Gerbils live in pairs or groups in a glass tank, not a barred cage, with bedding deep enough to dig burrows. Woodgreen’s minimum tank for two is 100 x 50 x 50 cm.
Pet
Gerbils
How many
Your tank or cage
Your tank against each minimum
As an Amazon Associate, What Do Pets Need earns from qualifying purchases.
Tank size
Woodgreen asks for at least 100 cm long, 50 cm wide and 50 cm high (39.4 x 19.7 x 19.7 in) for two gerbils, and 120 cm long for three. RSPCA’s gerbilarium is ideally about 50 cm high, so gerbils can dig and still stand upright above ground: an adult is about 12 cm tall.
RSPCA uses solid glass walls, a secure wire-mesh top and a solid floor. The MSD manual’s 5 gallons per gerbil and VCA’s 10 gallon tank are far smaller. Aqueon’s 20 Long, 30¼ x 12½ x 12¾ in outside, is about 77 x 32 x 32 cm, short of Woodgreen’s size on every side.
Company
RSPCA says gerbils need other gerbils and should never be kept alone, in same-sex pairs or groups formed early in life. Scottish SPCA, RVC and the MSD manual also keep them in pairs or groups; the MSD manual prefers same-sex pairs from one litter. VCA disagrees: it usually houses adults alone, as adults introduced for the first time will fight.
Temperature
RSPCA gives 20–24 °C, RVC 16–21 °C and the MSD manual 60–70 °F (16–21 °C) with humidity below 50%. RVC keeps the tank out of direct sunlight, where it overheats easily.
Bedding and wheel
Bedding goes 20–30 cm deep (RSPCA) or 20–25 cm (Woodgreen). The sources disagree on what it’s made of, from woodchips and hay to organic soil, and on sawdust: see bedding for small pets.
Woodgreen gives gerbils a 12 in (30.5 cm) solid upright wheel that isn’t plastic. RSPCA’s is axle-free with a solid structure, so feet and legs can’t get trapped. See wheel sizes by pet.
Everyday food
Gerbil pellets should have 18–20% protein, and the MSD manual feeds 5 g a day. RSPCA adds fruit, such as pear, melon, apple and oranges, and vegetables, such as cucumber, carrot, pumpkin and fennel.
Never feed grapes or rhubarb, which RSPCA says are poisonous to rodents, and go easy on fatty seeds such as sunflower. RVC never feeds muesli-type foods.
What to get
On the list
What to get