Another Yes/No answer here – as it depends on the context.
Yes – gerbils can shed their tail if the tail is pulled, trapped or damaged in some way – but no – they can’t choose to shed their tail.
Gerbil keepers are always told not to pick up a gerbil by the tail for good reason. Not only is it not strong enough to take the weight of the gerbil; it will hurt them (just like you being picked up by your arm) and if you are too near the end of the tail – you will be stretching the weak skin cells there enough that it could tear off.
How Do Gerbils Shed Their Tails?
Many animals in the wild have evolved to evade or fight off capture by predators. Many can run very fast, fly very high, or swim very deep to evade capture. Others have giant horns, sharp teeth or big claws to fight off predators.
But some have evolved other things on top of that too – little tricks.
And gerbils tails are one such adaptation.
This lovely long tufted tail is something to help gerbils balance when they scuttle quickly across the desert floor – changing direction and leaping all over the place between rocks, plants, snakes and eagles. However it is also something that is far behind them and so easily grabbed by a predator that got too close.
Having a tail that can be shed is a huge advantage.
Over the generations, gerbils who were caught by the tail were eaten – and taken out of the gene pool. However, those who had weaker skin on the tail came up trumps. If THEY were caught by their tail – it was torn off by the force of the gerbil running away.
Painful and detrimental overall yes, but the gerbils lived on – and bred. And we all know that breeding passes on advantageous traits – making sure the characteristic that made them so ‘fit’ for survival is passed on to their offspring.
Does It Hurt When A Gerbil Sheds Their Tail?
Absolutely it does – but it also affects the balance for a while too – and will bleed quite a lot.
Gerbils who have just shed their tail for whatever reason will act differently for a while afterwards due to the shock of the initial situation itself (predator/accident); the change in how they feel with that loss of counterweight; the fact it is bleeding and must feel quite sensitive; and a gerbils feeling of insecurity in its clan (injury could be seen as a weakness).
Losing a tail when it is caught though is much better than not losing a tail – so it is a very sensible compromise in the wild – but in the home – it should never happen.
However, unsuitable cages (bars on ladders and ledges can be potential danger zones) and enrichment (ladders, wheels with moving parts on the sides) can cause this – as can cats left in the same room as gerbils in a cage or with a topper – at any time – even supervised.
And also accidental or unsupervised handling – and unfortunately this is the most common.
If the person handling the gerbil is not confident; the gerbil is being held by many different people in the same time window or the handlers are holding the gerbil at height for a long period of time the risk of tail loss increases considerably.
Help, my gerbil has shed their tail!
First thing is to think of the safety of the gerbil – if it was caused by handling or when trying to be caught – make sure the gerbil is put in a safe place as soon as possible – and this doesn’t have to be back in their enclosure.
Catch them with or in a pot or tub if they are hard to catch or you are worried about the risk of them biting due to fear. Nobody wants an already scared gerbil to be screamed at or dropped due to biting someone accidently.
Once in a safe place – you can assess the tail stump – and see if you think they need treatment at their vets. Vets cannot do anything about the lost portion of the tail (so no need to take it with you) – but they can offer pain killers and anti-biotics incase it gets infected.
These antibiotics will be essential if the tail was lost through a cat attack – no matter if it was your own vaccinated house cat. All cats carry bacteria in their teeth and claws which can be fatal to small rodents.
Some people don’t or can’t take their gerbils to the vets after this type of injury – but it is essential that if you don’t or aren’t able to get to a vets that same day – then you need to make sure that your gerbil is:
- Kept calm, quiet and warm in its own or ideally a smaller enclosure (short term – so you can keep an eye on the tail and make sure it stops bleeding and doesn’t get infected);
- Kept with any clan mates the whole time – never keep one sick gerbil one their own as the risk of declanning is increased considerably;
- Kept on reduced-particle substrate where possible so that tiny pieces of fluff or shavings don’t get stuck on the open wound. If moving to a smaller hospital enclosure, ideally use only sheets of paper or torn up paper for the first 24-48 hours;
- Healing nicely. If the bleeding doesn’t stop overnight or gets worse; they are over-grooming their tail or start chewing it; the tail gets hot, red or swollen or hangs totally limp; they look like they have lost the normal use of their back legs; or they start acting very differently – get them to a vet as soon as you can as this isn’t a normal recovery.
A normal recovery is where the bleeding stops before morning and the gerbil is acting normally, moving naturally and eating and drinking as before – so you wouldn’t notice anything was wrong at all.
Can Gerbils ReGrow Their Tails?
Some animals – including reptiles and amphibians – can shed their tails in the same way after a predator attack – due to weak lateral cell bonds. However, due to their more elastic biology – they can sometimes regrow all or, more likely, part of their tail over time. They never grow back perfectly – but they can grow back.
Gerbils aren’t like that.
Like all mammals – we can’t grow body parts back. Once they are gone – they are gone.
Unfortunately, if your gerbils lose their tail – they can’t regrow it. So PLEASE be extra careful when letting other people handle your gerbils – or when other people are in the same room as your free-running gerbil. Not everyone will react the same way as you if they are suddenly startled by your gerbil – or think it is going to bite them.
How To Prevent A Gerbil Shedding Their Tail:
Simple preventative steps can help stop this from happening to your gerbils.
Never grab a gerbil by their tail – even close to the body – as it is a bad habit to get into – or to be seen to be doing.
If other family members see you using your gerbil’s tail yourself – they may not know you are only doing it close to the body and could then use any part of the tail if they ever find themselves having to catch it or lift it up.
People who aren’t gerbil people also think that if they pick it up by the tail it can’t bite them – so you can always tell how knowledgable a gerbil person is just by the way they hold gerbils safely and confidently by their body.
If your gerbils aren’t yet people-friendly or you are taming them (or they could be scared for whatever reason) – then confident gerbil people would always use a pot or tub to catch them, carry them or move them about safely in. So, make sure this is how you show your friends and family to do it too – before they make a terrible mistake when you aren’t there one day.
And – super double please – keep cats away from gerbil enclosures – especially if you have a section of your enclosure that is barred. Gerbil tails always stick out the sides when you least expect it and it can be just too much for a cat – even a really friendly one who has been in the same room as your gerbils ‘for years’ – to not grab it. They can’t help their instincts.