We have all been there – come home to find the gerbil’s enclosure open and nobody home! That moment of dread wondering where they could be and whether they are still safe. Rule Number 1 is always immediately – and watching every step – close the door to that room (no matter how big that … Read more
Great question – we have always wondered how many are out there (and I think it is over 50 if you count everything in the genetic class of Gerbillinae). We regularly hear of a new one in the pet trade (some interchangably called gerbils/jirds) and want to find out more. However, this one is just … Read more
Shaw’s Jird Facts – Definitions and Glossary Shaw’s Jirds are quite new as pets, but there is still plenty to know about them – so we have started a glossary to get things started for us all – and we will add more as we learn more ourselves – or something new develops. They are … Read more
Persian Jirds are one of the most wonderfully acrobatic and beautiful of the jirds currently kept as pets in Europe and the UK. They are rock-hopping, tree-climbing and fleece-snuggling members of the gerbil family – totally different to the majority of ground-dwelling burrow-digging destroyers-of-cardboard that we already know and love. Persian Jirds are very similar … Read more
Gerbils can certainly make their way around in dark places without having any trouble at all. The word ‘see’ can mean a few different things in the animal word – including seeing colour like us; seeing things in focus like us; being able to move around safely without bumping into things; or being able to … Read more
Gerbils, as pets, live on average between 2.5 and 4 years of age, but as high as 8 if you are to believe some of the stories? A breeder I know says they regularly top 4 years of age with their line of gerbils, but generally 4 is the uppermost age limit for most other … Read more
Mongolian gerbils make great pets and out of all the gerbils and jird species out there – they hold the single name ‘gerbil’ very proudly. All other gerbils or jirds need their full name to show how different they are to ‘gerbils’ 1: Gerbils are really Jirds? Gerbils – as we know them from … Read more
All mammals can swim – it’s a survival mechanism. Swimming for most land-based animals is by definition: not drowning, so when they are accidentally washed away by heavy rain or flooding – they can keep themselves above water for a set length of time in the hope of finding dry land. Most animals don’t ever … Read more
Not everyone gets a choice on which gerbils they split together. Most of the time they already have a single gerbil in their home and this is why they are looking up about Split Tanks online (hello and thanks for searching). There are some Split Introductions that are easier to do than others (adult gerbil … Read more
Welcome to the world of gerbil colour genetics – and I wish you a happy journey. Genetics is often talked about in the gerbil world – and it can seem very daunting at first – but I want to make it simpler for you. Here is just a nice broad overview introducing and exploring the … Read more