### animal | vertebrate | mammal | rodent:

Gerbil
* All gerbils are adapted to arid habitats
  - have a scent gland in the middle of their tummy
* Most Gerbils become sexually mature by the age of three months old.
* Most gerbils are allergic to the oils in cedar, and some are also sensitive to pine
  - diurnal , some are crepuscular
* Most gerbils attain maturity
  - sexual maturity
* Most gerbils eat favorite food
  - grain
  - vegetables
  - establish colonies
  - find food
  - gain weight
  - give birth to offspring
* Most gerbils has-part glands
  - nipples
  - tails
  - teeth
* Most gerbils have behavior
  - coat color
  - growth
  - metabolism
  - tendencies
  - years
* Most gerbils inhabit regions
  - steppe regions
* Most gerbils live in burrows
  - climates
  - dry climates
  - three to four years and have few health problems
  - make waste
  - occupy regions
* Most gerbils possess fur
* Most gerbils reach maturity
  - receive water
  - rely on senses
* Most gerbils require food
  - much water
  - resemble rats
  - show behavior
  - sleep and wake in short cycles throughout the day and night
  - use water
  - weigh ounces
* Some gerbils are member of families
  - can be aggressive, especially when being picked up, or startled
  - carry rabies
  - construct burrows
* Some gerbils develop cysts
  - tumors
* Some gerbils dig burrows
  - soil
  - eat nuts
  - get cancer
* Some gerbils have babies
  - bottles
  - patches
  - hide in sand
  - ingest plastic
  - keep beds
* Some gerbils live in colonies
  - love baths
  - make burrows
  - move arms
  - possess babies
  - reach ages
* Some gerbils require beds
  - homes
* Some gerbils sell in pet shops
  - show symptoms
  - steal food
* Some gerbils suffer injuries
  - serious injuries
  - thrive in sand
* Some gerbils use long tails
  - watch gerbils.
  * The 'Gerbil' family of rodents. There are approximately 110 species of gerbils. All gerbils are adapted to arid habitats. At one time, gerbils were known as 'Desert rats'. Most gerbils are diurnal, some are crepuscular. The gerbil is native to Central Asia, India, the Middle East, and Africa. The average length of a gerbil is usually between six and twelve inches, this includes the tail which makes up one half of the total length. The gerbil is also a common household pet
* adapt to a wide range of ambient temperatures.
* also enjoy chew sticks, paper towel tubes or tissue boxes
  - have a long, hairy tail with a tuft at the end, while mice have almost naked tails
  - like to hide and sleep inside enclosed spaces, so place a small box inside their cage
  - love cardboard
* are a nuisance to look after
  - very active animal
  - about the same size as a small hamster
  - active, social and curious about their environment
  - allergic to sawdust, cedar wood shavings, and sometimes, pinewood shavings
  - bright and inquisitive little animals
  - burrowers, social and form monogamous pairs
  - chewers so the cage needs to be secure enough to prevent an accidental escape
  - domestic pets
  - easy to raise with basic care
  - equally active in the day and night
  - especially clean animals
  - fascinating creatures to watch because of the variety of behaviors they exhibit
  - feisty colony animals
  - friendly, curious, and nearly never bite when treated well
  - furry little creatures with a long tail that has a tuft of fur at the end
  - highly social animals that form tightly knit family groups called clans
  - hunted by birds such as owls and hawks mainly
  - inquisitive, playful, curious and friendly animals and fun to watch
  - less nippy, but much faster if they get away
  - mammals that are native to northern China
  - mostly vegetarian in their feeding habits
  - native to Mongolia, where they burrow to escape the desert heat
  - naturally shy but are social, inquisitive, and can bond well with their human family
  - nocturnal
  - noisy, smelly, and bad tempered
  - notorious for food hoarding
  - one of the cleanest friendlist classroom pets available
  - playful, inquisitive, and friendly animals
  - popular, easy to care for pets
  - prey animals in the wild
  - relatively inexpensive to purchase and feed and require only minimal space and care
  - similar to hamsters in their needs
  - slightly smaller
  - small desert rodents
  - small, sleek rodents with large black or pinkish eyes
* are social animals in the wild and tend to fair better when coupled with another
  - that often live in large communities
  - which tend to cohabitate well together
* are social animals, and live in groups in the wild
  - so it's best to get at least two
  - susceptible to experimental infections with many viruses
  - sweet animals that can be a lot of fun
  - the easiest of the rodents as far as maintenance
  - tremendously intelligent animals, both in their natural environments and in captivity
  - typical desert animals
  - usually friendly, so they also make nice pets for children
* are very affectionate rodents and enjoy giving and receiving love
  - curious and active
  - friendly creatures that like to be picked up and held
* are very intelligent, and capable of developing individual characteristics
  - entertaining animals that love to play
  - social creatures so ideally live in pairs or colonies
  - warm blooded and are mammals
* breed at night
  - readily in the laboratory environment
* can also catch flu.
