Meriones unguiculatus

Taxobox
name = "Meriones unguiculatus"
status = LR/lc | status_system = IUCN2.3


regnum = Animalia
phylum = Chordata
classis = Mammalia
ordo = Rodentia
familia = Muridae
subfamilia = Gerbillinae
genus = "Meriones"
subgenus = "Pallasiomys"
species = "M. unguiculatus"
binomial = "Meriones unguiculatus"
binomial_authority = Milne-Edwards, 1867

"Meriones unguiculatus" is a rodent belonging to subfamily Gerbillinae. They are the most widely known species of the Gerbil subfamily. Often called the Mongolian Gerbil or Mongolian Jird, due to its original habitat (Mongolia), it is the primary gerbil species to have been made a pet. It should be noted that a Mongolian Jird is a separate, larger species to the gerbil - although the two are often confused. Similar to the hamster, it was first brought to the United States in 1954 by Dr. Victor Schwentker for use in research.

Origin

The gerbil species "Meriones unguiculatus" evolved on the semi-deserts and steppes of Mongolia. There, they developed long legs for jumping and running from predators, teeth to deal with hard seeds and plant matter, and water conservation techniques that allow them to survive in the arid climate, such as storing water in layers of fat cells. Mongolian gerbils do not have many natural enemies due to the harsh climate. Most predators are birds-of-prey or snakes. Mongolian gerbils are diurnal, but return to their burrows for the coldest and hottest parts of the day.

Habitat

The species "Meriones unguiculatus" came originally from Mongolia. Their habitat in Mongolia is mainly semi-deserts and steppes. Soil on the steppes is sandy and is covered with grasses, herbs, and shrubs. The steppes have cool, dry winters and hot summers. The temperature can get up to 50 degrees Celsius (122 degrees Fahrenheit), but the average temperature for most of the year is around 20 °C (68 °F).

In the wild these gerbils live in groups generally consisting of one parental pair and the last few litters. Only the dominant female and male produce pups. One group of gerbils generally ranges over 325 to 1550 square meters (0.08 to 0.38 acre).

A group lives in a central burrow with 10-20 exits. Some deeper burrows with only 1-3 exits in their territory may exist. These deeper burrows are used to escape from predators when they are too far from the central burrow.

History

The first known mention of gerbils came in 1866, by Father Armand David, who sent "yellow rats" to the Museum of Natural History (Musée d'Histoire Naturelle) in Paris, from northern China. They were named "Meriones unguiculatus" by the scientist Milne-Edwards in 1867. This Latin name means "clawed warrior" in English, partly from the Greek warrior Meriones in Homer's "Iliad".

Gerbils only became popular pets after 1954, when twenty breeding pairs of gerbils were brought to the United States from eastern Mongolia for scientific testing. Almost all pet gerbils today are descended from these forty. Gerbils were brought to the United Kingdom in 1964 from the United States.

Gerbils as Pets

Gerbils are rather popular pets, due to their gentle-towards-humans temperament and hardy nature.

Because the Mongolian Gerbil is a very social creature, it is recommended that they be kept in pairs in captivity; one reason being that multiple gerbils tend to groom each other, or engage in other social activities. Therefore, gerbils generally lead poorer lives without a companion.

When selecting a gerbil as a pet, it is important to select a young and healthy-looking animal. Important criteria include having clear eyes, ears and nostrils, a shiny coat, and a robust body shape. Gerbils that display their inquisitive nature are a better choice than ones that prefer hanging back in a corner.

When choosing your pets, it is obviously important to know their genders. This can be difficult, because it's often quite tricky trying to determine a gerbil's sex.

Typically, a male-male or female-female pairing of gerbils from the same litter is the best choice. Placing a male and a female in an enclosure will lead to an inevitable population boom, one that may tax the abilities of even experienced owners.

Also, females are somewhat more competitive with each other than males, and skirmishes may occur from time to time if two females are placed together. Usually however, the two will live together contentedly, and rarely are disputes serious enough to warrant separation of the pair.

Males placed together tend to get along quite well, and the aforementioned skirmishes are rarer between them.

Please remember that gerbils born into the same litter are your best bet when selecting a pair. Attempting to introduce gerbils from different litters may be successful when done at a very early age. After reaching maturity however, it can be extremely difficult to get a gerbil to accept a new companion, even if they are siblings.

Lastly, while a pair of gerbils is recommended, larger numbers can be housed together. However, enclosure size is a big factor, and trying to place three females, regardless of whether they are littermates, can be dangerous, as disputes often break out over which of the three is the dominant female.

When housing all males, three will usually live together without much or any hostility between them.

