Like many rodents, they are social animals. Always wash your hands before picking up your rodent to prevent spreading germs to him. Also, never pick a rodent up by its tail. Always support the underside of the gerbil with one hand. Many allergies come from their living environment, so they're relatively easy to treat or correct.
Gerbils are allergic to sawdust, cedar wood shavings, and sometimes, pinewood shavings.
Gerbils suffer an allergic reaction will have a runny nose and fluid which runs from its eyes. You can correct this by feeding your rodent greens only twice a week. Stale food also has the potential to cause diarrhea in gerbils. Avoid leaving old food in your pet's cage. If you have several gerbils, keep them isolated during diarrhea outbreaks.