But
what is a gerbil?
The Mongolian gerbil is a small rodent originating
from Asia. At first, it was a laboratory animal but this little creature was so
much curious and docile that it fast became an adorable pet.
Sadly, in Quebec, peoples don't even know the gerbil. But in
Europe, it almost replaced the hamster in most pet shop.
Being social animals, gerbils interact a lot with the other.
You can see them wrestle, box, run, jump and play with each other. They become
the main attraction of the room and may even replace your TV set for a while.
It
will always come to see you when you approach of its house. It is always curious
and without a bit mischievousness.
It
will make you smile when you'll see your little gerbils slowly wake up with its
small eyes and come to see you. Or when you'll see them sleep all pile up. They
are just so adorable!
If
you are not convinced yet, I can tell you some other facts. Gerbils are very
easy to maintain. They don't produce bad odours as hamsters, rat or mice. They
practically never bite. They are active all day and may even get used to your
daily routine. To know more about these lovable creatures, read the pages on
that site and email me if you need more help!
Here
are the anwers of the first questions I recived when I speak about gerbils!
Is
it a rat?
- No, the rat has a bald scaly tail whereas
gerbil has a hairy tail with a tuft of hair at the tip. The rat is also twice as
big as a gerbil.
Is
it a mouse? 
-Neither once more! The mouse is smaller then the
gerbil. It has a scaly tail like the rat. It also has very big ears and small
eyes. They tend to smell bad very fast, especially males.
How
big is a gerbil?
-
In between the seize of a rat and a mouse. In average, 13 cm (5 inch) for the
body and 12 cm (41/2 inche) for the tail. Adults weight between 75g
and 100g.
Is it the same thing then a jerboa?
In
French, the names gerbils and jerboas are often confused. The name
"gerboise" is wrongly used to call a gerbil. I think that in English,
you don't have this problem! Jerboas live mainly in North Africa whereas gerbils
live mainly in Asia.
