Mongolian Gerbil

About the species

The Mongolian gerbil is a small, intensely social rodent from the arid steppe of Mongolia and northern China, where wild families dig extensive shared burrow systems together. Captivity does not switch this instinct off, so most of its care really comes down to shaping a cage around that dig-first nature.

It is one of the few small rodents that can be recommended without hesitation to families with children and to complete first-time keepers – it is clean, almost odourless, and rarely bites once handled correctly. It is often compared to a hamster, since the two are a similar size, but socially they are opposites: most hamster species must live alone, while a gerbil suffers without company.

Never kept alone

A gerbil needs at least one same-sex companion, ideally a littermate, because in the wild it lives in family groups sharing a burrow system; a solitary gerbil shows signs of anxiety and stress regardless of how much attention its owner gives it. Two males or two females introduced together while young will typically coexist peacefully for life.

Introducing a new gerbil

An unfamiliar adult gerbil should never simply be placed into an existing group, since the residents will most likely attack it as an intruder. The established method is a gradual, split-cage introduction – the animals spend a few days in neighbouring sections of the same cage separated by a mesh divider, getting used to each other's scent and presence, before being combined under supervision on neutral territory. It is a slower process than with many other rodents, but it substantially lowers the risk of a fight.

A cage built for digging

Because burrowing is instinctive, gerbils need at least 20-30cm of substrate, deep enough to dig real tunnels rather than just scratch the surface. An enclosed tank or a tall enclosure with glass or solid plastic sides suits them better than a standard wire rodent cage, since gerbils happily push and scatter bedding straight through bars. A dish of specialised chinchilla-type sand should always be available in a corner – regular sand bathing keeps the coat clean and free of excess oil, with no water needed.

Diet and gnawing

A good commercial gerbil seed-and-grain mix, topped up with small amounts of vegetables, should form the base of the diet; oily seeds and sugary treats are best kept occasional, since rodents in general put on weight quickly on a predominantly fatty diet. Because its incisors grow continuously, a gerbil needs constant access to wood or dedicated chews – without it, teeth can overgrow and make eating difficult.

Active at dawn and dusk, not day or night

Gerbils are neither strictly diurnal nor nocturnal but crepuscular, most lively in the early morning and late evening, with shorter bursts of activity and dozing scattered through the rest of the day. A running wheel, tubes and the occasional rearrangement of the cage layout help burn off the energy that would otherwise go into digging kilometres of tunnels.

Handling and the fragile tail

A gerbil should never be picked up by the tail – the skin can tear off and will not grow back – so it should always be lifted with both hands supporting its body from underneath. This fragility is exactly why children can help care for a gerbil, but only under adult supervision.

Temperature and health

Despite their desert origin, gerbils cope surprisingly poorly with heat and overheating; room temperature should stay around 20-24°C, with the cage kept away from radiators, direct sun and draughts. As a species adapted to dry conditions with highly concentrated urine, regular bedding changes and good ventilation matter – without them, ammonia builds up quickly in the cage and irritates the respiratory tract. Its only company should be other gerbils – the presence of cats, dogs or other predators triggers prey stress, so keep the cage well away from them.

Pros & cons