Habitat
The species M. unguiculatus came originally from Mongolia. Its habitat there is mainly semideserts and steppes. Soil on the steppes is sandy and is covered with grasses, herbs, and shrubs. The steppes have cool, dry winters and hot summers. The temperature can get up to 50 °C (122 °F), but the average temperature for most of the year is around 20 °C (68 °F).
In the wild, these gerbils live in groups generally consisting of one parental pair, the most recent litter, and a few older pups. Only the dominant female will produce pups, but she will mate with multiple males while in estrus (heat). One group of gerbils generally ranges over 325–1,550 square metres (0.08–0.38 acre).
A group lives in a central burrow with 10–20 exits. Some deeper burrows with only one to three exits in their territory may exist. These deeper burrows are used to escape from predators when they are too far from the central burrow. A group's burrows often interconnect with other groups.
Read more about this topic: Mongolian Gerbil
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