Gerbils are small, active rodents that can make engaging pets for people who want to observe natural behaviors and interact with an energetic companion. Their curious personalities, social nature, and relatively compact size make them a popular choice for families, first-time small-pet owners, and anyone interested in keeping a small animal.
Although gerbils are relatively small, they still require thoughtful care. A suitable enclosure, appropriate bedding, a balanced diet, opportunities to dig and explore, and regular interaction all contribute to their health and well-being. Understanding their natural behaviors and needs can help you create an environment where your gerbil can stay active, comfortable, and healthy.
Understanding Gerbils
Gerbils are members of the rodent family and are known for their long hind legs, relatively long tails, and active behavior. The Mongolian gerbil is the species most commonly kept as a pet. Wild Mongolian gerbils are native to parts of Central Asia, where they live in dry environments and spend much of their time in underground burrow systems.
Their natural environment helps explain many of the behaviors you may see in a pet gerbil. Gerbils are instinctive diggers and spend considerable amounts of time exploring tunnels, moving bedding, and creating nests. They are also social animals that generally do better with companionship rather than living alone.
Gerbils are often active throughout both day and night, with periods of activity and rest rather than following a strict daytime or nighttime schedule. Their activity level can make them especially interesting to watch. A healthy gerbil may spend time digging, running, investigating its surroundings, grooming, or interacting with another gerbil.
Choosing and Keeping Gerbils as Pets
Before bringing gerbils home, consider whether their behavior and care requirements fit your household. Gerbils are small and generally manageable, but they are not maintenance-free pets. They need daily access to food and fresh water, a clean and appropriately equipped enclosure, and opportunities for exercise and natural behaviors.
Gerbils are social animals, so companionship is an important consideration. Gerbils that are appropriately introduced and housed together can spend time grooming, sleeping, playing, and exploring as a pair or group. It is generally best to plan for compatible gerbils rather than assuming a gerbil will be happiest living alone.
When choosing gerbils, look for animals that appear alert and active. Their eyes should be clear, their coats should look healthy, and they should move normally. Ask about their age, sex, current diet, housing arrangement, and health history. These details can help you prepare an appropriate environment and avoid making abrupt changes when you bring them home.
Because gerbils are small prey animals, handling should be calm and gentle. Allow a new gerbil time to become comfortable with its surroundings before expecting extensive interaction. Never pick up a gerbil by its tail.
Creating the Right Gerbil Habitat
A well-designed habitat is one of the most important parts of gerbil care. Gerbils need enough space to move around, dig, exercise, eat, sleep, and investigate their surroundings. Their enclosure should also provide enough bedding for them to express their natural digging behavior.
Deep bedding is particularly important for gerbils. Rather than providing only a thin layer across the bottom of the enclosure, create enough depth for your gerbils to dig and construct tunnels. A mixture of appropriate bedding materials can provide structure and encourage natural behaviors.
Good ventilation is also essential. The habitat should remain dry and comfortable without exposing the animals to drafts or extreme temperatures. Avoid placing the enclosure in direct sunlight or near heating and cooling vents.
Include several types of enrichment in the habitat. A solid exercise wheel, tunnels, hides, chewable items, and safe objects to explore can give gerbils ways to stay physically and mentally active. Since gerbils naturally chew, provide appropriate materials that can safely satisfy this behavior.
Avoid overcrowding the habitat with accessories. Gerbils need open areas to move around as well as structures to explore. Arrange the habitat so that food, water, bedding, and enrichment are accessible without preventing normal movement.
Gerbil Bedding and Burrowing
Digging and burrowing are some of the most recognizable gerbil behaviors. In the wild, gerbils spend much of their time in burrow systems. Providing adequate bedding allows pet gerbils to express this instinctive behavior in a safe environment.
Choose bedding that is appropriate for small animals and designed to provide good absorbency while minimizing dust. Avoid materials that could irritate a gerbil's respiratory system or contain harmful additives. If you are uncertain whether a particular bedding product is appropriate, follow the manufacturer's recommendations or consult a veterinarian familiar with small mammals.
Gerbils will naturally move bedding around their habitat. This can make their enclosure look messy, but rearranging bedding is a normal part of their behavior. Rather than constantly disturbing their tunnels and nests, focus cleaning efforts on soiled areas and maintain an appropriate overall level of cleanliness.
When cleaning the habitat, preserve some clean nesting material when possible. Completely removing every familiar scent and replacing the entire environment at once can be stressful for some gerbils. Regular spot cleaning combined with periodic deeper cleaning can help maintain a healthy habitat without unnecessarily disrupting their environment.
Feeding Gerbils a Balanced Diet
A nutritious diet is another foundation of gerbil care. Commercial gerbil food formulated specifically for their nutritional needs can serve as the foundation of their diet. Follow the feeding recommendations provided with the food and adjust portions based on your gerbil's size, activity level, and body condition.
Fresh water should be available at all times. Check the water supply regularly to make sure the bottle or other water source is functioning properly and has not become contaminated with bedding or food.
Small amounts of appropriate fresh foods can sometimes be offered as treats or dietary variety. Introduce new foods gradually and avoid giving large quantities of unfamiliar foods at once. Foods that are high in sugar or fat should not make up a significant part of a gerbil's diet.
Because gerbils naturally forage and investigate their surroundings, feeding can also become an enrichment opportunity. Scattering an appropriate portion of food throughout the bedding can encourage natural searching and exploration. Make sure food is not left to spoil and that your gerbils continue receiving an appropriately balanced diet.
Exercise and Enrichment for Gerbils
Gerbils are energetic animals that need opportunities for physical activity and mental stimulation. A habitat that provides only food, water, and a place to sleep is unlikely to satisfy their behavioral needs.
