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SOPs
Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) are step-by-step, detailed descriptions of how specific animal care and use procedures are performed.

This Copy Was Generated On: August 21, 2026

Gerbil Husbandry SOP

Unit for Laboratory Animal Medicine

| Approval Date:

August 7, 2026 12:00 am

This Document Has Been Recently Updated

Summary

  • This document has undergone a full content review after being archived for a while.

Who is Impacted

All individuals who handle or work with gerbils as part of their research operations

Impact

Due to the extensive nature of the review and reorganization of this document a full review is strongly recommended.

To establish standard husbandry procedures for the care of gerbils, Meriones unguiculatus, within a research environment.

Responsibility

  1. Husbandry Personnel
  2. Veterinary Personnel

Glossary Definitions

Animal Treatment Report (ATR)

A form completed by husbandry personnel requesting veterinary personnel to examine the animal(s). ATRs can be submitted either in paper format or electronically, depending on the species involved.

Related Terms: ULAM, Veterinary Personnel, Veterinary Recommendations

Cage Card

3″x 5″ index card affixed to the exterior of the cage that includes identifying information for the animals housed within. Cage cards may be white, yellow, pink, blue.

  • White cage cards indicate animals ordered from a vendor (for new arrivals) or animals separated from another cage.
  • Yellow cage cards indicate breeding cages. Info includes litter birth dates, litter weaning dates, and pup deaths.
  • Pink cage cards are on cages of weaned female litters or female animals.
  • Blue cage cards are on cages of weaned male litters or male animals.

Enrichment

The use of structures and resources to encourage species-specific behaviors and to enhance the psychological health and well-being of various species according to the requirements of The Guide (8th edition).

Related Terms: Animal Enrichment Database (AED), Enrichment Records

Micro-isolation (MI) Technique

Micro-isolation techniques for rodent cages involve creating controlled environments to house and maintain laboratory rodents, such as mice or rats, in conditions that minimize the risk of external contamination and ensure the animals’ health and the validity of experimental results. These techniques include, but not limited to:

  • Working in a laminar flow hood when opening animal cages and handling animals.
  • Housing animals within specially designed isolator caging units.
  • Providing sterilized food, bedding, and environmental enrichment.
Related Terms: Micro-isolator (MI) Top

USDA-Regulated Species

A term that refers to animals whose care is governed by the Animal Welfare Act. USDA-regulated Species include all live or dead warm-blooded animals used in research except captive-bred birds, rats of the genus Rattus, and mice of the genus Mus bred for research. This also excludes “cold-blooded” animals such as fish, reptiles, and amphibians.

Related Terms: Non USDA-Regulated Species, USDA, APHIS, AWA/AWR, USDA-Regulated Species

Procedures

1. Animal Housing Area/PPE

  1. Refer to Entry and Exiting Animal Housing Areas
  2. Refer to EHS Animal Handler PPE Chart

2. Identification

  1. Ensure a barcoded cage card is affixed to the cage with information including:
    1. Principal Investigator’s name
    2. Account number
    3. Protocol number
    4. Laboratory contact information
    5. Pertinent dates (date of birth/arrival/surgery, etc.)
    6. Strain or stock, and source of animal

3. Health Evaluations

  1. Evaluate the overall health of the animal daily for the following and report concerns/abnormalities to the veterinary personnel via an ATR:
    1. Attitude (e.g., BAR)
    2. Posture and movement
    3. Behavior, including excessive digging in the cage.
    4. Entire body of the animal; and note the following concerns:
      1. Lesions/sores
      2. Discharge from the eyes, nose, ears, mouth.
      3. Excessive weight loss.
      4. Tumors/masses.
      5. Any other concerns not listed here.
    5. Skin or hair coat abnormalities
      1. A ventral midline scent gland located on the abdomen is normal. Dark yellow/orange/tan in color.
    6. Fragile tail compared to other rodent species; can shed tails during capture.
    7. Seizures
    8. Normal feces formation and urine output
    9. Births and deaths
    10. Cage density concerns, e.g., un-marked single housed animal or overcrowd
      1. See Identifying Single Housed Animals SOP

4. Housing

  1. House in auto-water, ventilated rat cages.
    1. Provide at least 1” of soft bedding, e.g., Pure-o’Cel (default bedding), to facilitate burrowing.
      1. Use other types of soft bedding if Pure-o’Cel is unavailable, e.g., Carefresh.
    2. Housing densities:
      1.  #3 small rat cage: up to 4 animals
      2. 1800 rat cage: up to 8 animals
      3. c. See Procedures section 13 for breeding cage density recommendation.

