About Us
The Rodent Ranch is a small family-owned business. Our main goal is to make sure you get what you expect, and more. We breed to make a good pet and a friendly companion that is easy to handle and would not bite or scratch. We are one of the only gerbil breeders in our location, in the Santa Fe area of New Mexico on a small property nestled in the Cerrillos hills. I am the owner of our small business and am supported by my family, who fully encouraged me on my mission. We have dedicated our business and our passion to these small fluffy creatures that have stolen our hearts, and we're sure will steal yours too.
Our Story
The process of our gerbil breeding journey began on a little girl's birthday, with our very first gerbils, Onion, Celery, and Tunelly Joe. These three little guys convinced us to jump headlong into the world of breeding. Finding the female was perhaps the trickiest part of all. Searching for any breeder in our state, (a fruitless endeavor) and calling up every pet store on the wide land of the internet, was not an easy process. Finally, months after our dream's birth, it came true, giving us two beautiful females, Skittle, and Ziggy. We've had our ups and downs, but from our first gerbil, to our first litter, to our first sale, breeding gerbils has been the dream.
Why gerbils?
I have always wanted to breed animals, as I'm a big animal person. Gerbils are small, easy to take care of, they are born to be parents and don't cause drama in the household. I've had a lot of people ask me, why gerbils specifically? Several reasons include the following. Gerbils are crepuscular, meaning that they like to sleep at night time or take naps throughout the day, unlike a lot of other rodents, such as hamsters, rats, and mice. This makes them easy to play with since they jive with your sleep schedule. They are also very good-tempered, and rarely bite if handled. Another upside to gerbils is that they like to live in small groups. This makes it convenient if you want a few but don't have the space for a bunch of tanks. Gerbils are also great for small kids, as they are very "durable" and tend to forgive and forget. They have a very short lifespan unlike a cat or a dog, meaning that they're not a long-term commitment for a young child who is always growing in their personality and interests.
As for the financial factor, well there isn't one. An initial gerbil setup, which requires a tank, a water bottle, a wooden house, and a wheel, is very affordable. It's true that the popularity of gerbils dramatically plummeted after the nineties, causing them to practically be extinct in some places (such as mine). They're sweet, fun to play with, and easy to take care of, making them an ideal pet for a family of any size with kids of many ages, and I am motivated to bring them back.
