Jirds

There are many types of jirds, but because of their popularity, we have chosen to write about the Bushy-tailed jird and the Shaw's jird. This is not to say we won't be adding more later. If you have a question about other types of gerbils or jirds please e-mail us.

Bushy-tailed jirds come from Egypt and Arabia along the shores of the Red Sea. They are about the same size as a Mongolian gerbil but longer and thiner in build. Thier faces are long and thin with cat-like whiskers. They have a long, thick, furry tail that is almost as long as their body.
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Shaw's Jirds

Shaws jirds are about the same size as a rat and look like a giant Mongolian gerbil. It's proper name is the Clawed jird. The Shaws jird originates from the arid areas of North Africa and the Middle East. They make wonderful pets. They are friendly and have a natural curiosity. Shaws jirds are also extremely intellegent.
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Housing - General

You can house your jird the same way you house a gerbil. They like to hide-a-way so a nest box or borrowing tube is recomended. Their coat gets greasy easily so we recommend a daily dust bath. You can purchase chinchilla dust at any pet store.
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We feed our jirds the same diet we feed our gerbils. We also provide them with a cuddle bone, for extra calcium (needed especially when breeding) and a mineral block. Jirds love to gnaw and will demolish anything. We suggest you feed them out of a crock instead of a plastic bowl. Also use water bottle guard as they will quickly distroy their water bottle. We also provide ours wih a pumice stone and other chew toys to gnaw on. See our suppliers for suggested suppliers for toys, feed and other supplies.
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Feeding - Shaw's Jirds

We feed my Clawed jird's the same diet as above. They do, however, enjoy a little meat in their diet. We give ours a few mealworms a couple of times a week. They also enjoy all kinds of fruits and vegetables.
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