Article By Russel Tofts

INTRODUCTION
One of a large number of Northern Pygmy Gerbils, this is a distinct rarity in captivity. The various members of this genus present problems for the taxonomist. Different authorities have, at varying times, recognised as few as 34 full species, and as many as 62. The stumbling block is the perennial problem of how does one define a species? There is no easy answer. Chromosomal analysis seems to offer the best hope for sorting out the confusion, but takes a lot of time, energy and money, and is not completely infallible. The truth is that most species refuse to be so conveniently pigeon-holed. Even individuals of the Baluchistan Gerbil vary considerably in colour, size, and chromosomes, according to the locale in which each was found. So confusing is the picture that it was once considered a subspecies of Wagner's Gerbil, and given the scientific name Gerbillus dasyurus indus. That theory has now been debased (the osteology of the skull is different) and current thinking recognises it as a separate species in its own right.

I can find only one reference to the species currently being held by a zoological garden. ISIS (the International Species Inventory System) lists five pairs held at the Moscow Zoo as of 30 June 2000. No breeding had taken place in the previous six months.

VITAL STATISTICS
One of the smallest gerbils. Head and body length 5 cm; tail 7 cm; weight 10 grams.

DISTRIBUTION
Widespread and common, it is found from Arabia to Pakistan (possibly as far east as western India) and, in North Africa, from Egypt to Algeria (possibly extending into Morocco).

Subspecies
At least ten subspecies are recognised. They are:
(i) amoenus (Giza, Egypt)
(ii) arabium (N.W. Arabia)
(iii) garamantis (Algeria)
(iv) grobbeni (Libya)
(v) indus (Pakistan)
(vi) mackilligini (S.E. Egypt)
(vii) mimulus (S,W, Arabia)
(viii) quadrimaculatus
(ix) vivax (Libya)
(x) setonbrownei (Oman)

NATURAL HABITAT
Dry, rocky country, with scarce or coarse vegetation. It avoids sandy areas, preferring instead hard, stony ground, clay soils, or salt flats.

COMPATIBILITY
A pair can be kept together but the resultant offspring should be removed as soon as they are weaned, partly to prevent in-breeding but mainly because male offspring will sometimes be chased and attacked by the breeding male, who considers them a rival for the female's attention. It is almost impossible to introduce strangers into the cage, or even to re-introduce an individual that had been temporarily removed.

HABITS
Nocturnal and terrestrial. In their natural habitat, individuals construct burrows within close proximity of each other, giving the impression of a colony. Specimens have been found sharing burrows with the Libyan Jird (Meriones libycus) and Sundeval's Jird (Meriones crassus). Burrow entrances are sealed during daylight hours to prevent overheating, conserve moisture, and to prevent snakes and other diurnal predators discovering the burrow. This instinct persists in captivity, and my Baluchistan Gerbils would habitually plug the entrance to their nest box with wood shavings and anything else that came to hand.

SEXING
As with most rodents, the best guide is the anal-genital distance (this being twice as wide in the case of the male when compared to the female).

ACCOMMODATION
The best form of housing is a glass aquarium with a mesh top. Coarse wood-chips or a peat-substitute, such as Coir fibre available from major garden centres, can be used as a litter. Stand the cage in a warm room out of direct sunlight. Lay some branches on the floor for the animals to gnaw on, and decorate the cage with rocks, flower-pots, a jam-jar, plastic or cardboard tubes, etc.

DIET
The natural diet consists of seeds, roots, nuts, coarse grasses, and insects. In captivity they thrive on a conventional diet of a traditional rodent mixture, with the occasional addition of live insects, including crickets, locust hoppers or mealworms, and small pieces of apple. Drinking water must be available at all times.

HANDLING
Handles quite easily and is extremely reticent to bite. I would not recommend frequent handling, however, because of the stress it imposes.

REPRODUCTION
The species breeds all year round, with little seasonal variation. Gestation is 20-22 days. Litter size 1-8 (averages 4 or 5). The offspring are, in common with most other animals produced in a burrow, born naked and helpless. The eyes open at 16-20 days, and Baluchistan Gerbils are weaned at around 4 weeks.

About The Author
I have been keen on natural history since early childhood and kept a wide variety of animals as "pets". After leaving school, I worked as a zoo-keeper for several years until an inheritance at the age of 21 enabled me to start my own pet shop and animal care centre, where I could indulge my interest for more unusual species. Increasingly I found I could not bring myself to sell all the animals I stocked and, after 7 years, the shop closed. I have also worked – briefly – for the National Trust, English Heritage, the University of Cambridge Local Examinations Syndicate, and the Cambridge Newspapers Group, as well as finding time to teach animal care at the then Cambridgeshire College of Agriculture & Horticulture.

In 1997 I was appointed manager of the small animal department in a major pet superstore, with carte blanche over new developments within the department, a position I held for nearly three years during which time it boasted the largest and most comprehensive collection of small mammals to be found in any British pet shop. The following year I realised a lifelong ambition by seeing animals in their natural habitat in Africa, the subject of my first book, "Kenkay and Colobus - a tourist in ghana"..

I am an active member of various zoological and conservation organisations including the Rodent & Lagomorph Taxon Advisory Group (TAG), the EEP for the Edward's Pheasant, Independent Zoo Enthusiasts' Society, National Association of Private Animal Keepers (NAPAK), and the Association of British Wild Animal Keepers (ABWAK). I have contributed articles to a variety of magazines, including the International Zoo News, and have appeared on television and radio. in 1999 I launched the Rodent Appreciation Group, for anyone interested in the Order Rodentia, particularly the rarer or more unusual species.