Hi Tram and welcome --
You have found the best and most fun place to learn how to live with
gerbils. Good for you. I caught on as rookie just a few months ago.
There are two basic Web places that will answer most of your questions and
more:
http://www.nanetworks.net/~mhaines/gerbil.html
http://www.gerbils.co.uk/
Don't worry that they are much more than you can absorb at once, Nobody
does But those are better than any books you can get.
I've given some notes below for immediate help. The experts might tell
you more.
From: "Tram Dang"
so I wanna know: Do gerbils need special lights like my turtles or
fishes???
**** Nope. Reasonable daylight is best. Just like you and me. My
dark-hallway gerbils have much less sunlight than I, but seem to be okay
with an everyday indoor lamp.
What do gerbils normally eat?? I bought him yesterday this mix-food from
the pet-shop... but he only eats the sunflower seeds which is not healthy
for him, right???
*** Right. He likes the sunflower seeds best so that's what he eats. In
the long run that will not be good for him. If your and my mother didn't
teach us better, we might only eat desserts. I deal with that by feeding
only every day or so (depending on amount) so I'm pretty sure they are
eating all the nutritious parts of their feed, not just the desserts.
Don't expect to count your gerbils' calories. They bury things (and their
bowls too) -- so in a home setting you're stuck. That's where J's Law
kicks in. Someone found that gerbils will adapt their diets to get what
they need nutriionally. I'm wary of that.
Don't worry for a long time. Buy a bag of gerbil feed mix and research
feeding details later.) If you can't research for a couple months, then
buy some gerbil vitamins/minerals to add to his water.
so: What can I buy for him to eat?? Can I also prepare food for him by
myself???
**** Buy commercial gerbil feed mix until you can decide on other options
like mixing your own. (Many people do that. See Gerbil FAQ.)
Your biggest problem is that you have ONE gerbil. Gerbils are very
sopcial;. He would be way better off with a companion. (They both will
love you also.) See the basic websites about this. Your basic decisin is
whether you want to have pups or not -- and that is a decision that many
gerbil people don't make wisely IMHO.
good luck and email privately asnytime ... Bill
