Wednesday, December 26, 2007

Another pet rodent

This photo by Dee Kull shows a typical gerbil stance—on the hind legs using the tail for balance. The bottoms of gerbil's back feet are furry.

Gerbils were once called desert rats. The gerbil subfamily includes about 110 species of African, Indian, and Asian rodents. The ones raised as pets in the US are Mongolian gerbils. (I had no idea!)

In their natural environment, Mongolian gerbils are mostly insectivores.

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