Breeding

Mating:

Gerbils will mate for several hours, in frequent short bursts followed by short chases where the female allows the male to catch her. Once he catches her, the female will squeak and make flick motions to get the male off of her. Males will not attack females except in rare circumstances which may also include them having been separated from their original mates, or widowed. A female may attack a male, but usually he is more than a match for her.

Raising Young:

Baby stages
When first born, gerbil babies are blind, deaf, hairless, and helpless. They drink their mother's milk. The young squeak softly when feeding and being picked up. Eventually they grow bigger, and within a week, they will begin to show skin pigment, indicating their possible fur color and markings. Soon after this, a thin downy fur will grow on them, and they will begin to make their fast yet unsteady way out of the nest when the bed is disturbed. This survival technique helps the babies get out of harm's way in case of a territory invasion.

The fur will grow thicker and longer, and by three weeks some of them may have one of their eyes open. Around this point, they begin to be weaned, eating food and not relying so much on milk. At this point, it would help to provide a soft food like an oat and milk mixture for them. The gerbils will become more active and their tails will lengthen and give them more balance so they can stand upright. When fully weaned and beginning to play fight with one another, they will soon be ready to move away, if required.

A mother will often be stern with how quickly the babies are weaned if she is expecting a new litter. A less fertile mother may let her litter suckle for longer. Older mothers often do not have as good a milk supply, and need plentiful water available to replenish it.

A litter will be of about 4-8 gerbils on average, although losses due to runts, defects and infanticide, or occasional, unexplainable persecution from other gerbils sometimes make the eventual litter one or two short.

Reproducing:

The most common ways of checking the sex of a young gerbil are: 1) Turning the gerbil over and checking the gap size between the genital organs of the gerbil. Female gerbils have a small gap between the two areas, while males have a much larger gap. 2) Although not always clear in childhood and adolescence, male gerbils have a fur covered bulge at the base of their tails, on their underside. This is their scrotal pouch. Females have smooth, round back ends.

Males are generally larger than females in adulthood, in length, height, and width. A gerbil can also be sexed by looking at its underside when it is a blind, deaf baby. There will be either a thick line in the middle of the stomach (the scent marker) if it is a male, or eight dots (four on the left side, four on the right) (soon to be teats) if it is a female.

Cleaning

Cleansing
Gerbils do not need water to get clean - what cleans them is a sand bath. When taking gerbils out for exercise, a small basin of cool sand will be much appreciated, and true to instinct, a gerbil will roll over in the sand. The effect is instantaneous - their fur becomes much smoother and shinier.

Food & Drink

Food:
Sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, and peanuts are favorites of most gerbils, though they have individual preferences and too many sunflower seeds may result in illness. They also enjoy fruit peels such as that from a banana. In fact, gerbils will eat almost anything: dog biscuits and chews; rat food; rabbit food; guinea pig food; oats; and various "special" treats from pet shops, which in fact were not appreciated nearly as much as some parsnip cores. Most weeds dubbed as safe for grazing animals like rabbits or guinea pigs can be eaten by gerbils as well. Pet gerbils will especially enjoy live crickets, grasshoppers, and locusts as food, tearing the insect apart and eating the juicy insides. It is good for you to feed your gerbil vegetables such as carrots or an apple. Take care not to feed them too much of these foods as they contain a lot of moisture and can cause an upset stomach.

Avoid lettuces, as the nitrates can prevent oxygenation of the blood,[4] and citrus fruits, which are known carcinogens. Sugary treats are bad for gerbils; they rot the teeth and the sugar is hard for a gerbil to digest. Lastly, do not feed your gerbils food with high water content, such as celery or watermelon, as the water will cause the gerbil to have the runs, or "wet-tail" as it is commonly known.

Drink:
Although gerbils can go without water for a few days, provided they have plenty of moist food, they will always take water if it is available. Water should be provided in a pet habitat such as a tank so that the gerbil always has access to water.

General behaviour & habits

Behaviour:

Normal gerbil behavior includes jumping, climbing, chewing, and digging. The digging motions are very common: the gerbil moves its arms rapidly.

They are curious and not easily startled. They love to burrow and hide.

Gerbils are social animals, and prefer to live in groups. Often very large groups live well together, as long as the living environment is big enough; otherwise, the gerbils may become frustrated and attack one another. Groups of females are much more quarrelsome than groups of males, but if fighting occurs among males it is usually much more vicious. Males will very rarely attack females.


