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The Care and Maintainance of a Fat-Tailed Gerbil

Fat-tailed Gerbils, also known as Duprasis, are quite possibly one of the most naturally tame mammals that there are. They don't try to get away and they don't bite, so the combination of the two make these one of the most fun animal that you will ever own!

Description of the Fat-tailed Gerbil

The Fat-tailed Gerbil is about the size of a common gerbil, with the body lenght being about 3 to 3 1/2 inches long and it's tail, with its clubbed shape, is about 1 to 1 1/2 inches long. The purpose of the clubbed tail is to store fat in case they ever need to go a long time without water or food. They have soft, fine blonde colored fur on the top, and white fur on the under side of them.This is a gentle creature, like no other!

Feeding and Housing Your Fat-tailed Gerbil

Feed these gerbils a mixture of mouse, hamster, and gerbil food (seeds) with a small amout (1/10) of dog food added in. These gerbils, like most small animals, like a live treat once in a while such as meal worms and crickets. These give the animals a little extra protein, which never hurts. You can also feed them fresh fruits such as oranges and apple slices, and occasionally a few grapes. These animals can drink out of water bottles, however, it is always best to supply them with a little fruit for moisture too.

Fat-tailed gerbils are extremely easy to house, like any other small animal mammal. A 10 to 20 gallon aquarium works fine, but remember, the bigger the better. The bedding of choice is corn cob, however sand may also be used. It is also a good idea to give these animals a place to hide. Another thing your gerbil might like is a wheel to run in. Although some may not like the wheel, the one's that do can't get enough of them.

Breeding Your Fat-tailed Gebril

The first thing to do is to separate the sexes for a short period of time. When you are ready to start bredding, put the male in with the female for 7 to 8 days straight. After that, wait about 22 days, and if you don't have babies, put the male back in with the female. You will want to remove the male from the cage after the female becomes pregnant because he can become aggressive and can stress out the female. There are usually 3 to 5 babies in each litter. These animals can be bred throughtout the year, about 3 to 4 time is recommended.