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The Fat-tailed Gerbil as a Pet
The fat-tailed gerbil (Pachyuromys duprasi) is also known as the fat-tailed mouse or fat-tailed gerbil. They are desert animals native to the northern Sahara. The fat-tailed gerbil is a striking animal, with its round body, pointed snout, and thick, hairless tail.
Head-body length : up to 10 - 14 cm
Body weight : 45 grams
Life expectancy : 3 - 7 years
Fat-tailed gerbils are crepuscular and nocturnal, meaning they are most active in the evening, night, and early morning. However, in captivity, they are also regularly awake during the day.
Did you know?
Gerbils have no neck
How do you tame a Fat-tailed Gerbil?
Always do your research before deciding to get a fat-tailed gerbil. They make wonderful pets that are often awake, meaning they can be seen during the day as well. Although the fat-tailed gerbil looks very sweet and cuddly, it doesn't always enjoy being cuddled and is quite nervous to be picked up, especially at first. Because they have no depth perception, they can easily run away from your hand if startled. Therefore, it's important that an adult is always present to help and support children handling the animals.
A new resident should be approached calmly, especially at first. The animal must first become familiar with its own habitat and feel safe there before it dares to approach people. Fat-tailed gerbils are quite shy animals and need time to adjust. Give the animal time and try to gently make contact by talking to it. Giving a treat from the hand often works well to gain the animals' trust. They allow you to pick them up; they don't resist.
Tip! Fat-tailed gerbils love dried mealworms
Housing the Fat-tailed Gerbil
Fat-tailed gerbils need a spacious enclosure of at least 100 x 50 cm (LICG). A good enclosure allows them to dig, but it should also include a sand section covering at least one-third of the enclosure. In the wild, fat-tailed gerbils build elaborate burrows, and they prefer to continue doing so in captivity. A burrow in the wild is at least 1 to 2 meters deep and approximately 1 meter long. The depth of the burrow depends on the ambient temperature. As the temperature rises, the gerbil will dig deeper underground to reach the cool earth, a kind of natural air conditioning.
Fat-tailed gerbils are desert dwellers, meaning they need a large sand area in their enclosure filled with bathing sand, such as chinchilla sand. These animals quickly develop oily fur, which in the wild offers protection against environmental influences like temperature and dry air. In our homes, gerbils should always have access to a sandbox filled with chinchilla sand so they can bathe as needed. If fat-tailed gerbils cannot bathe in sand, their fur will become very oily within a few days, and a fungal infection can develop.
Hamsterscaping is therefore also great fun for Fat-tailed gerbils.
In our home, this translates into a spacious enclosure with digging opportunities and a sand section! A terrarium is the best choice for this, thanks to its enclosed nature. However, it's important that a terrarium allows for good ventilation, so preferably with two vents (top and bottom). This is especially important in the summer when temperatures rise above 25°C.
What are suitable houses for a fat-tailed gerbil?
Fat-tailed gerbils are lucky! Almost all hamster houses are a good size for this species. Fat-tailed gerbils are prey animals and don't like to roam freely in their enclosure, but if they occasionally encounter a shelter, they feel much safer. They love underground tunnels, such as a terracotta pipe system. Therefore, we recommend having at least two houses for your gerbil: one for sleeping and one for hiding.
What is a good running wheel for a Fat-tailed Gerbil?
The gerbil wheel is a crucial element of a gerbil enclosure. Gerbils are active animals that love to run, often at night. This is because they naturally run a lot during the night in search of food. It's essentially in their DNA. Furthermore, scientific research has shown that running in a wheel makes gerbils happy, promotes digestion, and keeps them in good overall condition.
An exercise wheel for a Fat-tailed gerbil must have a diameter of at least 28 cm and consist of a solid running surface.
Which substrate is suitable for the Fat-tailed gerbil?
A sandy substrate is important for the fat-tailed gerbil. Gerbils also need a substrate that is diggable, meaning they can create tunnels and burrows in it, which they prefer to leave intact. This can be achieved by choosing a substrate that is already diggable or by mixing substrates to make them diggable. Examples of diggable substrates include humus and burrowing sand , as well as cotton and cotton . A good mix is a mix of cotton and hemp fiber , cotton and wood fiber, or a mix of wood fiber , hemp fiber, and hay. Substrates like Back 2 Nature are not suitable because the animals cannot dig in them. The ideal height of the digging area is between 20 and 30 cm.
Which sandbox is suitable for a fat-tailed gerbil?
