Gerbils
Species: Meriones unguiculatus
Diet: Omnivore
Size: 4 inches long + 4 inch tail
Weight: 2-4 ounces-male is bigger
Origin: Mongolia
Personality: Passive
Life Span: 2-3 years
Hi, I am Ginger the Gerbil. See me sleeping in my wheel up in the picture?(My friend next to me is named Lilac.)
I am a Mongolian Gerbil. My species originally live in Mongolia and have been brought to other places and bred for pets. Mongolian Gerbils like me are only about 4 inches long, but our tail is another 4 inches, so total length is about 8 inches for our bodies. We are fairly lightweight at 2-4 ounces. We girls are usually on the lighter end of the scale, while the boys tend to be bigger.
Behaviour
So, how do we normally behave? We can get very tame when pets. We tend to be very curious creatures and move in fast, jerking movements.
We are really social creatures too and we like to live in groups of at least 2. We usually will not bite you unless we think you are trying to hurt us. One tip...NEVER pick us up by the tail, OK? Our tails are really just an extension of our spines, so you see how that could get uncomfortable.
Food
We are very diverse when it comes to eating as we are omnivores, so we eat plant and meat based foods. We do need to have our pellets so we stay healthy. You can give us treats of seeds, fruits and veggies and even eggs and cheese.
Of course in the wild we eat things we find, like insects and seeds, vegetation and fruit.
Baby Time
So when we have babies we are pregnant for around 3-4 weeks. Like all Gerbils, I started out in life tiny, hairless, blind and deaf.
A Gerbil can have many babies in one litter. During about a week's time they are getting fuzz and growing more fur every day they get older. We start to hear too during that time. All this happens when we're near a week old. Our eyes won't open for another 2 weeks or so, so that when we first see anything we are around 3 weeks old.
Once we're about a month old..maybe 6 weeks our moms' wean us and we are pretty independent. The longer we stay with mom and dad though the better. Though at about 2-3 months old you will need to separate the girls from the boys..unless you want more Gerbils.
Life Span
How long do we live? Mongolian Gerbils like me usually live around 2-3 years. So you'll have us around for a good amount of time. In fact it has been said that some of us can live up to 8 years!
Ok well I need to go grab a snack, thanks for stopping by!
I am a Mongolian Gerbil. My species originally live in Mongolia and have been brought to other places and bred for pets. Mongolian Gerbils like me are only about 4 inches long, but our tail is another 4 inches, so total length is about 8 inches for our bodies. We are fairly lightweight at 2-4 ounces. We girls are usually on the lighter end of the scale, while the boys tend to be bigger.
Behaviour
So, how do we normally behave? We can get very tame when pets. We tend to be very curious creatures and move in fast, jerking movements.
We are really social creatures too and we like to live in groups of at least 2. We usually will not bite you unless we think you are trying to hurt us. One tip...NEVER pick us up by the tail, OK? Our tails are really just an extension of our spines, so you see how that could get uncomfortable.
Food
We are very diverse when it comes to eating as we are omnivores, so we eat plant and meat based foods. We do need to have our pellets so we stay healthy. You can give us treats of seeds, fruits and veggies and even eggs and cheese.
Of course in the wild we eat things we find, like insects and seeds, vegetation and fruit.
Baby Time
So when we have babies we are pregnant for around 3-4 weeks. Like all Gerbils, I started out in life tiny, hairless, blind and deaf.
A Gerbil can have many babies in one litter. During about a week's time they are getting fuzz and growing more fur every day they get older. We start to hear too during that time. All this happens when we're near a week old. Our eyes won't open for another 2 weeks or so, so that when we first see anything we are around 3 weeks old.
Once we're about a month old..maybe 6 weeks our moms' wean us and we are pretty independent. The longer we stay with mom and dad though the better. Though at about 2-3 months old you will need to separate the girls from the boys..unless you want more Gerbils.
Life Span
How long do we live? Mongolian Gerbils like me usually live around 2-3 years. So you'll have us around for a good amount of time. In fact it has been said that some of us can live up to 8 years!
Ok well I need to go grab a snack, thanks for stopping by!