Email: mark@ameyzoo.co.uk

What are they?

The Shaw's Jird (Meriones shawi) is about the same size as a Rat and looks like a giant version of the Mongolian Gerbil. They both belong to the same branch of the Gerbil family, the Jirds. The Mongolian Gerbil is in fact not a true Gerbil at all but a Jird. Its proper name is the Clawed Jird (Meriones unguiculatus).

The Shaw's Jird originates from the arid areas of North Africa and the Middle East. It has been used extensively in research laboratories but has only relatively recently been kept as a pet. Up to about 10 years ago, a similar species, the Libyan Jird, was kept as a pet but the Shaw's Jird has been found to be friendlier and makes a better pet.

Shaw's Jirds as pets

Shaw's Jirds make wonderful pets. They have the same innate friendliness and natural curiosity as their Mongolian cousins. They rarely bite and enjoy being handled. Being that much bigger, they are easier to handle and they are also extremely intelligent. Corrine lets them out for a run around the flat and has no trouble recapturing them. The only problem with giving them the freedom of the room is that being rodents they will gnaw at everything. It is important to make sure that all electric cables are beyond their reach. In my case, the telephone was a perennial problem, especially when the Nile rats got out. After being cut off the phone, I had to get a new phone. As males Pet Jirds should be kept as pairs or singly in the case of females. (See the section on breeding below for an explanation of this.)

Housing

The Shaw's housing requirements are similar to the Mongolian's. I find that a 30 inch aquarium provides adequate accommodation for a pair. We use thick cardboard tubes and a wooden house to furnish the cage and they love an exercise wheel

Diet

The basic diet of the Shaw's Jird is a mixture of seeds and grains. However, they are more omnivorous and relish variety, they enjoy all types of fruit and vegetables. They also need a small amount of meat. Some breeders give them tinned cat food. I would never do this where in the wild? Do you get cat food? They love mealworms and crickets. We increase the females intake when pregnant and after the birth right up untill the young are weaned.

Breeding

If you just want to keep Shaw's Jird as pets and do not wish to breed from them, then you should choose either two males or a SINGLE female. A pair of males will live happily together and appear to become very attached to their partners. Females, on the other hand, are much more aggressive towards other Jirds. (They are fine with people.) If they have been introduced at an early age, two females may live together amicably for a while but they are likely to start to fight as they get older. Unfortunately, the same is true of a mixed sex pair and this makes breeding Shaw's Jird very difficult.

Female Shaw's are dominant. They are very territorial and will monopolise the bed, bedding and food. No matter how much food and bedding is put into the cage, the female will take it all mouthful by mouthful and store it in her bedroom. Should the male be foolish enough to try and enter this sacred domain or to impede the female in any way, the female will grab his tail in her mouth and pull hard. If she grabs the tip of the tail, then she may pull it off. More likely she will inflict a nasty bite. As the harassment continues, both male and female will begin to show signs of stress. Their noses may bleed and a blood-coloured discharge may come from their eyes. Both will develop scabs from bites on their tails and feet. As soon as the lid is taken off the cage, the male may try to run away. I have never known Shaw's Jird to engage in mortal combat. Nevertheless, there usually comes a point when for the health of both they have to be separated.

How then is it possible to breed from Shaw's Jirds? Most of the ones I have bred have been from young females. Females mature early and if they are paired with an older male are likely to mate when they are around ten weeks old. One or possibly two litters may be successfully raised before the pair have to be separated. With older females living alone, it is a case of putting the male in her cage for an hour or so when she is on heat. This is quite easy to detect. If the male is held close to the female's cage so the pair can smell one another, the female will wag her tail vigorously if she is on heat. If she is not on heat, then she will squeak loudly and attempt to attack the male.

The gestation period for Shaw's Jird, 24-26 days. However, young Shaw's develop fast. By the time they are 16 days old their eyes are wide open, they are fully mobile and they are eating solid food voraciously. From this time on they grow incredibly quickly. However, their mother continues to keep a watchful eye on them and it is not uncommon to see her struggling to pick them up in her mouth and return them to the nest until they are about four weeks old. Female Shaw's come on heat a few hours after giving birth. If a successful mating takes place, then a new litter will be born when the previous one is just over three weeks old.