Shaw's Jird

wolfpawnat

Hello everyone.

My partner and I went in search of a 4 legged rodent friend, We went into a large pet shop in Dublin city centre and asked about a gerbil. The women there suggested we get a Shaw's Jird, a friendlier slower member of the same family as the gerbil. we informed her we had a gerbil cage at home and she said this would be perfect. So we buy a single male and we take him home. When we do this we google search him on the web and this is what we find;

1. It is the female of this animal that is the aggressive one not the male so you could easily keep two male litter mates.

2. It supposedly grows to the size of a rat (our gerbil set up is no where near suitable for an adult Jird).

we are not angry nor are we upset, Diego is a big part of the family now and we will get him a larger home in the near future. What I want to know is, is there anyone here who has Shaw's Jirds and has any extra tips they could give us. He gets his dust bath twice a week so he coat is gleeming!!!!

Interceptor

Had one years ago and while he was a bit of a handful to handle, he was no different to the dozens of gerbils I had. He'll need plenty of space - can you let him roam around a room at home (mine never liked going back in his cage so he lived behind a bookshelf).

Stick up a pic!

'cptr

hadook

Can you pm me the details of the shop you got him from please? I miss having tame jirds.

I've kept Shaws and Persian jirds in the past and they're a brilliant pet, cleverer and more laid back than gerbils and loads of fun. Make sure you feed him a varied diet - he'll be delighted if you start adding in bits of fruit, veg and (if you're not too squeamish) live food like waxworms.

One thing that every jird owner should know is that they occasionally sleep on their back with their feet in the air. Really still. Really really still. Really really really still. And when you get worried & poke them to see if they're still alive you'll scare the bejesus out of both of you. :rolleyes:

Kalahari

I kept jirds for years and they are great pets, really intelligent and love one to one attention. When you are looking into housing the best thing to try get would be a minimum 3-4 foot long glass tank, as they destroy plastic easily. Even the plastic base of a wire cage will easily be chewed through so glass is the way to go. They are really, really active and use every inch they are given. If you can get a rat sized silent spinner wheel they love those and their tails can't get caught. They like climbing up on top of things so they will appreciate any homemade levels or wooden toys with roofs they can sit on. Again due to chewing up plastic i'd recommend a lot of wooden and ceramic toys rather than plastic.
If you give him a big handful of hay he'll have a ball making his nest and nibbling at it. Varied diet is important, and added goodies like apple, carrot, banana, strawberry etc will be appreciated in small amounts. You could try him with a washed dandelion flower as well, mine loved them!

How old is Diego and how long have you had him? Just wondering if there's time to get a littermate for him. Male siblings adore each other but I would think that even a very young unrelated male shaw introduced gradually to him using a split cage would likely be successful and very rewarding for you when you'd see how they interact together.

If you wouldn't mind i'd like a pm of where this shop is as well... I miss my jirds too

wolfpawnat

hadook wrote: »

I've kept Shaws and Persian jirds in the past and they're a brilliant pet, cleverer and more laid back than gerbils and loads of fun. Make sure you feed him a varied diet - he'll be delighted if you start adding in bits of fruit, veg and (if you're not too squeamish) live food like waxworms.

One thing that every jird owner should know is that they occasionally sleep on their back with their feet in the air. Really still. Really really still. Really really really still. And when you get worried & poke them to see if they're still alive you'll scare the bejesus out of both of you. :rolleyes:

Yes I was wondering alright if he would like live food, wasnt sure where to obtain it though!?!

Are you serious about the sleeping thing??? Haha that is both funny and scary!!!!!

Interceptor wrote: »

Had one years ago and while he was a bit of a handful to handle, he was no different to the dozens of gerbils I had. He'll need plenty of space - can you let him roam around a room at home (mine never liked going back in his cage so he lived behind a bookshelf).

Stick up a pic!

'cptr

Yes we leave him in our hall when our son is in bed (he is 16 months so he does not grasp the concept of small animals) Or we have a massive box from our tv that we let him run around in if he is going for a dust bath. He is very flighty and jumpy but he is getting used to us.

Kalahari wrote: »

I kept jirds for years and they are great pets, really intelligent and love one to one attention. When you are looking into housing the best thing to try get would be a minimum 3-4 foot long glass tank, as they destroy plastic easily. Even the plastic base of a wire cage will easily be chewed through so glass is the way to go. They are really, really active and use every inch they are given. If you can get a rat sized silent spinner wheel they love those and their tails can't get caught. They like climbing up on top of things so they will appreciate any homemade levels or wooden toys with roofs they can sit on. Again due to chewing up plastic i'd recommend a lot of wooden and ceramic toys rather than plastic.
If you give him a big handful of hay he'll have a ball making his nest and nibbling at it. Varied diet is important, and added goodies like apple, carrot, banana, strawberry etc will be appreciated in small amounts. You could try him with a washed dandelion flower as well, mine loved them!

How old is Diego and how long have you had him? Just wondering if there's time to get a littermate for him. Male siblings adore each other but I would think that even a very young unrelated male shaw introduced gradually to him using a split cage would likely be successful and very rewarding for you when you'd see how they interact together.

If you wouldn't mind i'd like a pm of where this shop is as well... I miss my jirds too

We got Diego last Saturday. He was just weaned from mummy when we got him. so I would assume the 7-10 week mark (hence why we assumed he would remain small).

We were peeved the woman didnt inform us he would be so big (we got a small cage) but we are on the lookout for more suitable lodgings for the little fella! We are also looking online for exercise gear and toys for him, most Irish petshops are not too well equiped for larger rodents, I know some of the pet super stores are but they are all in awkward places and I dont have a car!

hadook

Any petshop that stocks reptiles will have a selection of live food and Diego will love you for it. Both waxworms and mealworms make an excellent treat as part of a balanced diet but, as with all treats, they should be fed sparingly (I prefer to feed waxworms for this reason as they come in a much smaller pot).

Completely serious about the sleeping thing & it's the one thing I wish someone had warned me before I got my first jird lol If he's only just weaned then you shouldn't have any trouble reintroducing him to a sibling if you wanted to get a second one.

You can adapt everything from rabbit toys down for a jird, they're very curious and will enjoy pretty much anything you give them. I got a fantastic wooden house designed for wildlife (it's a toad house!) that my previous jirds loved. They also had a big clay jar/plant pot that they used to sleep in & climb on. This had the added benefit of keeping their nails trimmed too