About 110 species of small desert rodents from Africa, India and Asia, including jirds and sand rats. Most are active by day and eat both plants and animals. The pet gerbil is the Mongolian gerbil, kept in the English-speaking world since 1954.
Quick answers
What is it?Mammal
Carnivore?Omnivore
Dangerous?No
Domesticated?Yes
Awake when?Day & night
Hibernates?No
Kept as a pet?Commonly
The Mongolian gerbil became a popular small pet in the English-speaking world after 1954.
Do people eat it?No
At a glance
Found inAfrica, Asia
HabitatDesert, Grassland
ColoursBrown, Grey, White
SizeTiny
Length15–30 cm, including a tail about half that length
WeightAbout 70 g (average adult)
Legs4
Covered inFur
Lives incolonies
Lives for2–4 years
In the wild
- Where it lives
- Dry regions of Africa, India and Asia; the Mongolian gerbil lives in China, Mongolia and Russia.
- What it eats
- Seeds of grasses, leaves, bulbs and herbs; pets also eat fruit and vegetables.
Did you know
Lives in family groups in a burrow with 10 to 20 exits.
A Mongolian gerbil family shares a central burrow with 10 to 20 exits.
The name gerbil means "little jerboa", though jerboas are not closely related.
Often confused with
On these lists
Sources
Last reviewed
Play
Could you have guessed it?
A photo, a few hints, one guess. Same 438 animals.
