil
Gerbil
Gerbil
Gerbil
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