* can be great first pets for children
  - sensitive to bright lights, loud noises, people, or animals
  - become extremely tame and are really perfect pets
  - easily get their feet caught in wire
  - have a litter once a month
  - hop, using their long tail as a balance
  - jump out of ten-gallon tanks quite easily
  - sometimes loose teeth
  - squeeze through very small spaces and are great jumpers
  - swim quite well
* come in a variety of colors, but usually have white fur on their belly.
* commonly develop hair loss on the nose and muzzle with open lesions and crusting.
* conserve both water and fat extremely well.
* contain about a quart of blood.
* create a good deal of dust from their chewed-up nesting material.
* display symptoms of stress in ways similar to other mammals.
* do tolerate a wide range of temperatures and have very few natural diseases.
* eat a mix of rodent pellets, seeds, fruits and vegetables, and insects
* enjoy sunflower seeds, alfalfa pellets, vegetables and nuts.
* excrete little urine, and fecal pellets are hard and dry.
* follow their instinct and keep their nest clean by eating dead or sick pups.
* get reproductive when they reach sexual maturity at the age of three months.
* have a large, ventral abdominal marking gland that is androgen dependent
  - different personalities than hamsters
  - few spontaneous illnesses
  - fur on their tails
  - keen hearing
  - large eyes and ears and long hind legs
  - much less odor than other rodents, such as rats and mice
  - some form of colour vision, but it is quite dissimilar to human vision
  - very few diseases and are very healthy
  - faces
  - nuclei
  - plasma membranes
  - sections
  - vacuoles
* inhabit clay and sandy deserts, bush country, and arid steppes
* instinctively take good care of their offspring, and no owner intervention is required.
* like to explore their environments.
* live a happy and active but short life.
  - deserts and grasslands
* love hammocks and rope toys
* love to chew
  - dig and tunnel, creating different rooms underground
  - hoard food in large stores
  - run, tunnel and explore
* make a high pitched squeak - but mainly as youngsters
  - great pets for both adults and children
  - very good pets
* mark their territory by rubbing their scent gland on it.
* mate for life, in pairs or triads
  - the night of the birth
* means reality and surety.
* mostly survive off of the food available in their area.
* naturally eat seeds of various grasses, bulbs and a range of leaves and herbs.
* need diets.
* normally live longer than mice, rats, hamsters and other small pets.
* often live together in large colonies.
* represent few potential health hazards to people keeping the animal as a pet.
  - fresh food and water every day
  - sandbathing to keep their coats from becoming oily
* seem prone to stroke.
* spend much of their time foraging.
* stop producing young around the age of two and a half years.
* suffering from colds tend to shiver and huddle up, in an effort to stay warm.
* take care.
* tend to be extremely aggressive towards other small rodents
  - happier with more than one mate in their cage
  - sensitive to loud sounds and sudden movement
  - eliminate in one area of the cage, keeping the rest of the cage fairly clean
  - get their tails caught between the bars
  - live in family groups in the wild
* test their enclosures constantly.
* thrive in solid bottom cages with deep bedding and ample nesting material.
* use methods
* usually give birth in the early hours of the morning and labour can last for a few hours.
* usually live for three to four years
  - to be about three years old
  - stay near their burrow system, also when they are foraging
* walk and scamper on all four limbs and flee in running leaps when alarmed.
* will have bellies
  - black eyes
  - ruby eyes
  - white bellies