Habits:
Gerbils are not naturally agressive creatures; unlike hamsters, they would rather nibble a potential source of food and only fully bite when threatened. Gerbils do not make noises often, although some gerbils can squeal when scared. To communicate with other members of the species they 'thump' repeatedly using their back legs. This is often seen when a gerbil is frightened to warn other gerbils of the danger.

Living in the dessert

The typical Mongolian gerbil is a desert species, and lives underground in a network of tunnels, which include chambers with families. Adults move away and meet others from other chambers, extend the network, create their own chamber, and breed. Gerbils come up for food and water; there is no evidence of hoarding food, but gerbils will eat a lot of fatty foods in one sitting, suggesting supplies in the form of fat reserves rather than food storage. Gerbils do not hibernate and are diurnal. Their long tails help them to balance when they stand up on their hind legs.

Gerbil movement is more like hopping than running, and their large back feet are furry on the bottom to protect them from the heat of the sand. Gerbils are fast but overly inquisitive. In their natural environment, they are mostly insectivores, and additionally gain moisture from desert plants that store water in them. A gerbil has fur all over its body, including the tail, as this prevents it from getting sunburned.

Gerbils as Pets

Gerbils were first introduced to the pet industry in 1964. These were the Mongolian gerbils. Their value as pets was soon appreciated and they are now found in pet shops all over the UK and USA. It is illegal to purchase, import, or keep a gerbil as a pet in the U.S. state of California.

Having gerbils as pets is quite common amongs america,canada and many many other countries.

The fact is a gerbil being your pet can have rewards.

So gerbils as a pet is not a bad idea.

Gerbils:

A gerbil is a small mammal of the order Rodentia. Once known simply as "desert rats", the gerbil subfamily includes about 110 species of African, Indian, and Asian rodents, including sand rats and jirds, all of which are adapted to arid habitats. Most are primarily diurnal [1] (though some, including the common household pet, do exhibit crepuscular behavior), and almost all are omnivorous.

The word "gerbil" is a diminutive form of "jerboa", though the jerboas are an unrelated group of rodents occupying a similar ecological niche.

One Mongolian species, Meriones unguiculatus, also known as the Clawed Jird, is a gentle and hardy animal that has become a popular pet. It was first brought to the United States in 1954 by Dr. Victor Schwentker for use in research.[2]

Gerbils are typically between six and twelve inches (150 to 300 mm) long, including the tail which makes up approximately one half of their total length. One species however, the Great Gerbil, or Rhombomys opimus, originally native to Turkmenistan, can grow to more than 16 inches (400 mm) in length. The average adult gerbil weighs approximately 2 1/2 ounces. As of August 19, 2003, officials in western China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region began releasing eagles to combat the damage they say the great gerbils have done to eleven million acres (46,000 km²) of grassland.



Gerbils As pets

-Behaviour

Behaviore:

While the European rabbit is the best-known species, it is probably also the least typical, as there is considerable variability in the natural history of rabbits. Many rabbits dig burrows, but cottontails and hispid hares do not. The European rabbit constructs the most extensive burrow systems, called warrens. Nonburrowing rabbits make surface nests called forms, generally under dense protective cover. The European rabbit occupies open landscapes such as fields, parks, and gardens, although it has colonized habitats from stony deserts to subalpine valleys. It is the most social rabbit, sometimes forming groups in warrens of up to 20 individuals. However, even in European rabbits' social behaviour can be quite flexible, depending on habitat and other local conditions, so that at times the primary social unit is a territorial breeding pair. Most rabbits are relatively solitary and sometimes territorial, coming together only to breed or occasionally to forage in small groups. During territorial disputes rabbits will sometimes “box,” using their front limbs. Rabbits are active throughout the year; no species is known to hibernate. Rabbits are generally nocturnal, and they also are relatively silent. Other than loud screams when frightened or caught by a predator, the only auditory signal known for most species is a loud foot thump made to indicate alarm or aggression. Notable exceptions are the Amami rabbit and the volcano rabbit of Mexico, which both utter a variety of calls. [1]

Instead of sound, scent seems to play a predominant role in the communication systems of most rabbits; they possess well-developed glands throughout their body and rub them on fixed objects to convey group identity, sex, age, social and reproductive status, and territory ownership. Urine is also used in chemical communication. When danger is perceived, the general tendency of rabbits is to freeze and hide under cover. If chased by a predator, they engage in quick, irregular movement, designed more to evade and confuse than to outdistance a pursuer. Skeletal adaptations such as long hind limbs and a strengthened pelvic girdle enable their agility and speed (up to 48 km [30 miles] per hour). [1]

