The Other Species | Gerbilimo

The other species of gerbils

When we talk about gerbil, usually, we are refering to the Mongolian Gerbil, Meriones unguiculatus, but there are a lot of other kind of gerbils. There is also a kind that are called Jirds. Jirds are a type of gerbils, in which the Mongolian Gerbil is part of. All jirds are gerbils but not all gerbils are jirds.

I won't list them all but here are the most common.

Persian Jird

- Gerbille Perse

Meriones persicus

Origin : Middle-East, up to 3 250 m of altitude.

Lifespan : 6 to 7 years old

Lenght : 15cm of body, 14-19cm of tail

Average weight : 100 grams

Temper : Sociable and curious, similar to the mongolian.

Infos : They are very gracious.

Shaw's Jird

- Gerbille de Shaw

Meriones Shawi

Origin : Desert of Morocco and Egypt.

Lifespan : 5 years old

Lenght : 14-17cm of body, 15-17cm of tail

Average weight : 130 grams (female), 160 grams (male)

Temper : Solitary, Nocturnal, very Docile

Infos : Males can be kept in pairs but females tend to be much more territorial

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Fat-Tailed Gerbil

- Duprasi

Pachyuromys Duprasis

Origin : Morocco and Egypt.

Lifespan : 5 to 7 years old

Lenght : 10cm of body, 5cm of tail

Average weight : 40 grams

Temper : Sociable, Diurnal, Doesn't show the typical curiosity of gerbils

Infos : ///

Bushy-Tailed Jird

- Gerbille à Queue Touffue

Sekeetamys calurus

Origin : Egypt and Jordany

Lifespan : 4 to 5 years old

Lenght : 22-29cm of body, 13-16cm of tail

Average weight : 64 grams

Temper : Sociable (lives in small group), Nocturnal

Infos : ///

Cheesman's Gerbil

- Gerbille de Cheesman

Gerbillus cheesmani

Origin : Arabia

Lifespan : 2 to 4 years old

Lenght : 7-11cm of body, 9-13,5cm of tail

Average weight : 28 grams

Temper : Sociable, Nocturnal, Curious, Very Active

Infos : ///