Gerbil
Gerbils are a family of rodents. There are about 110 species of gerbils. All gerbils are adapted to arid habitats. At one time, gerbils were known as wild rats. Most gerbils are diurnal, some are crepuscular. The gerbil is native to Central Asia, India, the Middle East, and Africa. The average length of a gerbil is usually between six and twelve inches, this includes the tail which makes up one half of the total length. The gerbil is also a common household pet.
| Gerbil Temporal range:
late Miocene - Recent | |
|---|---|
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | |
| Phylum: | |
| Class: | |
| Order: | |
| Suborder: | |
| Superfamily: | |
| Family: | |
| Subfamily: | Gerbillinae Gray, 1825
|
Species of gerbil include:
- Fat-tailed gerbil, whose tail gets bigger when it eats.
- Great gerbil, the biggest type of gerbil
The Mongolian gerbil is one of around 110 species, but it is the most popular to have for a pet. The Mongolian gerbil was discovered in 1800 but was not studied until 1866. All domestic gerbils come from just a few gerbils from 1930.
A gerbil is smaller than a rat but bigger than a mouse. It depends on the species. From just mice and rats the gerbil has a tail with hair and it ends with a tassel. A gerbil is around 5-6 inches long but with the tail it is around 11-12 inches. There are bigger gerbils too like the Great gerbil who has a 7-8 inches long body and 7-8 inches long tail.
Gerbil Media
Wilhelma Zoo, Stuttgart, Germany
Pied cream gerbil in a curious pose
2-day-old Mongolian gerbils
Pet gerbils eating millet
Pet gerbil eating toilet paper
Gerbils enjoy human company.
A Burmese colored gerbil.
Other websites
- Gerbil Care Guide
- The National Gerbil Society (U.K.)
- The American Gerbil Society
- TheGerbils.com - Everything about the gerbil!
- Gerbils at Popular Pets Archived 2007-05-22 at the Wayback Machine
- Information on Gerbils Archived 2008-07-23 at the Wayback Machine