Gerbil & Jird Species
Gerbils and Jirds, what's the difference?
When I very first started keeping gerbils and Jirds as a hobby, I was told to remember a very basic rule for classifying gerbils, this being that all Jirds are gerbils, but not all gerbils are Jirds!
Articles & Galleries About Meriones Species
Care and management of Shaw's Jirds - (Meriones shawi)
The Jird burrow system can be extensive and have several entrances, which remain unclosed by day. The actual entrances to their burrows can often be located beneath nearby shrubs. The burrow usually consists of food storage chambers nearer to the surface and nesting chambers can be found at greater depths within the burrow. Nesting material is usually made from local dried vegetation.
Read the full article on the care and management of Shaw's jirds.
The Sundevall Jird (Meriones crassus sub-species perpallidus)
Click here to view the Sundevall Jird gallery
Sundervall Gerbils in the Wild
A personal account of Sundevall Gerbils in the Wild, accomplanied by photo gallery, kindly sent to us by Igor Armiach
Persian Jirds (Meriones persicus)
Click here to view the Persian jird gallery
Tristram's Jird (Meriones tristrami)
Click here to view the Tristam's jird gallery
Articles & Galleries About Gerbillus Species
Which Gerbillus species do you keep, Pallids, Cheesmans or are they hybrids?
Over recent years there has been some confusion surrounding the identities of Pallid Gerbils and Cheesman Gerbils, to the extent that some breeders not being sure which species they do have, have inadvertantly hybridised these two similar species together, effectively producing a Pallid/Cheesman hybrid, that in breeding experiments seem fully fertile. These hybrids have then been distributed and bred on as either true pallids or cheesmans depending on which species they superficially looked like.This has been quite damaging to both captive species, and I fear that if the trend is not reversed and hybrids being accurately recognised for what they are, true Pallids and Cheesmans Gerbils will become impossible to find within the U.K.
Read the full article about Pallid x Cheesman hybrids
The Pallid Gerbil (Gerbillus perpallidus)
Pallid gerbils are a species of gerbil from North Africa, they are slightly smaller than the Mongolian gerbil (the well known pet shop gerbil), with a slender appearance, slightly protruding eyes, and have a friendly disposition and are easy to care for. They have a light orange upper coat and white belly, white around the eyes, long feet and a tail longer than the body. The tail is barely furred and the ears are naked. The eyes are dark and stand out from the head, much larger in proportion to the head than Mongolians.
Read the full article about Pallid gerbils
The Cheesman Gerbil (Gerbillus cheesmani)
Click here to view the Cheesman gerbil gallery
The Rock Gerbil (Gerbillus campestris)
Loche first described Gerbillus campestris in 1867 from specimens collected in the Constantine Province, Philip Ville, Algeria. This particular gerbil species is now thought to be extinct in the U.K. Originating from the Berlin zoo, they were imported around 1999, and although they initially bred well, less than a handful of people kept them, and sadly their fertility declined over the years mainly through forced inbreeding, and new blood never emerged to keep the breeding lines healthy and vigorous.
Read the full article about Rock gerbils
Charming Dipodils (Gerbillus amoenus)
DeWinton first described the Charming Dipodil in 1902 from Egyptian specimens in the Giza province. There have been suggestions that the Dipodil is in fact the same species as gerbillus Nanus, although smaller, it's appearance and behaviour is similar.
Read the full article about Charming Dipodils.
Charming Dipodil Diaries
I first obtained Charming Dipodils (Gerbillus amoenus) in May 2004 when I travelled to Cardiff to collect some animals. I got my 2 females from my friend Eddie Cope, who first imported the species into the United Kingdom in 2001. I named them Charmer and Dreamer and they soon settled down into Irish life.
Read the charming tale about handrearing a litter of one of the smallest gerbil species.
The Baluchistan Pygmy Gerbil (Gerbillus nanus)
Click here to view the Baluchistan pygmy gerbil gallery
Unidentified Gerbillus Species in the Wild
Igor Armiach also sent us some lovely pictures of unidentified Gerbillus species.
Click here to view the gallery
Other Gerbil Species
Fat Sand Rats in Captivity (Psammomys Obesus)
P.Obesus got it's common name of Fat Sand Rat from when diabetes was first discovered by chance observation in the specimens collected by the US Naval Medical Research Unit in Egypt. It appeared whenever the animals were maintained on a regular rodent diet. These first animals were trapped on the sandy beaches of the Nile Delta and trivially nicknamed 'Sand Rats', which is a misnomer as they are a highly specialised members of the gerbil family. Both the common and Latin name (Psammomsys Obesus) suggest that it is bulky in stature and this is certainly true of the adult males, females however remain leaner, considerably faster and more agile.
Read the full article about Fat Sand Rats.
The Fat-Tail Gerbil (Pachyuromys duprasi)
Duprasi are relative newcomers to the gerbil fancy, and have received many differing and often confusing reports on their behaviour and care. Some articles and internet sites describe them as nippy, whereas others describe them as docile and affectionate, and some reports describe them as being difficult to breed yet others say they are no more difficult to breed than a regular Mongolian gerbil. They are viewed by some as some sort of missing link between gerbils and hamsters.
Read the full article on the care and maintenance of Fat-Tail Gerbils.