There are a number of options available when selecting an enclosure for gerbils. The most commonly seen are wire cages, vivariums, or tube-based habitats such as Habitrail. The best choice is usually a glass or acrylic aquarium tank, which allows a thick layer of substrate to be placed. This allows gerbils to burrow as they would naturally. An aquarium tank is also sturdy and safe, and helps alleviate problems such as drafts. A plastic enclosure will be easily chewed out of, and provides little ventilation.

A 15 gallon aquarium tank is the minimum suitable size tank for a pair of gerbils to live in throughout their lives, although 20 gallons and up sizes are preferable.

Once an enclosure has been selected, the next step is to choose a substrate, or “bedding”. Choices include corncob bedding, commercially available small animal substrate, peat, or Aspen wood shavings. Pine and cedar shavings must be avoided in the USA, since pine and cedar wood contain phenols that can cause respiratory distress in small animals; [ American Gerbil Society bedding recommendations [http://www.agsgerbils.org/Gerbil_Care_Handbook/care.php#bedding] ] for the same reason, pine chewing sticks are to be avoided as well. Gerbils will also appreciate a sand bath from time to time to keep their coats clean. Chinchilla sand is an option although aragonite sand is the best. Chinchilla dust is made for penetrating the chinchilla's thick fur and will just clog the lungs of gerbils and their owners from excessive inhalation! Sand bathing is very enjoyable for gerbils and it absorbs the greases and oils in the coats, keeping their fur clean.

Although the Mongolian Gerbil is a desert animal, they require fresh water at all times. Because of the gerbil’s active nature, it would be risky to place a dish or bowl of water in an enclosure, because it would likely be knocked over or filled with bedding very quickly. Instead, use an easily accessible water bottle. Bottles are custom made fit into many types of habitats.

Food can be given through a relatively inexpensive dry food mix, many of which are easily found at grocery and pet stores, often labeled as “Hamster and Gerbil” food. Occasionally supplementing the dry food with a select few types of fresh vegetables, like carrots, is a good idea. However, some gerbils are finicky, and will simply ignore the offerings. When fresh vegetables or fruits are provided, be sure to clean out any uneaten portions after an hour or two. Also, some fresh produce such as cucumber should never be offered because of the risk of providing too much water for a gerbil's system to handle, resulting in diarrhea-like droppings.

Gerbil teeth, like the teeth of any rodent, grow constantly, so it is highly important to provide things for them to gnaw on. This wears the teeth down, keeping their growth in check. Wooden “toys” are offered at many pet stores for this purpose. There are many other house-hold things to offer gerbils too, such as the tube from a roll of paper towels, tissue boxes, etc. Please make sure that the tubes do not have an excessive amount of glue, because this may potentially harm a gerbil's digestive tract. Do not feel tempted to offer plastic toys in their tank as injestion can and will kill the rodent slowly and painfully, however supervised playtimes with these objects should be safe.

Major Colors

* Golden Agouti — All Mongolian Gerbils in the wild are Golden Agouti, also called Agouti. The hairshafts on the back are grey at the base, gold in the middle and tipped with black, making an even mix of golden brown with black ticking. The belly is creamy white. An Agouti gerbil has black eyes.

* Black — A Black gerbil is black both on its back and on its belly. It most often has a "bib" or white line running down its chin. It also may have some white on its paws. A Black gerbil has black eyes.

* Argente Golden — An Argente Golden gerbil is orange with a white belly. It has deep ruby eyes. If one were to brush back the fur on its back, one would see that the roots are grey.

* Argente Cream — An Argente Cream gerbil is an Argente lightened by a Himalayan gene, c(h). It is light orange with a white belly and ruby eyes. The undercoat is grey like the Argente Gold, but diluted due to the c(h).

* Argente Fawn / Topaz — A Topaz gerbil is an Argente lightened by a gene called Chinchilla Medium, c(chm), formerly called Burmese, c(b). This color is lighter than an Argente Golden but darker than an Argente Cream, and it often has slightly darker points at the ears, nose and tail. It has ruby eyes. The undercoat is grey, but diluted due to the c(chm).

* Lilac — A Lilac gerbil is dark grey all over. It has ruby eyes.

* Dove — A Dove gerbil is a Lilac lightened by the Himalayan gene, c(h). It is a powdery light grey all over. It has ruby eyes.

* Sapphire — A Sapphire gerbil is a Lilac lightened by a gene called Chinchilla Medium, c(chm). This color is lighter than a Lilac but darker than a Dove. It has ruby eyes.

* Pink-eyed White — A Pink-eyed White gerbil is completely white with light ruby eyes.

* Burmese / Colourpoint Black — A Colourpoint black gerbil is an all over chocolate color. Around eight weeks or so, it will begin to develop darker points on the tail, nose, feet and tips of the ear. Often has a "bib" or white line running down the chin. It also may have some white on its paws. All Burmese gerbils have black eyes.

