• The Gerbil in Research.

    The Mongolian gerbil, Meriones unguiculatus, is often referred to as a Jird. It is a desert animal, originating in Mongolia and northern China. As such, its water requirements are lower and the amount of urine and feces produced is small. The urine is concentrated, and pellets are small and dry. In the laboratory, this translates to a cage that tends to stay drier for longer between changes. This also has implications for breeding, as cleaning the cages too often can impact the animal's territorial markings.

    In the wild, gerbils live in social burrows with multiple entrances, nesting rooms and food chambers for seed storage. They are active, easy to handle and relatively non- aggressive. Gerbils are nocturnal, but do have periods of activity during the day as well, feeding both day and night.

    The entire sub family of Gerbil type rodents is characterized by jumping or hopping movements [1]. Since hopping is a normal behavior, a taller cage is more appropriate for housing. In addition to burrowing, these animals are nest builders, so bedding and nesting materials are important to their overall enrichment plan. Gerbils in an enriched environment find food, rear up and mark territory more than those in a non-enriched environment. According to one on-line source, gerbils also enjoy the occasional dust bath.

    Both sexes have a ventral abdominal pad, though the pad in males is larger. These glands produce secretions used to mark territory and pups. Males mark more frequently, especially when breeding.

    Another unique behavior, also related to breeding, is the fact that gerbils mate for life. The loss of a mate may cause the animal to refuse a subsequent replacement. For breeders, it is recommended that pairs be set up at weaning to minimize fighting. While the animals are not particularly aggressive, new pairs should be monitored; animals will become aggressive to intruders or when overcrowded.

    The gestation period of the gerbil is intermediate between other rodents and rabbits, averaging 24-26 days. As with most rodents, gerbils are altricial, that is, born helpless, naked and blind . Females have a post-partum estrus and a pregnancy during lactation can result in delayed implantation and prolonged gestation.[2] Males help with care of the litter.

    All the gerbils used for research in North America came from20 pairs trapped in Mongolia and taken to Japan in the 1930s. In 1954, 4 breeding pairs were used to establish a breeding colony for Dr. Victor Schwentker, who established the first commercial colony of Mongolian gerbils at the Tumblebrook Farm[3]. In 1970, he published a manual on the care and maintenance of gerbils.

    The first gerbils were imported for research involving Rickettsial diseases. Since then, gerbils have been used to study stroke, parasite infections, infectious diseases, endocrinology, lipid metabolism, and ageing. [4]

    Gerbils are relatively healthy animals, susceptible to only a few conditions, including Salmonella and Tyzzer's disease. They are also sensitive to certain antibiotics, such as streptomycin. . Most notably, approximately 30% of the population suffers from epilepsy, with seizures beginning around two months of age. This makes them a natural model for epilepsy research.

    The Louisiana Veterinary Medical Association states that only .5% of all the research animals are gerbils.[5]


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    [1] Harkness, J., et al., Harkness and Wagner’s The Biology and Medicine of Rabbits and Rodents, Fifth Ed., Hoboken:Wiley-Blackwell, 2010, p.74

    [2] Harkness, et al, p. 79.

    [4] Harkness, et al, p. 81.

     

     

     

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