too far from the central burrow. A group's burrows often interconnect with other groups.
The first known mention of gerbils came in 1866, by Father Armand David, who sent "yellow rats" to the Museum of Natural History (Musée d'Histoire Naturelle) in Paris, from northern China. They were named Meriones unguiculatus by the scientist Milne-Edwards in 1867. This scientific name in a combination of Greek and modified Latin loosely translates as "clawed warrior" in English, partly stemming from the Greek warrior Meriones in Homer's Iliad, combined with 'unguiculate' meaning to have claws or nails.
Gerbils only became popular pets after 1954, when 20 breeding pairs were brought to the United States from eastern Mongolia for scientific testing. Almost all pet gerbils today are descended from these 40. Gerbils were brought to the United Kingdom in 1964 from the United States.
Gerbils as pets
The Mongolian gerbil, a gentle and hardy animal, has become a popular pet. It was first brought from China to Paris, France in the 19th century, and became a popular house pet. It was then brought to the United States in 1954 by Dr. Victor Schwentker for use in research. Selective breeding for the pet trade has resulted in a wide range of different color and pattern varieties.
- Golden Agouti — All Mongolian Gerbils in the wild are Golden Agouti, also called Agouti. The hair shafts on the back are grey at the base, gold in the middle and tipped with black, making an even mix of golden brown with black ticking. The belly is creamy white. An Agouti gerbil has black eyes.
- Black — A Black gerbil is black both on its back and on its belly. It most often has a "bib" or white line running down its chin. It also may have some white on its paws. A Black gerbil has black eyes.Black gerbils are also known to have a white belly.
- Argente — An Argente gerbil is orange with a white belly. It has deep ruby eyes. If one were to brush back the fur on its back, one would see that the roots are grey.
- Argente Cream — An Argente Cream gerbil is an Argente lightened by a Himalayan gene, c(h). It is light orange with a white belly and ruby eyes. The undercoat is grey like the Argente Gold, but diluted due to the c(h).
- Argente Fawn / Topaz — A Topaz gerbil is an Argente lightened by a gene called Chinchilla Medium, c(chm), formerly called Burmese, c(b). This color is lighter than an Argente Golden but darker than an Argente Cream, and it often has slightly darker points at the ears, nose and tail. It has ruby eyes. The undercoat is grey, but diluted due to the c(chm).
- Lilac — A Lilac gerbil is dark grey all over. It has ruby eyes.
- Dove — A Dove gerbil is a Lilac lightened by the Himalayan gene, c(h). It is a powdery light grey all over. It has ruby eyes.
- Sapphire — A Sapphire gerbil is a Lilac lightened by a gene called Chinchilla Medium, c(chm). This color is lighter than a Lilac but darker than a Dove. It has ruby eyes.
- Pink-eyed White — A Pink-eyed White gerbil is completely white with light ruby eyes.
- Burmese / Colourpoint Black — A Colourpoint black gerbil is an all over chocolate color. Around eight weeks or so, it will begin to develop darker points on the tail, nose, feet and tips of the ear. Often has a "bib" or white line running down the chin. It also may have some white on its paws. All Burmese gerbils have black eyes.
- Siamese / Light Colourpoint Black — A Siamese gerbil starts out a light mushroom color. Around eight weeks, it molts and the tail, nose, feet and tips of the ear go black. The main body color stays the same. A Siamese has black eyes. It also often has a "bib" or white line running down the chin. May also have some white on the paws.Younger Siamese gerbils can have lighter bands on their feet, but will fade on the back but may stay on the front. Their color is also described as "Mushroom colorpoint".
- Colorpoint Agouti — A Colorpoint Agouti has an off-white to grey base with a liberal amount of silvery-brownish ticking along the back. The belly is white and the eyes are black.
- Light Colorpoint Agouti — A Light Colorpoi