2 Cheapest Gerbils To Keep as Pets

Gerbils are super fun and cute pets to keep, and they don’t take that much to take care of! Gerbils are in the classification of rodents, alongside mice, and are a very popular pet for a multitude of reasons. They are energetic, love to play with their owners and toys, and are very intelligent. With that, there are only two types of gerbils typically kept as pets. These gerbils are the Mongolian Gerbil and the Fat Tailed Gerbil. These gerbils are very fun and friendly with their owners and are in pet stores pretty much everywhere! Both of these gerbils are also around $20-$40, on the cheaper side for many pets! If you’re thinking about getting a gerbil as a pet in the future, and want to know more about the two popular species and colors, keep reading below to learn more about how amazing gerbils are!

Mongolian Gerbils, Colors, and Care

Mongolian gerbils are easily the most popular gerbil species in the world for pet keeping. These gerbils, as in the name, originate from the highlands in Mongolia. There are plenty of reasons why they are popular, such as their cuteness, but there are also practical reasons for their popularity. Mongolian gerbils are famous for their playful yet gentle natures. They do not often bite, only doing so when under stress. These gerbils are perfect for pets for all kinds of people, whether children or adults. There are also a variety of wonderful colors to choose from. Keep reading below to learn more about the amazing colors and care for Mongolian gerbils.

Colors

For the Mongolian gerbil, there are 8 main color types. These colors are Argente cream, Argente golden, Black, Dove, Golden Agouti, Grey Agouti, Lilac, and Slate. With these colors come 3 different patterns as well! The first is the spotted gerbil. This pattern gerbil has small spots around its body, notably with a small diamond-esque shape on its head. The spotted gerbil’s spots do not go down past the shoulders, giving it its own unique classification. The pied pattern is similar to the spotted gerbil, but its markings and spots go down to the front paws. The mottled gerbil is a pattern where there are more white markings on their lower backside. While each pattern may have a bit of overlap, they all have their own unique aspects to them.

The color of the gerbil does not affect the gerbil’s behavior or temperament. With so many colors, patterns, and unique variety, the aesthetic choice of which gerbil to get is for the owner to make! If one color catches your eye, go for it, and enjoy taking care of your gerbil!

Care

Gerbils are relatively easy pets to take care of. There are a few things to take into account though when starting off with taking care of gerbils! One of the first, and most important things to remember, is that gerbils are very social creatures. This will mean either playing with your gerbil frequently or having another gerbil companion for them to play with! Gerbils are also very active pets! They are constantly running around and playing in their cage and will take short naps throughout the day to recharge. This energy comes out a lot of the time as chewing on anything and everything!

It is important to build and maintain a cage that can withstand the chewing of gerbils! One of the best ways to prevent chewing on anything you might not want to is to buy chew sticks! These sticks are a quick solution to preventing any unwanted chew marks throughout the cage. That being said, be sure to invest in a metal wire or other sturdy cages. This will make any escape attempts or damage to the cage impossible! Inside the cage as well, invest in decorations that can withstand the bites of your gerbil! Other than that, gerbils are relatively easy to take care of!

Fat Tailed Gerbil, Colors, and Care

Fat-tailed gerbils are the other popular gerbil species to be kept as a pet. These gerbils are extremely cute and get their name from their tail! These gerbils also have hair on the longer side, making them different from the Mongolian gerbil. Fat-tailed gerbils originate from desert regions such as the Mediterranean. Given this, these gerbils have adapted to be able to survive in the climates of deserts, influencing their colors and behavior.

Colors

There are only a few colors of fat-tailed gerbils. These are typically tan or grey in color. This is because, due to evolution, these gerbils have adapted to blend in with the environment to avoid predators. Some fat-tailed gerbils also have hints of black throughout their fur, giving them a pop of darker color. There are not many patterns with these gerbils however as most of them have pink noses and ears. On the belly and claws, they typically will have white fur. While these colors can change, it is not often common, so be on the lookout!

Care

There is not much difference in care for fat-tailed gerbils than for Mongolian gerbils except for one major point! That is they are not very social with other gerbils. If put into cages with other gerbils, they can become very aggressive, even with their own kin. Because of this, be careful in possibly buying more gerbils in the future. Fat-tailed gerbils also are good if sand is used in their cage instead of paper/wood shavings. Do whatever you can to make your gerbil comfortable! Their love will make it all worth it!

Fun Facts

One fun fact about gerbils is that they are easily toilet-trained! Given that they originate from the desert, they are not accustomed to using the bathroom very often. This means that by making a small place in the cage out of the sand, the gerbil will naturally drift to using the restroom there! One fun fact, or sad fact, is that gerbils are actually illegal to own in the state of California! Given that gerbils are technically considered rodents, they can be a bit dangerous for the natural ecosystem. The state decided it would be best to manage and control its population instead of letting it run wild!

Gerbils are also famous for being able to jump very high given their size. They are able to jump up to a foot into the air! There are some people who have taken this skill to the extreme, teaching their gerbils to jump onto their shoulders or heads! This makes for a really fun party trick! Gerbils are also pretty smart creatures capable of memorization! When placed into mazes with a treat at the exit, a gerbil will naturally be able to make its way through of course! If you keep running them through this course, the gerbil will memorize it, and have no trouble solving it in the future! When placed in front of the entrance again, the gerbil can easily make its way through, even without the calling of a treat at the other side!

Finally, gerbils can live anywhere between 5-7 years for the most part! They are wonderful pets to have at any point in life! They are fun and exciting, and are masters of tunneling through pretty much anything that can be chewed! Because of this, be careful about where you let them roam around in the house!

Summary

Gerbils are one of the most sought-after pets out there! They are tiny, cute, and easy to take care of, making them ideal for any kind of person to own! That being said, there are only a few kinds of gerbil species that are kept as pets, and deciding which one is best for you can be a bit difficult. Whatever choice you go with, you’ll surely be happy regardless!

The photo featured at the top of this post is © iStock.com/Skyimages