Mongolian gerbil Mongolian gerbil Meriones unguiculatus, the Mongolian gerbil or Mongolian jird, is a small rodent belonging to the subfamily Gerbillinae. It is the most widely known species of the gerbil subfamily, and is the most commonly kept as a small house pet or experimental animal. Under those conditions, it is known as the domesticated gerbil. Like the Syrian or golden hamster, it was first brought to the United States in 1954 by Dr. Victor Schwentker for use in scientific research. Forty-four pairs were caught in Mongolia and brought to England. They were described as having "squirrel colors... with long furry tails."
Fat-tailed gerbil gerbil. They look similar to a hamster, but unlike a hamster they have a pointed snout and a fat, almost bald, club-shaped tail from which they gets their common name of 'fat-tailed gerbil'. The fat-tailed gerbil stores fat and water in its tail, in the same way that the camel stores fat in its hump. Therefore, a healthy fat-tailed gerbil should have a nicely rounded tail. It is this tail which makes them easy to distinguish from all other gerbil species. Captive specimens of the fat-tailed gerbil have a life span of between 2 and 5 years. In the wild,