Gerbils are small furry pets from the rodent family. It can be very unsettling when your pet gerbil poops on you. You might not understand what it means, so you may not know what to do.

So, why does my gerbil poop on me? When your gerbil poops on you, it might signify stress. When stressed, gerbils tend to poop because they are scared. It could also be pooping on you because it is highly excited. The other reason is sickness. The gerbil might be suffering from diarrhea.

Pooping is a significant body language for gerbils, and it is essential to know its root cause. In this article, we will look at why gerbils poop on you and other related topics.

Why Does My Gerbil Poop on Me?

You might be holding your gerbil, and then it poops on you. There are several reasons why your gerbil might do this; they include:

Fear

Fear can be the reason why your gerbil poops on you. This is common, especially when the gerbil is new to its surroundings. It may exhibit other signs of fear, such as hiding away when approaching it, losing appetite, and aggression.

Furthermore, if a gerbil is acclimated to the protection of its cage, it may get uneasy and scared if taken out of its comfort zone. Fear makes the gerbil not have control over its bowel movements.

● Stress

Gerbils will feel stressed if they are in a tiny cage or if there are predators around and in the presence of loud noises. Also, if you have not formed a bond with the gerbil yet and attempt to hold it, it might poop on you.

● Age

A young gerbil might not yet know how to poop in its cage. It has also not yet mastered the art of holding in the excretion. So if you hold it for an extended period, it might poop on you.

● Sex

Research shows that the gender of the gerbil may determine which gerbil poops on you. Male gerbils are more susceptible to pooping on their owners than females. Male gerbils will poop or pee as a way of marking their territories.

● Excitement

If you have a very strong bond with your gerbil, it will feel excited when you are around. The excitement might cause the gerbil to lose control of its excretion.

● Sickness

A gerbil might poop on you because it is sick. If a gerbil has a stomach infection or eats lots of sugary treats such as fruits and candy, it can suffer from diarrhea.

Diarrhea can also be a result of Tyzzer’s disease. It is a common bacterial infection that affects gerbils leading them to have watery excrete. Also, if the gerbil is stressed, it can be diarrhea out of fear. Diarrhea means that the gerbil will poop anywhere at any time.

● Area of excretion

Compared to other rodents, gerbils are the cleanest of them all. When you put your gerbil in a cage, it identifies a particular area where it will use as a toilet.

The gerbil will use that area as your pet for the rest of its life. However, if the gerbil spends a lot of time with you, you might become its favorite spot to poop on.

● Bonding time

It is very good to bond with your gerbil. However, there should be a limit on how much time you spend holding it. You should hold it for a bit and return it to its cage. If not, the gerbil will not be able to hold in its pee or poop.

Where Do Gerbils Poop?

Gerbils choose an area in their cage or enclosure and stick to it. They do not like mixing their resting and eating area with their poop area. As we said, gerbils are very clean animals, making them preferable to many people.

After knowing where gerbils poop, the other question pet owners have is, what does gerbil poop look like? Gerbil poop is in the form of dry pellets. The poop does not smell, and gerbils do not poop everywhere.

Because there will be no stink from the gerbil’s waste, you can clean the cage once a week. Gerbils will also poop to mark their territory.

Is Gerbil Poop Dangerous?

Gerbil poop is only dangerous if the pet has any infection in its body. If a gerbil has contracted a bacterial infection, it will most likely be hazardous to humans. Bacterial infections can spread through the gerbil’s excretion or urine. Even when the gerbil shows no signs of illness, it could still harbor bacteria.

You can get infected if;

You forget to wash your hands after handling your gerbil or its toys.
Your food or water gets in contact with the bacteria from the gerbil’s poop, and then you consume it.

Gerbils contract bacterial infections or parasites by consuming infected insects from outside. Also, when they play with other rodents when they are outdoors. The gerbil’s poop will contain the parasite’s eggs or bacteria.

