Except for rats, and just because I admired their cunning and survivability, I never had a passionate interest in rodents. The only time I really came into contact with gerbils was when I was the mother of my youngest son’s second grade class and the class kept gerbils as pets in a kind of housing that resembles a large aquarium. This book, however, changed my perspective on gerbils when I picked it up from a local bookstore shelf due to the attractive portrait of a gerbil on its cover.
Mongolian gerbils, the kind that are kept as pets, are sometimes referred to as sand rats, desert rats, yellow rats, antelope rats, or shredded claws. Other related gerbils are the bushy-tailed jird, the thick-tailed gerbil or duprasi, the Libyan jird, and the Egyptian jird.
Gerbils have the face of a squirrel and a tail that resembles the tail of a rat. They are curious, friendly and social animals. Due to their size, they make better pets for older children. They are also ideal for apartment dwellers because gerbils take up very little space. However, they should be kept in a dry room with moderate temperature. The ideal place to house gerbils is a sturdy table from where they can observe the owners.
Since gerbils have a social life, they must be purchased in pairs. Gerbil babies are called cubs. They may look cute, but a couple of gerbils a few months old would make better pets.
Gerbils are fairly cheap to obtain and easy to keep, but they require some knowledge and understanding like other pets. So “Gerbils: The Complete Guide to Gerbil Care” is just the book and probably the best book to read on the subject.
What really impressed me, besides the writer’s expertise, are the wonderfully artistic and unique photographs of the book taken by photographer Ellen Bellini. All photographs complement the information in the book, adding visual pleasure to the cleverly organized content of the book.
The chapters of the book are:
1: Furry Mongolian Friends
2: Are Gerbils the Right Pets for You?
3: Find the gerbils of your dreams
4: Housing and food
5: Tame and manipulate your gerbils
6: Health and dangers of gerbils
7: raise gerbils
8: Fun with gerbils
9: displaying your gerbils
At 160 paperback pages, the book has an appendix, a resource page, a fairly informative glossary, and an index at the end. Their ISBN numbers are: ISBN-10: 1931993564 and ISBN-13: 978-1931993562.
The writer, Donna Anastasi, is the president of The American Gerbil Society. He has organized the first gerbil show in the United States. He lives with his family and his many animals in southern New Hampshire.
This is a very informative book for both beginners and experienced gerbil owners. In addition to being easy to read and fun to watch, it is a wonderful reference book for libraries and gerbil enthusiasts alike.
