I am a gerbil lover, I have two gerbils, one is called Little White and the other is called Little Black. They are a source of joy in my life. Every day, I feel satisfied when I watch them running around in their cage, chewing on wood and digging in the sand. However, I also know that gerbils are very fragile animals, they have a short life span and die easily.
I have read many sad stories on the Internet of gerbil owners whose sudden death of their gerbils was hard for them to accept. I am also worried that my gerbils will leave me one day, so I wanted to write this article to discuss the lifespan of gerbils, the causes of death, and how to prevent and prolong their lives.
I hope this article will help other gerbil owners to better understand and take care of their gerbils, and to be more courageous and strong in the face of gerbil death.
While gerbils are adorable, they have a short lifespan, usually only 2-3 years. This means that gerbil owners are likely to experience gerbil death, which can be devastating and hurtful for many people.
The impact of a gerbil’s death is not only emotional for the gerbil owner, but it can also be an impact on their life, work, school, and even their health. Some gerbil owners experience depression, anxiety, insomnia, and loss of appetite after losing their gerbils, which can seriously affect their normal lives.
Therefore, understanding the lifespan of gerbils, the causes of death, and how to prevent and prolong their lives is something every gerbil owner should do.
The average lifespan of gerbils is 2-3 years, which is determined by their physiology and life cycle. Gerbils are very small and their hearts and lungs are weak and cannot handle much stress or strain. Gerbils also have a fast metabolism and they grow rapidly, typically reaching sexual maturity 6-8 weeks after birth and then being able to start reproducing.
Gerbils are very fertile and can produce up to 10 litters a year, with an average of 4-6 per litter. This lifestyle puts a lot of strain on the gerbils’ bodies and accelerates their aging. The lifespan of gerbils is also affected by their species, environment and care.
Different breeds have different lifespans. Generally speaking, Mongolian gerbils have the longest lifespan, which can be up to 4 years, while other breeds, such as short-tailed gerbils and golden gerbils, have shorter lifespans of only 1-2 years. The gerbil’s environment, also affects their lifespan. If the gerbil lives in a clean, comfortable, and safe cage with enough water and food, proper temperature and humidity, enough toys and chews, and the company of a companion or owner, then they will live longer.
Conversely, if gerbils live in a dirty, crowded, dangerous cage, lack water and food, are subjected to too high or too low temperatures and humidity, have no toys and chews, and feel lonely and frustrated, then they will have a shorter lifespan.
Gerbil care, also affects their lifespan. If gerbil owners are able to check and clean their gerbils on a regular basis, detect and treat gerbil illnesses in a timely manner, provide their gerbils with a suitable diet, and avoid giving their gerbils too much stress and disturbance, then their gerbils will have a longer lifespan.
On the contrary, if the gerbil owner neglects the gerbil’s health and hygiene, lets the gerbil get sick or injured, feeds the gerbil an unsuitable diet, and puts the gerbil in a stressful and fearful state, then the gerbil’s lifespan will be shorter.
The causes of gerbil death can be categorized into two types: natural death and unnatural death. Natural death is when the gerbil dies due to aging, organ failure, or an incurable disease. Unnatural deaths are when gerbils die from infection, heat stroke, poisoning, trauma, tumors, or other preventable or treatable causes. Below is a description of some of the common causes of gerbil death:
Death from old age: this is the most common cause of gerbil death and usually occurs after the gerbil is 2 1/2 years old. Gerbils’ bodies weaken with age and their vital organs such as the heart, lungs, liver, and kidneys gradually lose their function, leading to symptoms such as difficulty breathing, loss of appetite, weight loss, and decreased mobility. The death of an elderly gerbil is often very peaceful, and they will pass away peacefully in their sleep. Gerbil owners can make their gerbils feel happy and at ease in their final days by providing them with more love and warmth.
Disease: Gerbils can suffer from a wide variety of diseases just like humans, some minor, some serious, some curable and some incurable. Some of the most common diseases that gerbils suffer from are stroke, heart disease, respiratory infections, indigestion, diarrhea, dental problems, skin diseases, eye diseases, and ear diseases.
Symptoms of these diseases may manifest themselves in different ways such as gerbil’s behavior, posture, breathing, appetite, weight, droppings, coat color, eyes, ears, nose, and mouth. Gerbil owners should observe their gerbils regularly and contact their veterinarians as soon as they notice any abnormality to avoid delay in treatment.
