Posted: April 13, 2012, 6 a.m. EDT
Q: Is it possible for gerbils to swim?
A: Swimming is not natural for gerbils. Unlike some other rodents like rats that can and often love to swim, gerbils in the wild are desert animals with very little water in their environment. In fact, gerbils drink only 1 teaspoon of water a day!
It is best not to get your gerbils wet. If your gerbils do get wet, make sure to keep them in a warm, draft-free place until they dry.
Gerbils don’t normally take a water bath, but they absolutely love a dust bath. Offer your gerbils a shallow bowl of chinchilla dust (which you can buy at a pet store or order online). Let them fluff and roll in it for an hour or so, and then throw away the dust and wash the bowl before using it for their next bath. Offer your gerbils a dust bath once a week (or even every day if you have time) to keep them soft, shiny and feeling good.
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