No is the answer to your question – gerbils are one of the least scented of the small animals people keep in the home. There is no ‘gerbil smell’ associated with these guys.
Oftentimes people don’t even know you have a pet when they enter your home or apartment.
Gerbils have many adaptations to living in a harsh climate and environment, and one of these is the reduction in waste creation.
Basically they retain as much of what they eat and drink as possible and so create very little poo and wee into their environment. They are very efficient little eating machines.
As a result of their ability to absorb all the moisture and nutrients from their food, their volume of waste is greatly reduced compared to other animals and so you have less of it for starters.
Additionally – and thankfully – gerbils didn’t start to use their waste for scent marking like rats or mice. Gerbils have a special gland on their tummy to do that with – therefore their waste didn’t evolve to be stinky, extra sticky or oversized like other animals.
Therefore as a result of their evolution – gerbils don’t really create a smell.
A large deep-filled gerbil tank can last more than a month without needing a clean out because everything is being absorbed effectively. And even then, they only start to look like they need a clean out due to all the chewed up cardboard making a mess.
Therefore smaller tank or tubs (which can sweat in warm weather) or cages with less bedding or more plastic in them will start to smell sooner only because they are missing lots of absorbent bedding. They also have no raised clear surfaces for waste to sit on help to prolong the freshness of the main bedding. If gerbils can create their waste in a place you can lean more regularly – like a spot clean – then more will be left in the bedding itself.
But What If My Gerbils Do Smell?
Firstly, based on the above you have to think that there is something external to this smell. In a recommended normal set up with healthy adult gerbils – there really shouldn’t be a gerbil smell – so let’s look at all the things that are outside of that above equation.
And secondly – the same bedding can have different effects in different environments, so it is often a matter of changing your routine or something in your gerbil’s home to reduce the smell.
Your Gerbil Home:
It could be something not quite right with your gerbil’s home that is causing the smell – this doesn’t mean your gerbils are smelly – it is just the way some things enhance the smells…
Ventilation – Are your gerbils in a tank, tub or deep-bottomed cage that offers good ventilation? Without good ventilation – even the most spotless of creatures would have trouble staying fresh. Adding a topper to a tank or tub can help increase the airflow – or adding wire section to the lid of a large tub could have a similar effect.
Volume of Bedding – Do your gerbils have enough bedding in their home to allow their normal waste to be absorbed? Quite often, people put in shallow bedding so they can see all the house and wheel etc – just like for a hamster – but gerbils differ considerably in their needs – so bury that house under thick bedding and hang the wheel from the ceiling…
Placing of Bedding – Are you putting bedding in the right places? Gerbils like to clear a space on a glass, plastic or wooden ledge to do their business (the latter two are worse) and this then becomes an increased smell zone. They always need a toilet zone – so don’t try to stop them going there – just change it slightly, by covering it with cardboard or something you can swap out more often (but something that they can’t kick out the way). Alternately, put some different bedding there that is more absorbent – like corncob.
Offer them a different toilet? Gerbils often go to the toilet in their dust bath – perfect for controlling the mess in one place and keeping the main tank fresher for longer. Get yourself a large glass jar and leave it in the tank most of the time and they will ‘go’ in it as often as they want.
To clean this out – just get yourself a little tea-leaf sieve and regularly shake out the sand and take the droppings out the easy way. Once the sand bath contents have got too dark (having absorbed too much gerbil grease and wee) tip that lot out and start again.
Your Gerbils Themselves:
If the smell came with young gerbils – it could just be temporary and if it has developed suddenly in an older gerbil, then perhaps there is a health issue that is causing the problem. Best to check them over.
Young Gerbils – Young gerbils can produce a really strong smelling wee when they are scared or otherwise a bit wary of something. Usually this is apparent while you are handling them or playing with them for a while or when they are acting a little bit wary of your giant hands.
If they are jumpy pups, then the chances of them expelling this smelly wee is higher. It lingers for ages too – so clean the tank out asap if they have hit a hard surface with it. But be nice to them – they are scared.
Older Gerbils – With age comes the chance of illness – and several of these can mean that food and liquid isn’t so well digested or their body isn’t quite as flexible anymore and so their toilet behaviour can change. When the bladder, kidneys or liver stop functioning normally, you may notice their toilet behaviour changing.
Also with stiffer bodies or with symptoms of other illnesses (like weight gain with ovarian cysts or heart failure as above) they may not want to use their old toilet anymore – especially if it is far away or up a ladder. They may not even really care where they toilet at all.
Obviously, these things can affect the rate at which you need to clean their tanks. If you don’t speed up your routine or use a more suitable substrate, you may notice the smell more often. And it isn’t their fault of course – you are just helping an old friend in their time of need.
Injured Gerbils – Sometimes after an injury of operation, your gerbils behaviour might change – and as above this can affect their odour. I had an older female who started soiling on her wooden house after being ill (it was closer to her nest than her usual place) and it REALLY held the scent. Every time it got warm or she ‘used’ it again it was really noticeable – so that had to go in the bin…
So, the question: Do Gerbils Smell? should be turned on its head.
It is rarely ever the gerbils that smell themselves – it is a variety of situations where you need to find a balance between their behaviours and your actions.
Gerbils don’t have their own odor, per se, so it is up to you to extend their time living in their tank between changes by focusing on the ‘smell hotspots’ – or using this hotspot to see when something is wrong indicating that your gerbil may need to see a vet.