A properly designed exercise wheel can provide an important outlet for running. Select a wheel with a solid running surface and an appropriate size so your gerbil can run comfortably without being forced into an unnatural position.
Digging is another major source of exercise and enrichment. Deep bedding allows gerbils to create tunnels, move materials, and explore. Cardboard tubes and other safe, chewable enrichment can also give them opportunities to investigate and destroy objects.
Rotate appropriate enrichment items periodically to introduce variety while maintaining familiar parts of the habitat. Gerbils often enjoy simple objects they can chew, move, hide in, or explore.
Supervised time outside the enclosure can provide additional enrichment, but the area must be completely secure. Gerbils can move quickly and fit through surprisingly small openings. Keep them away from other pets, electrical cords, gaps in furniture, and anything they could chew or ingest.
Understanding Gerbil Behavior
Learning to recognize normal gerbil behavior can help you identify changes that may indicate a problem. Healthy gerbils are generally alert, curious, and active during their normal periods of activity.
Digging, chewing, grooming, running, nesting, and exploring are all common behaviors. Gerbils may also communicate with one another through scent, body language, vocalizations, and physical contact. Social grooming and sleeping together are examples of normal interaction between compatible gerbils.
Gerbils may occasionally make quick movements or stand upright while investigating something. They may also thump their hind feet against the ground. Foot thumping can be associated with alarm, excitement, or communication and is a behavior that may be observed in pet gerbils.
Understanding your individual gerbil's normal routine is particularly useful. Pay attention to how much it typically eats, drinks, moves, sleeps, and interacts with its companion. A noticeable change from normal behavior can be an early indication that something is wrong.
Gerbil Health and Veterinary Care
Proper housing, nutrition, hygiene, and enrichment can help support a gerbil's health, but small animals can become ill quickly. Establishing a relationship with a veterinarian who treats small mammals can help you respond appropriately when health concerns arise.
Watch for changes such as unusual lethargy, loss of appetite, significant weight changes, difficulty breathing, diarrhea, abnormal discharge, changes in movement, or noticeable changes in behavior. Problems involving the teeth, skin, eyes, respiratory system, or digestive system can require veterinary attention.
Gerbils' teeth continue growing throughout their lives, making appropriate chewing opportunities an important part of normal care. However, excessive drooling, difficulty eating, facial swelling, or other unusual signs should not simply be attributed to normal tooth growth.
Avoid attempting to diagnose or treat a sick gerbil without professional guidance. Because gerbils are small, seemingly minor problems can sometimes become serious. If your gerbil suddenly appears very ill or stops eating or drinking, contact a veterinarian promptly.
Cleaning and Maintaining a Gerbil Habitat
Keeping the habitat clean helps provide a healthy living environment. The goal is not necessarily to make the enclosure look completely spotless at all times. Gerbils naturally dig, chew, forage, and rearrange their bedding, so some mess is expected.
Spot-clean the habitat regularly by removing visibly soiled bedding and spoiled food. Check areas around food and water sources and monitor the condition of the nesting area.
Periodic deeper cleaning is also necessary. When cleaning the enclosure, use products that are safe for small animals and rinse surfaces thoroughly when appropriate. Avoid strong fragrances or harsh chemicals that could irritate your gerbil.
Pay attention to odors, damp bedding, damaged accessories, and food that has been stored or hidden for too long. Regular maintenance makes it easier to identify changes in your gerbils' environment and behavior.
Gerbil Care for Families
Gerbils can be interesting pets for families, but children should always interact with them under appropriate adult supervision. Their small size means they can be injured by accidental drops, squeezing, or rough handling.
Teach children to approach gerbils calmly and allow the animals to investigate their hands rather than grabbing at them. Adults should handle habitat maintenance, feeding decisions, and health monitoring or supervise children closely during these tasks.
Gerbils are often more enjoyable to observe than to constantly handle. Children can learn a great deal by watching their pets dig tunnels, build nests, forage, groom, and interact with one another.
Bringing Your Gerbils Home
The first few days in a new home can be an adjustment period. Prepare the habitat before bringing your gerbils home so they can settle in without unnecessary disruption.
Provide food, fresh water, appropriate bedding, nesting material, and basic enrichment from the beginning. Give them time to explore their new surroundings and establish familiar areas within the enclosure.
Keep the environment relatively calm while they adjust. Avoid excessive handling immediately after arrival, particularly if the gerbils appear nervous. As they become comfortable, you can gradually develop a routine of gentle interaction.
Gerbils are small animals, but their care involves many of the same considerations as caring for larger pets: proper nutrition, a safe environment, regular observation, enrichment, and attention to changes in health or behavior. With the right preparation, gerbils can be fascinating companions and an excellent opportunity to learn more about small-animal care.
Written by Dr. Adam Summers, Animal Nutritionist, and originally published in the IFA Cooperator magazine (vol. 92, no. 3) Fall 2026.
Dr. Adam Summers joined IFA’s Feed Division in 2025 as an Animal Nutritionist. Raised in Thatcher, Utah, Dr. Summers grew up helping his family raise replacement dairy heifers and showing club lambs. He earned his Bachelor of Science and Master of Science degrees in Animal Science (with an emphasis in Ruminant Nutrition) from Utah State University. He went on to complete a Ph.D. in Animal Science at the University of Nebraska, specializing in Reproductive Physiology with research focusing on heifer development and the influence of maternal diet on offspring performance. Adam previously served as an Assistant and Associate Professor at New Mexico State University, where his research concentrated on nutrition and reproduction interactions. He has published over 70 research and extension articles and received the Western Section American Society of Animal Science Young Scientist Award in 2019. He also served on the Beef Reproduction Task Force. Before joining IFA, he was the VP of Operations and Director of Research and Development for ReproLogix. Adam and his wife have eight children and enjoy watching them participate in sports and livestock shows.