5. Providing Food

  1. Assess the availability of food daily.
    1. Provide LabDiet 5LOD unless acetated otherwise.
      1. Adult cages: place food in wire lid and some pieces on the cage floor.
      2. Breeding/newly weaned cages: place food in crock and some pieces on the cage floor.
      3. Ensure amount of food in the feeder and/or floor is adequate for the number of animals in the cage, i.e., 1 piece of chow per animal per day.

6. Providing Water

  1. Assess the availability of water daily.
    1. Provide water via lixits.
      1. Open top water line valves on racks daily. Close the valve once the water flow has been observed.
      2. Check placement of lixit within the cage and ensure the animal can access the water.
        1. Test each lixit for effective function on scheduled cage change day.
        2. Remove and bring leaking or broken lixits to the ULAM husbandry supervisor for repair.
    2. Check water level in water bottles daily, if applicable.
      1. Ensure sipper tube can be accessed by the animal.

7. Handling

  1. Scoop or cup animals in hands, a tunnel, or other implement (e.g., a cup).
  2. Gently herd or scoop into a hair bonnet if close examination or restraint are required.
  3. Never pick up or restrain using the tail to reduce the risk of a degloving injury.

8. Cage Changing Procedures

  1. Change SPF animal cages using the Micro-isolation (MI) Technique.
    1. Change cage and cage components every 2 weeks, or more often as needed.
    2. Use a feed cup or comparable item to scoop animals when transferring between cages.
    3. Perform health evaluations on cage change days by removing the animal and examining the entire body.
    4. Delay changing cages with new litters at least 24 hours after parturition or the next change day unless the bedding in the cage is ¼ wet or more.
      1. Transfer the pups by scooping with some nesting material or bedding to transfer scent.
      2. Add nesting material if needed.
    5. Transfer some of the nesting material from the dirty cage to the clean cage during cage change.
    6. Refer to Procedures for Loose Mice and Rats when SPF animals fall on the floor.

9. Providing Enrichment

  1. Refer to Environmental Enrichment for Animals SOP.
  2. Refer to Approved Enrichment Items – Gerbil.
    1. Tear Enviropaks completely in half in all new cages to expose nesting material and allow observation of nesting activity.

10. Weaning

  1. ULAM husbandry personnel place a blue acetate labeled “Please Separate” with the date and day on any breeding cage with pups that have reached 28 days of age excluding weekends and holidays.
  2. Investigative personnel wean pups between 28-30 days of age.
    1. Wean pups into same sex, socially housed cages.
    2. Place appropriate cage cards with applicable identification information for each animal, see Procedures section 2.

11. Fight Wounds

  1. See Mouse and Rat Husbandry SOP (Procedures Section 6) and follow procedures listed for mice.
  2. See Guidelines on Mouse and Rat Breeding and Housing Management and follow procedures listed for mice.
  3. Veterinary personnel assess on a case-by-case basis for any reintroduction of separated animals.

12. New Arrivals

  1. See Small Animal Receiving and Transfering SOP.

13. Breeding Procedures and Newborn Husbandry

  1. Monogamous, i.e., one male and one female, breeding is the typical method.
  2. Gestation is 24-26 days.

14. Death Notification and Euthanasia

  1. Refer to Documenting, Disposal and Reporting Animal Deaths.
  2. Euthanasia is not the responsibility of ULAM husbandry personnel.

5. Euthanasia

  1. CO2 euthanasia is the preferred method for hamsters. For more information, see Rodent Euthanasia Procedures for Husbandry Personnel.

References

  1. The Laboratory Hamster & Gerbil, A volume in the Laboratory Animal Pocket Reference Series, Authors: Karl J. Field & Amber L. Sibold

SPECIES: Other Rodents

TOPICS: Husbandry

Questions?

Questions or concerns about the content of this document should be directed to the Unit for Laboratory Animal Medicine (ULAM) at (734) 764-0277 or [email protected].