- A Rabbit as a pet

Rabbit as a pet:

Pet rabbits kept indoors are referred to as house rabbits. House rabbits typically have an indoor pen or cage and a rabbit-safe place to run and exercise, such as an exercise pen, living room or family room. Rabbits can be trained to use a litter box and some can learn to come when called. Domestic rabbits that do not live indoors can also often serve as companions for their owners, typically living in an easily accessible hutch outside the home. Some pet rabbits live in outside hutches during the day for the benefit of fresh air and natural daylight and are brought inside at night.

Whether indoor or outdoor, pet rabbits' pens are often equipped with enrichment activities such as shelves, tunnels, balls, and other toys. Pet rabbits are often provided additional space in which to get exercise, simulating the open space a rabbit would traverse in the wild. Exercise pens or lawn pens are often used to provide a safe place for rabbits to run.

A pet rabbit's diet typically consists of unlimited Timothy hay, a small amount of pellets, and a small portion of fresh vegetables.

Rabbits are social animals. Rabbits as pets can find their companionship with a variety of creatures, including humans, other rabbits, guinea pigs, and sometimes even cats and dogs. Rabbits do not make good pets for small children because they do not know how to stay quiet, calm, and gentle around rabbits. As prey animals, rabbits are alert, timid creatures that startle easily. They have fragile bones, especially in their backs, that require support on the belly and bottom when picked up. Children 10 years old and older usually have the maturity required to care for a rabbit.

The service and therapy animals organization Delta Society has used pet rabbits as therapy for adults and children since the 1970s.

Excersise and Health

Exercise:
Rabbits require around 2 hours of exercise a day, as they are very active creatures in the wild. If you cannot give your rabbit at least 2 hours of exercise a day be sure to keep plenty of toys in there.



Health:
If there are any health concerns please visit the vet.

Food & Water

Food & Water:
Rabbits are herbivores so do not feed them meat, they still need some protein.

There diet should be:

-Constant Timothy hay, as much as they need.

-As much rabbit pellet food as your pet store says the rabbit needs for its size and age, should be about a quarter cup if older then 6 months.

-2 cups vegetables and legumes daily.

-Fruit but only as a treat so very little.

-Use Alfalfa hay if you rabbit is under 6 months or is a nursing or pregnant mother.



List of good vegetables:

-Celery (strings removed)

-Alfalfa sprouts

-Dandelion flowers and leaves

-Kale

-Radish tops and sprouts

-Carrots

-Broccoli (mostly stems and leaves)

-Fresh herbs such as;

-Basil

-Parsley

-Cilantro

-Mint



Almost any fruit is good such as pears, apples, grapes, bannanas, etc





Never feed Your Rabbit any of the Following:

-Green Beans

-Potatoes

-Beets

-Avocado

-Cabbage

-Sweet potato

-Corn

-Onion

-Rhubarb

-Crackers

-or anything with un natural sugar in it.



Do not make sudden changes in your rabbits diet as it can cause stomach aches disarray and other bad things, if you want to change the diet slowly add the new food to there old.



Water:

Plastic sipper bottles are best.

-Bedding

Bedding:
Should be wood shavings or hay. Yours should have your rabbit cage cleaned about once a week along with the litter box, the food and water bowls should be cleaned every day. Do not use strong smelling bedding or anything that your rabbit is allergic to.

Playing & Handling

Playing & Handling:
When picking your rabbit up you will want to hold it with one hand on its bottom and one hand on its chest area, be careful not to move to fast when your rabbit is in your hands or on you. Never place a rabbit on something high that it could fall off, as a rabbit may not notice the edge. For playing your rabbit should have many toys such as a paper bag, Plastic toys, and stuff to chew on. You may also take your rabbit out of his or her cage and place it in an enclosed area that a rabbit couldn’t get far from, and play games with it.

