Gerbil Care for Beginners Trivia Quiz

Answer: yes

Always give a gerbil plenty of things to gnaw on! A gerbil's teeth won't stop growing until he/she has passed away. If you don't, the gerbil could get hurt or killed.

Answer: He's all on his own in a big cage and would like a friend.

Gerbils are social and friendly creatures! If you don't have time for your gerbil and leave him on his own without any gerbils to keep him company, you shouldn't get a gerbil. Gerbils who are on their own tend to live for less time and are far less happy.

Answer: pine and cedar

Pine and cedar are poisonous to gerbils. Pine has been known to cause respiratory problems so never use it. Although it is rare, a few gerbils are allergic to aspen.

Answer: yes

Leaving spilt water in the cage may lead to its bedding becoming mouldy. Mould is poisonous to gerbils so always clean up the wet bedding immediately.

Answer: Her tail might come off.

My gerbil's tail might come off and it won't grow back! Picking her up by her middle could hurt her too. You should always pick her up by scooping from underneath.

Answer: A cardboard tube.

The peanuts and seeds would make her very fat, and taking away her mate would make her very sad. Many gerbils who live alone are irritable and are harder to tame. Gerbils love to chew and dig, so quite often, if you give her something to chew on, she'll forget her worries and get busy on the tube.

Many gerbil enthusiasts say when one gerbil dies and the other doesn't, it is worth getting two pups and when the old one dies, the pups will have each other.

Answer: My gerbils are warning each other of a possible threat.

Gerbils thump to warn each other that there is possible danger in the area. If you are a breeder and have several tanks, gerbils in the other tanks will probably stand up tall and listen. Gerbils also thump when they are mating. You can tell the difference because, with a mating thump, other gerbils will simply ignore them.

Answer: Gerbils and hamsters will fight!

Gerbils and other rodents (e.g., hamsters and chinchillas) will fight...to the death. I have not come across any record of a gerbil becoming friends with a hamster, rat or any other animal, other than a gerbil, and I doubt there ever will be.

Answer: She is scared.

This looks a bit like the gerbil expression for curious, but when they're curious it looks like they're playing the floppy game (everyone has to make a certain body part as floppy as possible) with their paws.

Answer: yes

Absolutely! I clean out my gerbil's tank every 2 weeks! They don't smell much, even if you don't clean them for a while, but you should still clean them out regularly to keep your gerbil happy and healthy. They should always have access to food and fresh water.