Are you considering gerbils as a pet for either yourself or a child? If so, it's important to learn as much as possible about gerbils first so that you know if they will be the right pet for your household. There are many reasons gerbils are an ideal pet for many people, but they won't be right for everyone. We'll look at some of the pros and cons of adopting and caring for gerbils.

Pros & Cons: Pros of Adopting Gerbils

• Gerbils are easy to care for compared to many other pets.
• Gerbils do not smell as other rodents do. Gerbils are desert creatures. Therefore, they drink little and do not produc e as much waste as other rodents.
• Because gerbils do not smell as much or produce as much waste, gerbils need a tank cleaning about every 2 weeks.
• Most gerbils do not bite. If a young gerbil nibbles, it is a habit easily broken.
• Gerbils are very inquisitive, playful, and fun to watch.
• Gerbils do not sleep all day and play all night. Instead, they have many sleep/wake cycles throughout the day and night.

Cons of Adopting Gerbils

There aren't many downsides to having gerbils as pets. They are friendly, easy to take care of, and don't smell as much as other pets. However, these are a few things you want to keep in mind:

• You cannot pick up a gerbil by the tail, because gerbil tails are delicate and can break off. (This is a defense mechanism in the wild.) All members of your household must learn the proper way to pick up a gerbil. For more information, see the How to Pick Up a Gerbil tip.
• You should not keep female gerbils in groups larger than two. Larger groups usually result in fights.
• Gerbils do best in pairs, but if you can't already find a pair who already live together, you will need to use the split-cage method to introduce them. This usually goes well, but it can be difficult, and there is no guarantee of success. To learn more about introducing gerbils to each other, read the series of split-caging tips, starting with Split-Cage Introductions, pt.1.