You can contract diseases such as lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus if you contact with an infected gerbil’s poop or urine. Other diseases include salmonella, tapeworm, and hantavirus.

Why Do Gerbils Eat Their Poop?

First of all, do gerbils eat their own poop? Yes, they do. You might notice the gerbil eating its poop after it has excreted it or another gerbil eating another’s poop. It is normal, and you do not worry because the poop cannot harm the gerbil.

The scientific term for this behavior is coprophagy. Gerbils excrete more quickly than other animals, so most of their excrement contains food that the gerbil did not fully digest in their stomachs.

So, why do gerbils eat their poop? Gerbils eat their poop because they do not get enough nutrients they need. Coprophagy is typical behavior in the wild. Here are some reasons why gerbils eat their poop.

If a gerbil eats fiber, it may not digest it thoroughly because it is pretty rough. So when the fiber is excreted, the gerbil might fully digest it when it eats its poop. In the process, the gerbil might ingest other nutrients in the poop.
Gerbils digest their food very quickly, which causes them to poop as soon as they eat. They digest their food quickly so they can eat more, which enables them to consume more nutrients.

So, by eating their poop, they can re-ingest nutrients already passed in the urine and keep eating as much as they need.

Due to the gerbil’s rapid digestion, some vitamins may not get absorbed in the body. So gerbils will eat their feces to try and ensure all vitamins are immersed in the body.

Also, if the food you are feeding the gerbil lacks vitamins, the gerbil will instinctively eat its poop because they crave specific vitamins.

Gerbils will also eat their poop as a way to avoid predators. In the wild, predators know that their prey is nearby if they see fresh poop. Gerbils will eat their poop to prevent predators from tracking them.

Can I Stop My Gerbil From Pooping On Me?

Yes, you can employ measures that help the gerbil not poop on you. The measures include:

Pet it for a limited time; gerbils may excrete on you because you held it for too long. So, limiting the time you hold it helps it poop in its cage.
You can also monitor the gerbil’s behavior before it poops to help you know when to put it back in its cage. Mostly, the gerbils squeak and move around when they are about to poop.
If the gerbil seems sick, take it to a veterinarian so that they can treat it. A healthy gerbil will not have diarrhea, which minimizes the chances of the gerbil pooping on you.
Remove any triggers that might cause stress or fear in your gerbil. For example, ensure there are no loud noises and no predators are around. Also, if the gerbil is new, give it space to adapt to its environment.
If you feed your gerbil vegetable and fruits, ensure you do it occasionally. Lots of fruits and vegetables may cause diarrhea. Feed them fruits and vegetables once or twice a week. This will help the gerbil not poop on you.

How Often Do Gerbils Poop?

Gerbils poop several times a day, depending on how much they eat. They can poop up to 20 pellets a day.

Generally, gerbils poop when they feel like it and when something triggers it. If you notice your gerbil pooping more frequently, it could be because it is scared. Also, look at the gerbil’s poop. If it is watery, it means that the gerbil is suffering from diarrhea.

So ensure you take it to a veterinarian. Another question that arises is, why is my gerbil’s poop hard? The main reason is dehydration. If you feed your gerbil fatty foods, it will suffer from constipation, making the poop hard. Ensure your gerbil has access to fresh water and fiber.

How to clean gerbil poop?

Here is how to clean a gerbil’s cage and poop.

Remove your gerbils from their cage and put them in a safe area away from other pets.
Sweep out the bedding in the gerbils’ cage.
Wash the food bowl and water bottle.
Replace the bedding.
Put the gerbils back in their cage and put water and fresh food.

In The End

A gerbil pooping on you is not intentional. It just means the gerbil is scared or sick. You have to identify what is making it poop on you and correct it. Ensure you wash your hands every time you handle your gerbil to prevent contracting diseases.

Ensure you look at your gerbil’s poop to know whether the gerbil is sick. We hope this article has answered all questions about “why does my gerbil poop on me?”

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