Shaw's Jirds

Shaw's Jirds are closely related, to the more commonly found Mongolian Gerbil, they are twice as large as the Gerbil, but share many of the same features in the ears, face and body build. They are found on the northern coast of Africa, and often found in Egypt, Tunisia, Morocco and Algeria.

In the wild, a Shaw's Jird will live in large tunnel systems, with entrances usually found under nearby shrubs or other flora, these tunnel systems will contain many chambers, with each having its own use - sleeping, food storage, breeding etc. The Shaw's Jird does not appear to have certain breeding season, and sexually active males have been observed throughout the year. As with the Mongolian Gerbil, Shaw's Jirds are well adapted to high and low temperatures, and metabolise water well from their food - this is because deserts often have little water fall and some years none at all. Another animal, also common to the same regions is the jerboa, these have evolved never to need water, and if you were to supply them with a water bottle you could end up with a very sick animal, who's kidneys are being over worked, this species of rodent certainly are well adapted to this environment.

The Shaw's Jird makes a fantastic pet, and in many ways is like a pet rat, they can become very tame with frequent handling and will bond very closely with their human owner, many owners find their Jirds will happily sit on your lap and watch television with you. When considering Shaw's Jirds as pets you must be aware of their behaviour, the females are the dominant sex of the species and even litter mates will often bicker, which can lead to serious aggression, so it is best to have a single female. Males however can be kept in pairs, this is especially a good idea if you feel you can not give your Jirds a lot of time, this allows them to have the company of another when you are not there. A fully grown adult Male Shaw's Jird is around the size of an average pet rat, and so are much easier to handle than their cousins the Mongolian Gerbil.

You may find your Shaw's Jird to be nocturnal, however this is not strictly true and you may find that if you get them out around the same time every night they will become accustomed to getting up slightly earlier - this could be a problem if you work nights, or have to get up early in the morning and therefore can not stay up too late. In ways they are similar to the Mongolian Gerbil, they will have short periods of activity during the day, where they may go searching for food that they have previously hoarded.

UK Shaw's Jirds

It it thought that Shaw's Jirds found in the UK are in fact Hybrids of true Shaw's and Libyan Jirds, this is because the species' are very similar and so most likely when they were first brought across, they were poorly identified and thus Hybridisation has occurred. Shaw's found in the UK are very different to those found in Europe, as well as often being much larger. Shaw's and Libyan Jirds look very similar and are of a similar size and build, and in the wild their territories often overlap and so have some capability to interbreed - this has been proven in experiments, where the first male generation are all infertile, but repeated back crossing eventually produces almost fully fertile offspring. The UK Shaw's Jirds have characteristics from both true Shaw's and Libyan Jirds, they will often have a mix of white and black nails - True Shaw's have white nails, and Libyans have black. There are also similarities in skull size, where the UK Shaw's shows characteristics of both true Shaw's and Libyan Jirds.

Housing

In order to keep your Shaw's Jird happy, it is best advised that you supply a large tank, for a single Jird it is best to give them atleast a 30'' tank. Shaw's Jirds have been known to chew through plastic Duna style tanks, as well as metal cages, so you are best advised to house them in glass tanks., they also adore wheels and the best activity of all is allowing them time out of the tank. Their tank should have substrate for them to dig in, wood for them to chew and dig on, also try to supply plenty of toys for them to build tunnels around, dig under etc.

As with the Mongolian gerbil, if you have a Jird that digs constantly in a corner, then this is a sign of stereotypical behaviour, which is not healthy for the animal. It means they need more room, or more digging material, or even more time out of their tank. Also supply them with a nest box and tunnels, this should stop any kind of stereotypical behaviour. A Shaw's Jird will also scent mark things just like a Mongolian gerbil, their scent gland is on their tummy and you will often see them scenting their territory, with the males being much more obsessed with this behaviour - a female will scent mark much less, usually her pups or food.

Supply a sand bath, just like you would most other small rodents, this will help keep their fur clean and silky and in top condition.

Food

Feeding your Shaw's Jird, is very similar to feeding your common Gerbils or Hamsters, you can feed them a basic Gerbil or Hamster mix. You can also add in things like wild bird mixes - which is good for keeping their coat in top condition, as well as oats, nuts and dried dog or cat biscuits. The dried food is good for their teeth, as it is harder for them to chew, also keeping any nuts in their shells is also good for their teeth, partially crack the nut first and then leave them to try to get the nut themselves, this will help induce their natural foraging instincts. Fruits and vegetables can be provided on a twice weekly basis, as with some alfalfa hay, if you provide too many wet foods you could end up with wet faeces, so be sure not to give too much - also, make sure any left over fruits or veg are removed from the tank as they could spoil and attract flies or cause unhygienic living conditions.

 

My Jird

I brought back Xia on 1st July from Eddie Cope in Manchester, she settled in well, still letting her get to know us and so today I've had to show her to two different sets of people, so I had to disturb her - poor mite, but later when she came out to play I placed my hand in the tank like I do everyone in order for them to get used to us she came onto my hand and had a little sniff around like she was going to climb up my arm but changed her mind. I've been told she's a very calm Jird and once she's used to us she'll sit and purr in our hands... So I can't wait for that behaviour to happen.

Xia is in fact a Hybrid of a UK Shaws x Shawi Isis, which is a subspecies of Shaw's Jirds. There are a few strains that the breeder is working with, this strain being a golden one, which has a small amount of ticking on it, which gives it the golden coat. Eddie does not give out any of his Hybrids to people other than his friends, so I am quite lucky to have her - she has three legs and so obviously she would never be used to breed from, and this is why I was allowed to have her... Not that I plan on breeding Jirds anyway.

So, why does she have three legs? Well according to Ed, female Jirds can sometimes be a little over enthusiastic with their first litter and often they will groom too much and end up injuring the pups, this is what is thought to have happened here.

As we've had Xia almost a year now, I think I can give a pretty accurate description of her personality... Well, she's quite a picky Jird and has bursts of activity, where I'll see her everynight and she'll want to come out to play, and then for like two weeks she'll just be a recluse and I'll barely see her. She will sit in my hands quite happily and I can handle her much better than Pete can. Whenever I have her on my lap, she automatically runs to my hands and nuzzles into them - either for me to stroke her to take her home, most likely the latter! She will often purr at me, but like I say, I have to get her in the right mood it would seem. But she is very pretty, snuggly and pretty much gorgeous!