Fat-tailed gerbils not only enjoy regular sand baths but also truly need them, as described above. The ideal distribution of the enclosure is one-third sand and the rest a diggable substrate. Sand has a degreasing and therefore cooling effect. Because sand is degreasing, it also has a drying effect. Animals with skin problems should therefore not be given sand baths. If the sand dries out the skin too much, it can become itchy, causing the animals to bathe even more. It is therefore important to monitor the gerbils' bathing behavior and remove the sand bath if they notice any signs of skin problems (red patches, bald spots, scabs, or wounds).
Do Fat-Tailed Gerbils Build Nests?
Fat-tailed gerbils also like to build nests, so they always need nesting material to line their burrows. Building a nest is a natural behavior for a gerbil. Therefore, always provide them with 15-25 grams of nesting material. Nesting material should be soft, absorbent, and have brittle fibers so the animals can't get tangled in it. Materials like cotton, hemp, toilet paper, and hay are ideal.
What food is good for the fat-tailed gerbil?
Fat-tailed gerbils (unlike other gerbil species) are naturally insectivorous. This is clearly reflected in the shape of their snouts, which are very pointed. Therefore, a fat-tailed gerbil's diet should consist largely of animal protein. Unfortunately, there is no specific diet available (yet) for the fat-tailed gerbil, but fortunately, standard gerbil food supplemented with an insect mix is sufficient to meet its nutritional needs.
Dental formula: 1003/1003 Orange-yellow incisors. (Ratio of upper to lower incisors = 1:3) Incisors continue to grow. Molars do not.
Stomach: Unipartite stomach with mucosal fold
Cecum: Small cecum with limited ability to process crude fiber. Cecotropes are only eaten when food is scarce.
The percentage of crude fiber in the diet should be a maximum of 10% for optimal digestibility and absorption of the diet.
A good nutritional composition looks like this:
Crude protein (Rp): 14-15.5%
Crude fat (RVe): 4% Prone to obesity, as well as to obesity
Crude fiber (CFP): 4-7%
Calcium (Ca): 0.6-0.7%
Phosphorus (F): 0.4-0.5% (Ca-F ratio: 1.5: 1)
An optimal protein percentage for growing gerbils appears to be 16%. A magnesium or sodium deficiency can cause baldness and convulsions in gerbils.
Which gnawing material is good for fat-tailed gerbils?
Fat-tailed gerbils have a natural urge to gnaw. This is because gerbils are rodents and have continuously growing incisors. Therefore, they need something to gnaw on to wear down their teeth. If gerbils don't have enough opportunities to wear down their teeth, they can become overlong or crooked, with all the consequences that entails.
Rodents use gnawing wood to wear down their teeth. Because rodents' teeth are constantly growing, they need to be gnawed regularly to prevent them from growing too long and crooked.
Some gerbils are very active gnawers, while others aren't at all. It's partly a matter of taste, but also a matter of need. If a gerbil doesn't have a need to gnaw because its teeth stay long thanks to food, hay, or other gnawing materials, it will be less likely to gnaw on gnawing materials. It's a good idea to always offer natural gnawing materials so the animals can gnaw whenever they feel the need.
How do you recognize dental problems in the Fat-tailed gerbil?
If you notice your fat-tailed gerbil eagerly trying to grab food but then not eating it, there might be a problem with its teeth. Drooling can also indicate dental problems. If you suspect dental problems, it's best to contact your veterinarian.
Fat-tailed gerbil reproduction
Fat-tailed gerbils are solitary animals, coming together only during mating season. Once the young are born, the mother cares for them until they are old enough to leave the nest, usually around 5-6 weeks.
The female is in heat and ready to mate every seven days. This lasts about 12 hours. If a successful mating occurs on these days, the young are born after about 19-24 days. Females older than six months who have not yet had a litter usually do not become pregnant again.
The difference between males and females can be seen in the distance between the genital opening and the anus. In males, this distance is greater than in females.
Sexually mature : from 8 weeks
Breeding ready: females from 12 weeks
Number of litters : 3-4 per year
Litter size : average 4
Gestation period : 19-24 days
Birth weight : 2 - 2.5 g, nestlings
Weaning period : from week 5 - 6 weeks
Fat-tailed gerbil health
Fat-tailed gerbils are generally quite healthy animals. The most common health problems are dental problems, obesity, and skin problems. We recommend regular dental checks to detect any dental problems early.
Skin problems can be largely prevented by providing the animals with sufficient and continuous bath sand.
Preventative treatment with parasite preventative measures is not necessary. Supplemental vitamin supplementation is not necessary when feeding a complete gerbil diet.
For extensive information on rodent care, see LICG
