Gerbils can be found in the sandy plains of Africa, Asia and the Middle East.
Gerbils are rodents, this means they have large chisel-like incisors which constantly grow through out their whole life! (this is why it is essential that gerbils have lots of safe wood to gnaw on!)
Gerbils have long tails that are used for balance and can be shed if caught by a predator! (Never pick up a gerbil by it's tail)
Gerbils love to burrow and have sharp claws to do so (in the wild they have been known to build extensive tunnel networks to protect themselves from predators).
The life expectancy of a gerbil is 2-3 years (although they can live longer!).
Gerbils naturally travel in groups, this is why its best to have more than one gerbil. Remember that gerbils that are kept together should be siblings (brothers with brothers or sisters with sisters!) or they could fight aggressively
Gerbils have well adapted kidneys meaning they produce little waste and conserve water, this makes them a low odour pet (although their cages should still be cleaned weekly with pet safe disinfectant!)
Gerbils are bad swimmers meaning you should never put a gerbil in water (They need chinchilla sand and a bowl to bathe, not water!)
It is normal for gerbils to sleep on and groom each other!
It is important that gerbils water gets changed daily as well as being fed their balanced food once a day ( a teaspoon per gerbil).
Gerbils bedding also needs to be changed weekly ( I recommend wood shavings for bedding however try to stay clear of ceder based products!)
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