Well, finally, we are in a position to get ourselves some doops. We have looked after one for someone before and fell in love – she was called Christie (born at Christmas if you didn’t guess how she got her name) and she was adorable. Totally. And her wheel (below) was her most favourite thing. … Read more
Mongolian gerbils (Meriones unguiculatus) are by far a more readily available and the more well-known of these two gerbil species – whereas the fat-tailed gerbils (Pachyuromys duprasi) are quite new to the fancy. You can buy both in decent exotic pet stores these days – but you are much more likely to see a Mongolian … Read more
Absolutely it is. Gerbils belong to the same giant family (well Order) as hamsters, mice, squirrels, beavers and even giant capybara – however, they are not that closely related to get excited about. Rodents are so named from the Latin word ‘to gnaw’ which gerbils do very well indeed. Who hasn’t had their gerbils gnaw … Read more
We all know gerbils are great – but there is an eponymous gerbil which is actually known as a Great Gerbil – and he is great in both name and size. Rhombomys opimus, as he is known to his friends, is a gerbil of such proportions that your 10″ Silent Spinner would quake in its … Read more
Gerbils are originally from central Asia – mainly Mongolia – which is where they get their full name from: Mongolian Gerbils (or Mongolian Jirds – but either way, Mongolia is the place to be). They are found across a wide area of Asia around Mongolia along with all their relatives, including the Shaw’s Jirds, Tamarisk … Read more
If you are talking about ‘normal’ gerbils – the adorable angels we see in most pet stores and forums – then they get the perfect size to hold in your hand – especially for younger hands. (Their hearts are even bigger though.) They are a little bit shorter in length than a Syrian hamster and much, … Read more
Definition: An adorably cute fluffy thing with large back legs and a long tufted tail which takes delight in; a) chewing EVERYTHING to pieces, b) kicking their bedding all over the place all the time, c) starting to bang a piece of wood against the side of their tank when their owners are at a … Read more