pity, RIP.

2ft tank will be ok for a pair of gerbils, normal 2ft, for good, you can put up to 4. too crowded not good.
for the sand, try not to use it too much, you can put some same in a pot then leave it in the tank, gerbils will auto go and clean their self in the pot/container.
on the other hand, although gerbils pee not smelly, once if use sand it will stick on the sand, like cat pee in sand, sort of.
if you use sand as a based, means no bedding, normally gerbils will dig, more often will hid inside the hole, only night come out.
and if want to pet or play with them, will be very hard, and will scare the gerbils get frighten of you.
so prefer you put bedding (not pine bedding) then put some toys and hay inside.
you can check some picture on the 1st page there, around like that.
what shop tell you, please not follow exactly, some info is useful, some is nonsense.


sorry zazi, i forgot to contact you back once i free. totally sorry.
i will take the 2 of them.
but then i thought last time you left 1 tank only, how come now still got the other tank?


about the inbreeding, definitely NO NO NO...
for scorpion, tarantula and some exotic animal (i forgot what term already, intervebrata, i think, or spell wrong), is ok for inbreed, cos due to genetic something, you can find it in google.
but then not for mammals. there will have genetic problems. just like human. surely NO INBREED, as what has mention in the 1st page.
that's why you can see nowadays those hamsters, guinea pig, gerbils, they don't live long, shortly died already.
if want get from the shop, make sure no family, at least separate family, to reduce the inbreed chance.
cos last time i bought few from shop, end up not long only, some of belly tumor, some nose bleeding, fur lost, tail bleeding.
all these not happen due to not clean, fighting or what, is due to inbreed.
i remember the belly tumor one, the one i got is colour Lilac, just bought not reach 2 months, died already.
so be careful on it. get separate family, or you get on from 1 shop, the other one from other shop. keep the inbreeding to minimum or if can zero.
since you going to get a male and female (if and only if you plan to breed it), if not please just get 2 male or 2 female.
cause once breed, will have a lot of work, you have to keep in different tank for male and female or avoid inbreed and so on so forth.

Hi zoejehuty, thanks for your reply. I have some confusion, if i get one from a shop then another one from another shop, if both the gerbils is inbreed by different supplier for shop, then it would be just the same as i take both from one shop right? Unless you are meaning that if i want to breed them, then i shall get each gerbils from different shop(to decrease the chances of them from the same family).

I'm quite worried with the health of gerbils from shop as well, but i tried to find homebreed seller in lyn or net, but cant find any. I even find it dificult to find a shop selling mongolian gerbil. Hamster is everywhere but not gerbil, i wonder why.

I'm actually planning to breed a family, then neuter the male one. This is also the reason i bought the 2 ft aquarium, for the family to stay. If too many lil gerbils from the mom's first, then will probably give out to ppl or friends.

Any recomendation of home breed gerbils or shop?
Will check on the shop mentioned by Ohiki

http://forum.lowyat.net/index.php?showtopi...126&hl=fat+tail

Home breeder... but its fat tail gerbil...

Ohiki, i prefer mongolian gerbils over fat-tail gerbils, maybe due to the mongolian gerbils are more proactive and jumping
I went to Pet Family this morning, unfortunately they said the gerbils sold out.

I went back to SS2mall pet shop, they got 2 young gerbils. But i saw both of them got something red on their nose, very tiny, its like dry blood. So i ask the shop owner. One of the young gerbil is quite active while another is not as active, and the eyes cant fully open. Then shop owner said maybe the not so actve one is hurt. I think they are sick. So maybe i 'll just take the one which i think got nose blood but is active. hmmmm Not sure how as there's very limited shop selling gerbils.

Wondering why not many shop selling gerbils, anyone knows? Why not as popular as hamster? And the popularity difference is quite big as well, hmm....

hmm, then u have to think carefully on which to get... a lot TLC need to those that injured or sick... make sure read more on care those that sick.

now demand quite low, same like last time.
last time quite a number because there got lot home breeder.
but then slowly some died off, some don't want to breed anymore.

some even not breeding or selling for pet, they use as feeder... haih...

OMG feeder ? gerbil is more cute than mice...wasted...

Ohiki, do you have gerbil yourself? How many do you have?
I've been searching for gerbil this few days, went to quite a few petshop, but none selling gerbils.
Any other place selling?

Everytime i went to a shop and was told they are not selling gerbils, i will thought to myself, hmm maybe gerbils dont look nice. But then after i saw the gerbils in ss2mall petshop again(i went to ss2mall everyday cos i live very near and i love to eat the kikkok biscuit there), the feeling of owning them will come back, cos they are very active and cute as well, most important they dont smell
Now the petshop have 4 gerbils, 2 young and 2 matured, previously they only have 2 matured and just recently they add in the young ones inside. Surprised me, the four gerbils get along very well, i can see they all slept together covered by the hay, so damn adorable,.. sometimes i'll have the urge to just straight buy four of them since they get along so well..

..so wish there'll be more gerbil owner in lyn here haha.

currently dont have, but then will get from zazi. cos last time promise to take but then i was busy then didnt go to kl.
previously i have around 13 or 15 gerbils.

now pet shop hard to get gerbils, have to wait. once have then just get it.
if you wish to get from pet shop then i try to get from different pet shop, not all from on shop. if you think of wan to breed it. if duwna breed it, get all from one shop will be ok.

I keep them as feeder...ive got about 20-25 of them rite now
Gerbil much easier to keep compared to rat or mice...it wont stink either

[quote=terces,Feb 25 2011, 04:34 PM]
Ohiki, do you have gerbil yourself? How many do you have?
I've been searching for gerbil this few days, went to quite a few petshop, but none selling gerbils.
Any other place selling?

