Article By Kevin Brooks

In February of 2002 I had the opportunity to work with a pair of freshly imported lesser jerboas. I prefer to avoid wild caught animals for practical and ethical reasons, but at this time I knew of no one breeding them. I hoped, perhaps, I would even have the blessing to contribute captive bred specimens into the North American gene pool.

When I arrived home I began transfering my purchases into their new tanks. After spending 45 minutes fishing a rogue pygmy gerbil out of a recliner, I was cautious in handling the jerboas. I opened the top latch of the critter carrier to let them sniff me before I picked them up. Rather than fleeing in terror like the pygmy gerbils, the jerboa pair took active interest in my hand. To my shock they raised up on their stilt-like legs and actively sniffed my hand with all the inquisitive gusto of a Mongolian gerbil. They offered no resistance when I picked them up for transfer.

This pair of lesser jerboas was one of the most personable small rodent species I have ever worked with earning them ranks among my favorite small pet species. Though lacking the deep bond found in Southern flying squirrels or prairie dogs, I found them much more intelligent and interactive than most small mammals in the pet market. I would often remove one from the cage while I worked on the computer. Rather than darting into the nearest corner, it would clamber about my body (to the best of its ability - considering the long, fragile legs) often using my shoulder as a platform to observe the room or dig through my hair. I would blockade the main hallway allowing them an active run. Rather than darting away afraid like most small rodents, they would follow me wherever I went. When the dog (a passive mop of a Shih Tzu mix) would put its snout against the mesh barrier, the jerboas would run over to try and investigate her. When inclined, they could easily jump a yard high.

My jerboa pair lived only about six weeks. I do not know if this was due to husbandry errors on my part, or complications from them being imported stock. Before purchashing them I did my best to research their care. There seems to be much dispute between European and American hobbyists as to the proper care of jerboas. It should be noted, it seems, that the Europeans have been much more succesful breeding jerboas than their American brethen. The most controversial topic I found was jerboa hydration. I was always told that this explicitly desert species required no water source, that they aquire enough water from supplemented vegetation in the diet. Furthermore, if given free access to water they would gorge themselves on water until it eventually killed them. Their kidneys were not designed to process that much liquid was what I heard from everyone working with them in the states. The Brittish breeders I spoke with rebuted these claims as ludicrous, however, and swore by water bottles in their jerboa cages at all times.