-Housing

Housing:
I recommend that you keep your rabbit inside your house in a cage at least 3ft by 3ft the more the better, but it all depends on the breed of the rabbit as some are much larger. you should be able to tell by the look of the rabbit if it is comfortable in its new home. The cage for most rabbits should be at least 2ft high. you should have a cave like den in the cage for your rabbit to hide and sleep. You will need food and water bowls, a litter box, as rabbits are trainable, but with all this in the cage there still need room for your rabbit times about 5. For the actual cage a metal or hard plastic or other non-chewable materials are the best, i would personally recommend an opening from the top. And the base of the cage should be solid and not a mesh or wiring.

What a ferret is

What a Ferret is:


The ferret is a domestic mammal of the type Mustela putorius furo. Domestic ferrets typically have brown, black, white, or mixed fur, are predators, have an average length of approximately 20 inches (51 cm) including a 5 inch (13 cm) tail, weigh about 1.5-4 pounds (0.8-2 kg) (males are typically substantially larger than the females),[1] and have a natural lifespan of 7 to 10 years.[2][3][4]

Several other small, elongated carnivorous mammals belonging to the family Mustelidae (weasels) also have the word "ferret" in their common names, including an endangered species, the Black-footed Ferret. The ferret is a very close relative of the polecat, but it is as yet unclear whether it is a domesticated form of the European Polecat, the Steppe Polecat, or some hybrid of the two.

The history of the ferret's domestication is uncertain, like that of most other domestic animals. It is very likely that ferrets have been domesticated for at least 2,500 years, but it is not certain for what purpose the ferret was originally domesticated. They are still used for hunting rabbits in some parts of the world today, but increasingly they are being kept simply as pets.

Being so closely related to polecats, ferrets are quite easily able to hybridize with them, and this has occasionally resulted in feral colonies of ferret polecat hybrids that have been perceived to have caused damage to native fauna, perhaps most notably in New Zealand. As a result, some parts of the world have imposed restrictions on the keeping of ferrets.

Ferret as a pet

A ferret for a pet:


In the United States, ferrets were relatively rare pets until the 1980s. Dr. Wendy Winstead, a veterinarian and former folk singer who had her first ferret in 1969, sold ferrets to a number of celebrities including Dick Smothers and David Carradine while making television appearances on programs such as the David Letterman Show with ferrets in the 1980s,[17] writing books and promoting them until her death in the 1990s from cancer. A government study by the California State Bird and Mammal Conservation Program found that by 1996, approximately 800,000 or so domestic ferrets were likely being kept as pets in the United States.[18]

Exercise & Health care

Exercise:
Ferrets love exercise (playtime) they need lots of stuff like toys to keep them entertained, they also need supervised playtime out of there cage to keep them happy, but make sure they are never left alone outside of there cage because they can escape through just about anything. Some very good ferret toys are found around the house:

-Paper Bags

-Tennis Balls or Baseballs

-String

-Pop Bottles

-Tubes

There are so many things a ferret would love to play with but before you allow your ferret to play with something ask yourself is this safe? do i care if this gets destroyed? And can this hurt my ferret in anyway?



Healthcare:

Like on the Guinea pigs page if you think your ferret has a problem then go see a vet.

Brushing & nail care

Brushing & Nail care;
Ferrets do not need allot of brushing but every now and again they will enjoy one.

They need there nails to be trimmed this can be one of the most uncomfortable things because overgrown nails can cause discomfort and even pain, do not attempt cutting there nails without proper instruction on how to do so for it can hurt your ferret.

-Bathing

Bathing your Ferret:
Most ferrets on the market come descented but they may still have a musk on them and you may want to occasionally bathe them. To bathe a ferret the easiest way is to fill your sink up 5cm high with luke warm water then place your ferret gently in it. you should take a washcloth and dampen it in the water then run it through your ferrets fur and be sure to avoid the eyes if you want to use soap then use a tearless baby shampoo or a ferret shampoo and apply this to the dampened washcloth and fallow previous instructions. After this you need to rinse the soap out thoroughly and make sure to keep him warm until he his dry, you can dry your ferret with a dry towel but be gentle. You shouldn’t over bathe once every 2 weeks is plenty, over bathing can cause oily skin & fur.

Food & Water

Food & Water:
There are so many food to choose from so no matter what one you choose make sure that it is high in protein because of how active ferrets are they need plenty of protein, some ferrets will over eat so you may want to remove the food over night. You need to have a secure food dish because ferrets are heavy enough to spill and knock them around you need to have pretty much everything attached properly and securely. You should have a secure water bottle and refill it constantly because ferrets drink allot. You can give your ferrets treats occasionally because if you give them treats too often they will get addicted and that is all they will eat.