Fat-tail Jerds(Duprasi) cost from five to thirty dollars, anymore and you are being taken. They are in the gerbil family and are from Africa. They should be kept in an aquarium or a hamster cage. I have heard mixed opinions on whether or not to keep more than one. They live about 5 or 6 years. Jerds have a fat tail that stores nutrients. You can tell if a Jerd is healthy or not by the plumpness of their tails.
My friend has had a Fat-tail Jerd names Gus for about a year. She keeps it in a three story wire cage. In the cage it has it's food dish, wheel, and a little house. It sometimes sleeps in the house but often sleeps in the aspen on the bottom. Aspen is prefered because it does not absorb the oils in the Jerd’s fur as much as pine and cedar does. Some people keep their Jerds on sand because it keeps their fur extremely soft. Some people also put a dish with Chinchilla dust bath in the cage because they like to roll in it to make their fur soft and clean. She feeds him small animal food but he rarely eats it and usually kicks it out of the dish. She also feed him superworms and mealworms which is his preferred food. He loves his wheel and also has a ball he rolls around the house in. He is extremely friendly and never bites. He is totally calm and hardly moves when handled. He just likes to sit their with you and be petted. Most of the Jerds I have observed in pet stores are usually mean and bite. It is best to buy one when it is about a month old so that you can tame it or if you are lucky enough to find a friendly one. Liz loves her Jerd and definitely recommends them as great little pets.
Links to other Jerd sites on the Web
R-Zu-2-U Duprasi Info.
Duprasi Info.
