A gerbil is a small, furry rodent often kept as a pet. Gerbils have long hind legs for jumping, soft fur (usually brown or tan), and a furry tail with a little tuft at the end. They're about the size of a mouse but chunkier, with large dark eyes and a curious, friendly personality.

In the wild, gerbils live in underground burrows in the deserts and grasslands of Africa and Asia. They're built for desert life: they need very little water and can go days without drinking. Pet gerbils love to dig and burrow, so their cages often have deep bedding where they can tunnel and create little underground rooms, just like their wild cousins.

Gerbils are popular classroom and family pets because they're active during the day (unlike hamsters, which are nocturnal), relatively easy to care for, and entertaining to watch. They're social animals who often live in pairs or small groups. You might see a pet gerbil standing on its hind legs to look around, gnawing on cardboard to keep its teeth trim, or taking a dust bath to keep its fur clean. The most common pet gerbil is the Mongolian gerbil, originally from the grasslands and deserts of Mongolia and northern China.