Mongolian Gerbil Colours

The wild colour of Mongolian gerbils is Agouti and selective breeding has given the pet Mongolian gerbil dozens of different coat colours in captivity. These include basic coat colours such as Argente Cream, Argente Golden, Black, Dove, Golden Agouti, Grey Agouti, Lilac and Slate.

Gerbil also come in more complex colours such as Black Eyed White (BEW), Champagne (Spotted Schimmel), Colorpoint Agouti, Colourpoint black (burmese), Colourpoint grey agouti (smoke/pearl), Colorpoint Nutmeg, Dark Eyed Honey, Dark Tailed White, Honey Cream, Light Colourpoint Agouti, Light Dark Eyed Honey, Nutmeg, Pink eyed White (PEW), Polar Fox, Sapphire, Schimmel, Siamese, Silver Nutmeg, Spotted Siamese, and Topaz.

At between 8-2 weeks gerbils will moult for the first time and with some colourations this can result in a change of colour. The most drastic example is with the Nutmeg as featured on the right, as the orange will gradually fade as the brown ticking of the coat becomes more prominent.

Eye colours

Gerbil eyes come in black, wine (black with a reddish tint), ruby (deep red) and pink. There are no albino gerbils - these are either pink eyed whites or red eyed whites.

Gerbils with pink or ruby eyes can have poorer eyesight that those with black, and sometimes you can observe a pink-eyed gerbil rocking slightly which shows they are having difficult focusing. If this is observed in a black-eyed gerbil then it should be investigated as it could be a sign of an ear infection or other illness.

Patterns

In addition to the basic colours:

• Spotted: spotted gerbils have a small diamond on their forehead. They may also have a small amount of white on the neck, but this will not go further down the shoulders.
• Pied: pied gerbils have white markings on the forehead and the neck. The white will also be on shoulders and down to front paws with some visible on their lower back.
• Mottled: mottled gerbils have more white than pied gerbils and heavier markings on their lower back. Where the white is more widespread, this is known as heavy mottled.

Mongolian Gerbil Diet

Gerbils are natural foragers, so scatter feeding gives them a good opportunity for this and is more interesting for them. Just take a few handfuls of food and scatter them across their enclosure. Feeding without bowls can also help reduce the possibility of fighting between your gerbils, as it is not possible for one to sit in the bowl to guard it.

A Mongolian gerbil diet is quite simple; on average you should offer one tablespoon, roughly 10g, per gerbil per day. However, this will depend on the efficiency of your mix and it is always better to overfeed than underfeed. Providing your gerbil has plenty of room to burrow, run and a solid-based wheel to exercise in then they should maintain a healthy weight. An average healthy gerbil should weigh between 70-100g, though an older male may weigh more. Any rapid weight loss should always mean a vet visit as it can be an indication of something serious.

A Mongolian gerbil diet should include the following:

Basic seed mix

such as a commercial gerbil mix. Gerri Gerbil provides a good mix for gerbils.

Supplements

you can mix in foods such as rabbit pellets, crushed oats, wheat, corn flakes, pumpkin seeds, monkey nuts and small amounts of sunflower seeds.

Fresh

washed greens, vegetables and fruit . Things such as bananas, apples, carrots, broccoli.

Water

Gerbils require very little water, but some should always be available for daily use.

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Treats

protein such as small amounts of scrambled egg, boiled chicken, mealworms, cheese or tuna are appreciated. Small pieces of bread, toast or millet are also popular. Sunflower seeds and pumpkin seeds are very popular but should not be fed too frequently as they can lead to obesity. Cooked cous-cous also seems to be a favourite.

Mongolian Gerbil Behaviour

Gerbils are very active rodents with a strong sense of curiosity and are friendly towards humans. They are voracious chewers and burrowers; it is important to supply pet gerbils with plenty of chewing material and a deep layer of substrate.

Mongolian gerbils make excellent, friendly pets that must have same-sex company. Some keepers report that girls have a higher chance of declanning in later life than boys.

Male gerbils can be stable in groups of up to four, whereas for girls it is best to keep only a pair as they are more likely to declan in later life.

Mongolian Gerbil behaviour is extremely territorial. You can never introduce a single gerbil to an established group - it will be killed. The only exception to this is when a pair of just weaned pups is introduced to a lone adult male. A single gerbil can be introduced to another single gerbil, or a pair to a pair, using a split-cage

Boxing

Boxing gerbils will stand on hind legs and push at the other gerbil. This is a way of establishing dominance without injury and both males and females will display this behaviour.

Fighting

As mentioned above, an adult single gerbil can only be introduced safely to another adult gerbil using the split-cage method. However even established groups can declan, and fighting between gerbils can be extremely serious. This can occur when the dominant gerbil becomes older, or even something as simple as one gerbil being handled more than the other. If one gerbil chases another without stopping to do any other action, if blood is drawn, or if you see most seriously then roll into a ball together you will need to intervene. A pair of gardening gloves is useful to help separate them since gerbils can bite quite hard. If blood has been drawn, or a ball occurred, then you will need to separate and consider reintroducing via a split-cage.

Foot thumping

This drumming sound is produce by a gerbil thumping its hind feet and is a method they use to communicate. It can indicate when they are frightened or startled, but also sexual excitement.

High nose

If a gerbil is curious they may stand on their hind legs, with front paws held loosely apart - if their posture is stiffer, with paws held tightly together, then they have been startled and are on alert.

Stereotypical burrowing

You may see your gerbil burrowing constantly in the corner of their tank. This compulsion does not harm your gerbil and you can distract them. Recent scientific papers have now shown that if gerbils are raised in an artificial burrow system that they then do not develop this behaviour at all. 

Slow-motion

Some gerbils will display this behaviour when startled, and they seem to move in slow motion or in fits and starts.

Scent gland marking

Gerbils have a scent mark on their bellies and they will rub this across items in the tank and on other gerbils to mark them. Excessive scent marking can lead to fighting or the gerbil developing a scent gland tumour so it needs careful monitoring.