A gerbil is a rodent that lives in the wild. Most often it is found in the steppes and deserts. Recently, this animal often appears in homes as a pet.
Description
The gerbil, the photo of which is presented in the article, looks like an ordinary rat. The body length of the animal reaches twenty centimeters. The rodent's tail is longer - 24 cm. By the way, it can fall off. Only he does not grow back, as happens in lizards.
The rodent's muzzle can be either pointed or blunt. The eyes of the gerbil are large, convex. Her ears are clearly visible.
The color of the upper body is dull, plain (usually brown or buffy-sandy). The bottom of the animal is light. On the head, around the eyes and behind the ears, the gerbil has bright spots. If we talk about the number of teeth, then this rodent has sixteen of them. Sometimes it happens that they occur even without roots.
Rodents move due to elongated hind limbs. Hearing and vision organs are especially developed in gerbils.
Mongolian gerbil: description
There are many species of this rodent. The most common are Mongolian gerbils (clawed). This species is chosen by both lovers of domestic rodents and professional breeders. Because the Mongolian gerbils are easily tameable. Often these rodents are confused with jerboas.
The Mongolian gerbil lives in the deserts of North Africa, India, Asia. The animal is loyal to people. The beast leads a normal lifestyle, it is prone to the formation of colonies.
Typically, the rodent is active in the daytime. In winter, gerbils hibernate. These rodents are prone to depression and depression. The mouse gerbil reaches puberty by the tenth to sixteenth week. Life expectancy is three to four years.
In the desert, the gerbil feeds on shrubs and green parts of herbaceous plants.
Gerbils: maintenance and care. Fundamental rules
Before acquiring an animal for a rodent, it is worth creating certain conditions, it is worth buying a cage. Also suitable for housing terrarium (aquarium) from fifty liters.
If a gerbil at home will live in a cage, then it must have a high pallet.
The animal should put something for grinding teeth (for example, tree branches) so that it does not gnaw the cage or the plastic tray.
Furnishing a room for a new pet. What is needed for a full life of a rodent?
What to do if you have gerbils? The maintenance and care of these animals will be much simpler if they properly equip housing. Such rodents are very fond of digging. Therefore, for their comfort, it is worth pouring a large layer of sawdust (fifteen centimeters). Hay can also be added. Rodents from it will be able to create nests.
The gerbil should have constant access to water. Use special drinkers that can be attached outside the cage.
What to do to keep gerbils healthy? Maintenance and care require careful grooming. Animals can take sand baths on their own. For these purposes, put a special container with sand in the cage. This should be done approximately once a week.
The wheel can also be put in a cage to the animal. It is advisable to choose not plastic. A metal wheel with a mesh is the safest and most practical model.
All rodents that are kept in captivity, to one degree or another, are deficient in salts. Their source is mineral-salt or chalk stone for rodents. It is sold at pet stores. You can fix the stone on the wall motionless, or it is suspended on a wire.
It is convenient to hang the feeder above the level of sawdust, or put it on the second floor of the cage. Otherwise, gerbils will bury it or turn it over.
Since rodents are fairly clean, cleaning should be done only once every two weeks. This is because gerbils practically do not give an unpleasant smell, and liquids emit only four grams per day.
How to choose a gerbil? Advice to future owners
- It is necessary to pay attention to the appearance. The coat of the animal should fit snugly against the body. The ears and nose should be clean and the eyes shiny.
- Buying a beast is between the ages of one and a half to six months. Note that the older the gerbil becomes, the more difficult it is to tame it. In addition, you can accidentally choose an old rodent.
- Pay attention to the parents of the animal in order to understand what it will become when it grows up.
- Now in the Russian Federation there is a wide variety of colors of gerbils. Among them, you can choose the right one for you.
- If the rodent is lethargic, then perhaps it is sick. After all, a healthy animal must be active.
- If you do not have time to tame, then take a manual rodent better.
- I would like to note that gerbils miss one by one. Therefore, it is better to immediately get two males or females.
- When buying a beast, ask the seller what he fed him with. After all, the transition to a new type of food can provoke a disorder in a rodent.
- Before buying, weigh the pros and cons so that your new pet is truly a welcome animal.
- Where are gerbils sold? At the pet store, at the exhibition of rodents, at the pet market or at the breeder.
Feeding a pet: features of the diet. Healthy and unhealthy food for a rodent
The main diet of the gerbil is seeds and cereals. They make different mixtures for rodents. They can be bought at the pet store. The food for gerbils includes oats, millet, greens, sunflower seeds, corn, and legumes. Sometimes flakes and cereals can be added to them. Feed the gerbil twice a day, about one teaspoon per rodent.
If you have a pregnant or nursing home gerbil, then increase the feed rate. Soft foods should be part of the rodent's diet. The gerbil fit bread and cereal. You can also give cottage cheese and yogurt. Adding new food is worth it gradually. What else can be given to rodents? Vegetables and fruits (carrots, bananas, apples and others). Dried fruits can also please a rodent. Gerbil can not citrus fruits, cabbage and potatoes. The animal can be given fresh greens, as well as leaves and branches of fruit trees. A gerbil, whose photos are very funny, should eat only fresh food. Fatty, salty, sweet and salty foods are prohibited. Food from the table should not fall into the rodent's bowl. It is harmful to the animal.
Little conclusion
Now you know who gerbils are. The maintenance and care of these animals is quite simple. All important aspects of their content are described in the article. We also touched on the topic of care and feeding. We hope that now you can choose a pet for yourself, as well as properly maintain it.