Some diseases, such as stroke, heart attack, respiratory infections, etc., may lead to sudden death of gerbils, which is difficult to prevent, but gerbil owners can reduce the risk of gerbil illnesses by providing gerbils with proper diet, exercise, environment, and by reducing the gerbil’s stress.
Environmental Factors: The environment in which gerbils live can also affect their health and longevity. Gerbils are temperature and humidity sensitive animals; their optimal temperature is 20-25 degrees Celsius and their optimal humidity is 40-60%. If the temperature is too high or too low, gerbils may suffer from heatstroke or colds, and if the humidity is too high or too low, gerbils may get skin or respiratory diseases.
The gerbil’s cage, too, should be kept clean, ventilated, safe, and spacious with plenty of sand, wood shavings, toys, chews, water, and food. If the cage is dirty, overcrowded, dangerous, and lacking in essentials, the gerbil may get infected with bacteria, parasites, or be harmed or even die.
Gerbils should also be careful with their diet. The main food for gerbils is gerbil food, which they can supplement with fresh fruits, vegetables, hay, seeds, nuts, etc. However, avoid feeding gerbils sugary, salty, oily, dairy, or poisonous foods such as chocolate, onions, grapes, and milk, which may lead to gerbil toxicity, diarrhea, obesity, or other digestive problems, or even death.
Exercise for gerbils, also in moderation, gerbils are very active animals and they need to spend enough time each day running, exploring, and playing outside of their cages so that they can build up their physical, mental, and social skills. However, gerbils should be exercised with safety in mind. Avoid exposing gerbils to electrical wires, water sources, heat, sharp objects, or other dangerous items that may electrocute, drown, scald, scratch, or get stuck, or even kill the gerbils.
Genetic Factors: Death of gerbils can also be due to their genetics. Some gerbils, may inherit defects or diseases, such as epilepsy, albinism, tumors, etc. These defects or diseases, may affect the gerbil’s normal life, or even lead to its death. The genetic factors of gerbils are often due to the way the gerbils are bred.
Some gerbils are bred in an irrational way, such as inbreeding, overbreeding, or breeding in pursuit of some special coat color or body shape. These breeding methods may lead to genetic mutation or gene deletion of the gerbils, which may result in genetic defects or diseases of the gerbils.
Gerbil owners, should pay attention to the source, breed, health, and family history of their gerbils when choosing a gerbil, and try to choose a healthy, purebred, disease-free gerbil to minimize the risk of genetic defects in gerbils.
The death of a gerbil, sometimes sudden, catches gerbil owners off guard and is unacceptable. The suddenness of a gerbil’s death can be attributed to two things. On the one hand, it is because of the physiological characteristics of gerbils; their bodies are very small and sensitive, and they are very susceptible to external influences, and once something goes wrong, it is very difficult to recover. On the other hand, it is because of the gerbil’s instincts, they are a very vigilant animal, they will try to hide their ailments so that they will not be discovered by other animals or humans, so that they can protect themselves from attack.
The death of a gerbil often occurs without the gerbil owner noticing anything out of the ordinary, leaving the gerbil owner shocked and helpless. The suddenness of a gerbil’s death also puts a great deal of psychological stress on the gerbil owner, who may wonder if they are not taking good enough care of the gerbil, if they are neglecting its needs, and if there is anything they could be doing better.
Gerbil owners, should remain calm and rational in the face of the suddenness of a gerbil’s death. Instead of blaming themselves or feeling sorry for themselves, they should think of the gerbil’s death as a natural process, a kind of relief and rest, and a kind of best blessing for the gerbil.
Gerbils, a very cute, funny and pet-friendly animal, bring a lot of fun, a lot of warmth and a lot of touch to our lives. However, gerbils, are also a very fragile, sensitive and easy to die animal, their life span is short and very unpredictable. Therefore, when we keep gerbils, we have to understand the characteristics, needs, and risks of gerbils, we have to provide the best care and protection for gerbils, we have to cherish every moment with gerbils, we have to be prepared for gerbils’ deaths, we have to deal with their deaths correctly, and we have to commemorate and honor the lives of gerbils. Gerbils, are our friends, our companions, our family, we have to give them enough love and respect to make them our faithful companions, to make their life, not a false one.
