Gerbils are very active pets, and need to be kept exercised. While they’re only small, they need lots of exercise to ensure they live a healthy and happy life. Read on to find out all about gerbil exercise and what you can do to keep your pet moving.
Why Does My Gerbil Need Exercise?
Exercise is very important for gerbils as it helps to keep them both physically fit and mentally stimulated.
Keeping your gerbil exercised can help to prevent health issues, such as obesity and heart disease. Without enough exercise, pet gerbils are at risk of becoming overweight, particularly if they are not burning off the calories that they are ingesting.
Exercise not only helps to keep your gerbil physically active, but helps to keep their mind active too. Without exercise, gerbils can become bored, which can lead to depression and a much lower quality of life. They can also suffer from stress, which can then affect their physical health.
Exercise also allows your gerbil to explore their environment, much like they would do in the wild. Allowing your gerbil a chance to explore their natural behaviors will help to keep them happy and content.
How Often Should My Gerbil Exercise?
If your gerbil is happy and healthy, you’ll find they exercise quite a lot. They little animals like to stay active and keep moving. In the wild, gerbils move a lot every day, and your pet gerbil is the same.
Gerbils should be exercising for at least 30 minutes each day, but if you provide them with plenty of things in their cage to play and keep active with, you’ll find they will most likely spend a lot more time exercising than this.
They’ll generally have a period of 30 minutes to an hour of exercise at a time, multiple times a day. During this time they will play on their wheel, burrow into their bedding and run around.
You don’t need to time these periods and make sure they are spending 30 minutes to an hour exercising each period, just ensure your gerbil is keeping active everyday. As long as your gerbil is digging and looking for food, they are exercising!
The age and size of your gerbil can also affect how much exercise they need. Younger gerbils will need more exercise than older ones, and larger gerbils will need more exercise than smaller ones.
How To Exercise Your Gerbil
As their owner, you’ll need to provide your gerbil with things to encourage them to exercise. After all, everything is provided for them, so they’re not running from predators or running to find food, which is how gerbils get their exercise in the wild.
Here are our top three ways for your to exercise your gerbil.
Exercise Wheel
An exercise wheel is a must-have in your gerbil’s home. An exercise wheel can be placed in the corner of their enclosure, and they can hop on and off it as they please.
Exercise wheels not only keep your gerbil active, but also allow your gerbil to reach their maximum running speed, which is something they can’t do when moving around their enclosure otherwise. This helps to keep them mentally stimulated too, because it ensures they don’t feel too cooped up or bored.
When buying an exercise wheel for your pet, make sure it is one specifically designed for a gerbil. It should have a solid floor, so your gerbil’s feet and tail do not get caught in the rungs. Exercise wheels designed for hamsters are not suitable for gerbils.
You may find that your gerbil isn’t interested in an exercise wheel. If this is the case, don’t panic! You will just need to find other ways to keep them exercised and entertained.
Toys
Toys are a fantastic way to keep your gerbil entertained and exercised. There are hundreds of gerbil toys out there on the market for you to choose from. Take a look at our article on the best pet gerbil toys.
Toys not only keep your gerbil moving, but also keep their mind engaged and prevent boredom. You can provide them with chew toys to keep them busy, and hides and climbing toys to get them moving around their enclosure in a new way. You could also try building your gerbil an obstacle course, using treats as rewards.
It is up to you which toys you choose to offer your gerbil. You may find that your gerbil prefers some to others. You can also switch out their toys from time to time, to keep them on their toes!
Wooden toys are the safest for your gerbil. These little pets love to gnaw and chew on things in their home, so try not to give them plastic toys, as this can be dangerous.
Time Outside Their Cage
One of the best ways in which you can exercise your gerbil is allowing them time outside their cage. If you have the space, gerbil proofing a room and allowing them free rein in this area is a great way to offer your gerbil not only the chance to exercise, but also to explore. This helps keep them both active and mentally stimulated.
To gerbil-proof a room, you’ll need to make sure there are no wires that could be harmful to them, no high furniture they could fall off, and no small gaps they could escape through. To learn more about how to create a safe space for your pet, learn how to gerbil proof a room here.
If you do not have the space in your home to dedicate an entire room to your gerbil, the bathroom is always a good option. This is usually a wire-free and secure space.
You can also section of an area of a larger room, ensuring it is secure and there are no spaces for your gerbil to escape. The best way to do this is with some wood, which should be at least 18 inches high. You can also attach this section to your gerbil’s home with a ramp, so they can come and go from their exercise space whenever they like.
Try to let your gerbil out of their cage a few times a week to exercise if you have the space.
Gerbil Exercise FAQs
What Should I Do If My Gerbil Isn’t Active?
While they’re active creatures, your gerbil will have periods of rest. They sleep for short periods throughout the day and night, and will exercise in between. So, if you catch your gerbil having a snooze in their burrow, that’s completely normal!
However, if your gerbil isn’t exercising or is spending most of their time resting, it may indicate an issue. Gerbils will stop exercising or exhibiting common behaviors if they are sick, so if you notice a change in your gerbil, get them checked out by the vet.
Are Exercise Balls Safe For Gerbils?
A common toy many rodent owners use are exercise balls. Also known as hamster balls, these are clear plastic balls in which your pet is enclosed. They can then exercise/run in the ball which rolls around on the floor.
While these toys are popular, here at My House Animals, we do not recommend you use them.
There is concern that these balls are stressful for your pet, because your pet is trapped inside and cannot escape to their food, water or hides. They can also become tired and then are not able to stop exercising unless they are removed from the ball. Depending on the size of the exercise ball, they can also hurt your pet’s back if they are too small.
If you do decide to provide your gerbil with an exercise ball, ensure that you monitor them very closely and do not let them exercise inside the ball for more than 10 minutes at a time.
Is My Gerbil Obese?
Gerbil obesity is becoming more and more common in pet gerbils. Just like humans, gerbils can become obese if they eat more calories than they burn off.
Signs of obesity in gerbils include a round tummy, loss of fur on their back and sides, difficulty moving and difficulty breathing.
To help your gerbil lose weight, you should provide them with plenty of opportunities to exercise. Also ensure you are feeding your gerbil correctly and do not feed them sugary treats.
Regular vet checkups are very important for your gerbil, so their health and weight can be monitored.
How Fast Can A Gerbil Run?
Gerbils are not the fastest rodents, but they can run at speeds of 6.7 mph (10.8 km/h). Male gerbils typically run falser than female gerbils.
The speed of a gerbil is also affected by its breed. The Mongolian gerbil is known to be a little faster and will run for a longer period of time, while fat-tailed gerbils are slower and will run in short bursts.