{"topic_id":"exotic_pet_profile_gerbil","category":"exotic-pet-profile","context":"---\ntopic_id: exotic_pet_profile_gerbil\ncategory: exotic-pet-profile\ntitle: \"Mongolian gerbil (Meriones unguiculatus) — species profile (taxonomy, origin, lifespan, husbandry basics)\"\nlang: en\nsource: \"Animal Diversity Web (animaldiversity.org, University of Michigan) — species account Meriones unguiculatus\"\nsource_file: pdf-raw/exotic-profile-2026/gerbil.txt\ndate_parsed: 2026-07-28\ntokens_estimated: 0\nverified: true\nverification: c1_substring\nsource_document: \"Animal Diversity Web species account (Meriones unguiculatus)\"\ncitation:\n  authority: \"Animal Diversity Web (animaldiversity.org, University of Michigan)\"\n  title: \"Mongolian gerbil (Meriones unguiculatus) — species profile (taxonomy, origin, lifespan, husbandry basics)\"\n  url: \"https://animaldiversity.org/accounts/Meriones_unguiculatus/\"\n  retrieved: \"2026-07-28\"\n  ref: \"ADW species account Meriones unguiculatus\"\n  doc_type: \"expert species account (.edu, compiled from primary literature)\"\n  needs_review: false\n---\n\n# Mongolian gerbil (Meriones unguiculatus) — species profile (taxonomy, origin, lifespan, husbandry basics)\nAuthoritative first-hand species account (Animal Diversity Web, University of Michigan). All bullet facts are verbatim from the cited source and C1-substring verified.\n## Natural History & Origin\n- They are also found in adjacent parts of southern Siberia and northern\n- Mongolian jird body length averages 120 mm long, tail length may range up to 120 mm.\n- 20 months of age, though average lifespan in the wild is 3-4 months (Nowak, 1991).\n## Habitat\n- Gerbils, or jirds, live in clay or sandy deserts, grasslands, scrub, arid steppes,\n- They live in family groups in small burrows dug into soft soil.\n- burrows are characterized by one nest and one to two storerooms, the burrows extend\n## Size\n- (less than 230 mm a year) and a long winter (October to April).\n- 0.45-0.60 meters underground and average 4cm in diameter.\n- Males are slightly larger than females, with males averaging 60 grams and females\n## Lifespan\n- Mongolian gerbils live in the highlands in Inner Mongolia.\n- The first documented pet Mongolian gerbil lived in the\n## Behavior & Social Structure\n- Ecology and social behaviour of Mongolian gerbils, Meriones unguiculatus, at Xilinhot,\n## Reproduction\n- Wild mongolian gerbils breed between February and October, producing up to three litters.\n- The estrus cycle lasts 4-6 days and a post-partum estrus can occur.\n- Litter size varies between 1 and 12, but averages 4 to 7.\n## Diet\n- Captive mongolian gerbils eat a wide variety of foods, including grains, grasses,\n- become established in new areas and pose a threat to native wildlife through competition\n- animals that use metabolically generated heat to regulate body temperature independently\n","sources":["exotic-pet-profile — Mongolian gerbil (Meriones unguiculatus) — species profile (taxonomy, origin, lifespan, husbandry basics) (retrieved 2026-07-28)"],"source":{"authority":"exotic-pet-profile","title":"Mongolian gerbil (Meriones unguiculatus) — species profile (taxonomy, origin, lifespan, husbandry basics)","url":"https://animaldiversity.org/accounts/Meriones_unguiculatus/","retrieved":"2026-07-28","ref":"","doc_type":"official PDF","source_document":"Animal Diversity Web species account (Meriones unguiculatus)","verification_file":"pdf-raw/exotic-profile-2026/gerbil.txt"},"source_document":"Animal Diversity Web species account (Meriones unguiculatus)","source_file":"pdf-raw/exotic-profile-2026/gerbil.txt","tokens_estimated":503,"generated_at":null,"tip":"Use /api/v1/topics to discover more topics. /api/v1/nutrient for precise single-point queries. /api/v1/cross_compare for 2-3 standard comparisons."}