I think you can get from Silverbolt143.. since he's keeping them as feeder... your act of buying them will save some poor cute fellow

I keep hamster only at the moment. Sad case...

If you want to breed them... buy 1 from pet shop first... then the balance from Silverbolt143 ?

Better think carefully on the taking care part... not just only they are cute... not easy to take care in the long run...

they don't need wheels???

Should not be a problem...male/female also got...
But i dont have nice coat collection la...
Mostly black and agouti or nutmeg (i dont really know how to differentiate nutmeg & agouti )....
Only few honey, white & grey coat...

To be frank, I love gerbil as pet
Only feed the black coat to my ball python

Gerbil very territorial, prepare lot of cage if anyone plan to mass breed...

you should consider put up a post to sell them... the price of one gerbil can buy you a lot of pinky...

they don't bite your snake to fight till the end before being eaten ?

I bought mine already heeee.
They are cute, but hard to see if they are male and female cos still too young.
But the shop said is male n female.

The color i got is fine yellow(dont know wht u guys called, honey?) and a nutmeg/agouti.
Anyway i love the nutmeg/agouti more cos he is more tamed and not as naughty as the yellow one.
The yellow one is more proactive.

The 1st day i bring them back, i straight away trained them to feel secure with my hands by feeding them food on my hands.
Now even i dont have foods, they'll climb to my hands whenever my hand was inside the aquarium.

Wanna ask. Sometimes they lick the aquarium, and the nutmeg/agouti even keep licking my hands non stop on 1st day. Is this bcos they want water?
They sometimes(but the yellow gerbil is most of the time) trying to jump or searching for way out from the aquarium. They keep jumping to aquarium trying to get out. Is this means they dont like the current home(in aquarium)? Or is their normal behavior?

Lastly, a pic of them

Chinchila & Chinchiba

wow.. nice landscaping

you do it your own ?

usually pet shop will hang a bottle of water for them...also try to give them a little hut to sleep inside.

which pet shop you found them ?

They look very young from the pictures.. Adults dont look like that.. They look more like bullet shape when they r young, compared to a normal mouse-look when adult..

They are master escapers, be sure to cover the top of your enclosure with wire mesh.. Hang a water bottle for them..

Ahhh I miss having gerbils. Mine died a couple of years. ago. =(

Ya, i made it. Organized the interior with aquarium wood, then add 4 packs of dry sand integrate with timothy hay.
The gerbils will auto made their sleeping place with hays. or sometimes they'll hide under the wood, i made it a little like maze.
Bought in ss2mall pet shop.

Ya, they are young. i think around 1 - 2 months.
I feed them water with hamster bottle. maybe later goin to hang it.


dont miss having one, why dont go and have one


====================================================================================

Hi guys, is it posible to check if they are female or male while they are young?
I try to differentiate their sexes based on internet info, but cant, they both seems like same.
I cant see the separate testis in male also, just both look same... hmmm will it be same sex...?..shop made a mistake?

Erm... Do gerbils need wheels like hamster??

ya, if you plan to breed gerbils, it cost a lot of time to take care and maintain.
if you plan to just keep a pair, then less hassle work.
but then for me i suggest that keep a pair will be ok.
cos if breed, in ethical way, you have to make sure not inbreed.
if wan breed till certain colour, then you need to study on the gene.
this is why last time i just keep them, but then breeding them.

they need wheels, but it depends on the characteristic of each gerbils, some like it, some dont, just like hamsters.
but then they need a special wheel, sort of like sugar glider wheel will be better.
cos if you use those hamster wheel, it will hurt their back bone and body.
and make sure the wheel is not steel wheel with bar, cos scare their tail will caught in between the bar.

if next time i wan then i can get form you, but then since you breed for feeder, then i bet mostly is inbreed right?
for nutmeg, young time is like orange colour, but then when adult will turn to brown colour, for agouti, is more the grey white colour.
by the way, you have honey and white, is nice. i didnt manage to own these colour last time.


ya, from the picture, is very young, so you have take more good care of them, cos without their mom, some very hard to take care, worst come to worst, will get sick and die. for gerbils, is like hamster, sickness hard to notice.
if wan check they are male or female, try to check on how many tits they have. normally male have 2, female got 6, correct me if wrong. thanks.
from the picture hard to determine their colour, and some more is young, so a bit hard.
ya, good, train them become more tame, then you can hold them and play with them.
starting by giving food, then slowly after some time, or in the same period, try to pick them up.
let them smell and lick your finger or hand. so that they can get use to your sense.
if your scare they bite, just blow their head if you feel they wan to bite, but then dont take away your hand.
for easy, when ever your wan to hold them or wat, just rub your hand with the bedding inside.
the used to lick the aquarium or your hand, they just wan to know the sense only.
gerbils consume less water, but even though is less, you have to provide them with water, just hand a water bottle inside the tank.
but then be careful, cos gerbils like to chew, if your dont do some protection on the bottle, eventually they will chew off the water bottle, this happen to mine and most of gerbils owner.
check my post in the 1st page or what in this thread or in previous version, i did some diy wire mesh around my water bottle.
they are jumper, is their behavior, as record, some can jump around 2ft or 2 meters, i forgot already.
so you will see them always jump in the cage, if wan to see them jump more, get a higher tank.
like kelvin said, make sure you close the cage properly. if not, they like scorpion or centipede, is a great escape artist.
hope you enjoy the time with them.

This post has been edited by zoejehuty: Mar 11 2011, 07:29 PM