* Siamese / Light Colourpoint Black — A Siamese gerbil starts out a light mushroom color. Around eight weeks, it molts and the tail, nose, feet and tips of the ear go black. The main body color stays the same. A Siamese has black eyes. It also often has a "bib" or white line running down the chin. May also have some white on the paws.

* Colorpoint Golden Agouti — A Colorpoint Golden Agouti has an off-white to grey base with a liberal amount of silvery-brownish ticking along the back. The belly is white and the eyes are black.

* Light Colorpoint Golden Agouti — A Light Colorpoint Golden Agouti has an off-white base with silvery-brownish ticking along the back. Its belly is white and its eyes are black.

* Grey Agouti — The hairs on the back of a Grey Agouti are dark grey with white in the middle, making an even salt-and-pepper look. They often have gold intermingled into the coat. The belly is white. Grey Agoutis have black eyes.

* Slate — A Slate gerbil is a greyish black color. Often has a "bib" or white line running down the chin. It may also have some white on the paws. A Slate has black eyes with a reddish reflective shine in bright light or flash, however this can also appear on Black gerbils with certain recessives ie c(chm).

* Ivory Cream — An Ivory Cream gerbil is creamy colored on its back with a light cream belly. It has ruby eyes.

* Ruby-Eyed White — A Ruby-Eyed White gerbil is white all over. It has ruby eyes. Also known as Red Eyed White.

* Dark Eyed Honey — A Dark Eyed Honey gerbil starts out with a bright orange back with a white belly and flanks. At 8 weeks it molts and a small amount of black ticking appears along its back. A Dark Eyed Honey has black eyes.

* Nutmeg — A Nutmeg gerbil starts out with a bright orange color over its entire body. At 8 weeks it molts and liberal black ticking appears along the back with a lesser amount on the belly, changing the color from a orangey-brown to almost pure black, depending on the extensiveness of the ticking. A Nutmeg gerbil has black eyes.

* Silver Nutmeg — A Silver Nutmeg gerbil's first coat is an ivory color. At 8 weeks the gerbil molts and the liberal greyish ticking appears along the back with a lesser amount on the belly. A Silver Nutmeg gerbil has black eyes.

* Red Eyed Honey / Yellow Fox — A Yellow Fox gerbil has a bright orange back with a white belly and flanks. It has ruby eyes.

* Saffron / Red Fox — A Red Fox is a bright orange color over its entire body, with the color lightening somewhat through the belly area. Often there is a "bib" or white line running down the chin. There may also be some white on the paws. A Red Fox has ruby eyes.

* Polar Fox — A Polar Fox starts out a creamy ivory color. At 8 weeks the gerbil molts and minimal greyish ticking appears along the back. The nails are clear. A Polar Fox has black eyes.

* Schimmel — A Schimmel gerbil starts out as an orange color. At eight weeks old it molts and the coat begins to lighten to a creamy white. The gerbil's body continues to lighten throughout its life until it can be left with a white body, while the tail, nose, feet and tips of the ears retain the orange. Schimmel gerbils have black eyes. A schimmel with ruby eyes is a Ruby Eyed Schimmel.

*Black Eyed White — A Black Eyed White gerbil is completely white with black eyes. Some have greyish ear tips and dark claws.

*Spotting - Dominant spotting can be in any coat variety and will lighten the fur around it. How the spotting will look depends on modifiers.

*Collared - A thick, unbroken band of spotting around the neck connecting to the white belly.

*Collar and blaze - A thick, unbroken band of spotting around the neck connecting to the white belly and an unbroken white blaze connecting the three spotting areas (neck, forehead and nose).

There are other spotting "types". Any that don't conform to show standards are usually classed as patched.

These are just some examples of coat mutations. There are many more coat varieties in Mongolian gerbils.

Note: Although some US gerbil owners call some coat varieties "fox" ie yellow fox, the fox gene is not in gerbils and this is therefore incorrect.

References

*White*White gerbils will typically have a white back and white chin, they can also have a light grey, they will have black eyes, but there is a 1 in 84 chance they will have red eyes.

External links

* [http://www.egerbil.com e-Gerbil (extremely thorough, coat colour reference guides, species info and forum)]
* [http://www.gerbils.co.uk/ The National Gerbil Society (U.K.)]
* [http://www.agsgerbils.org/ The American Gerbil Society]
* [http://gerbils.silvanon.com/photos/ Gerbil Photo Directory] Public domain photographs of all major Mongolian Gerbil types.
* [http://www.rabbitsnrodents.com/gerbils.htm/ Rabbits N' Rodents] General Gerbil care information
* [http://www.thegerbils.com/ The Gerbils.com - Everything about the gerbil]