{"topic_id":"exotic_behavior_gerbil","category":"exotic-behavior","context":"---\ntopic_id: exotic_behavior_gerbil\ncategory: exotic-behavior\ntitle: \"Gerbil — behavior (owner-practical care, Merck Veterinary Manual pet-owner)\"\nlang: en\nsource: \"Merck Veterinary Manual pet-owner version (merckvetmanual.com/all-other-pets), first-hand consumer care text saved to source_file; paraphrased derived fact summary per COPYRIGHT_POLICY §3. Pulled 2026-08-01.\"\nsource_file: pdf-raw/owner-care/merck_gerbil.txt\ndate_parsed: 2026-08-01\ntokens_estimated: 840\nverification:\n  method: paraphrase\n  claims: 6\n  passed: 6\n  date: 2026-08-01\nrecovered: false\npath: exotic-behavior/exotic_behavior_gerbil/01_exotic_behavior_gerbil.md\nsource_document: \"Merck Veterinary Manual — pet owner version (all-other-pets)\"\ncitation:\n  authority: \"Merck Veterinary Manual (merckvetmanual.com), pet owner version\"\n  title: \"Gerbil — behavior (owner-practical care, Merck Veterinary Manual pet-owner)\"\n  url: \"https://www.merckvetmanual.com/all-other-pets\"\n  retrieved: \"2026-08-01\"\n  ref: \"Merck Veterinary Manual pet-owner version — gerbil care\"\n  doc_type: \"professional veterinary manual (consumer version)\"\n  needs_review: false\nlicense: paraphrase\ncopyright_note: \"Source Merck Veterinary Manual (merckvetmanual.com) is a copyrighted veterinary reference and not openly licensed; per COPYRIGHT_POLICY §3 all claims are paraphrased derived fact summaries (numbers and proper nouns preserved, sentences rewritten), not verbatim quotations.\"\nauthority_tier: T3\nauthority_tier_basis: \"T3:vet-ref\"\nauthority_tier_date: 2026-08-04\n---\n\n# Gerbil — behavior (owner-practical care, Merck Veterinary Manual pet-owner)\nSource: Merck Veterinary Manual (merckvetmanual.com), a copyrighted veterinary reference. Per COPYRIGHT_POLICY §3, the points below are paraphrased derived fact summaries: numerical values and proper nouns are preserved from the source, but sentences are rewritten and not quoted verbatim.\n\n## Claims\n\n- *[Paraphrased derived summary — non-Open-Access source.]* Gerbils are highly social and live in family groups in the wild.\n- *[Paraphrased derived summary — non-Open-Access source.]* When adding a new gerbil to an established cage, supervise the introduction; they may be territorial at first and need time to adjust.\n- *[Paraphrased derived summary — non-Open-Access source.]* Gerbils are generally friendly and easy to socialise.\n- *[Paraphrased derived summary — non-Open-Access source.]* To avoid stress, do not startle a gerbil or pick it up while it is sleeping.\n- *[Paraphrased derived summary — non-Open-Access source.]* It is wise to observe a gerbil's condition and behaviour daily.\n- *[Paraphrased derived summary — non-Open-Access source.]* Because of their small size, gerbils do not tolerate rough handling and are not recommended for very young children.\n---\n## License & attribution\n\nSource: Merck Veterinary Manual (merckvetmanual.com) is a copyrighted veterinary reference and is not openly licensed. Per COPYRIGHT_POLICY §3, every claim above is a paraphrased derived fact summary (numbers and proper nouns preserved, sentences rewritten), not a verbatim quotation.\n\n- https://www.merckvetmanual.com/all-other-pets","sources":["exotic-behavior — Gerbil — behavior (owner-practical care, Merck Veterinary Manual pet-owner) (retrieved 2026-08-01)"],"source":{"authority":"exotic-behavior","title":"Gerbil — behavior (owner-practical care, Merck Veterinary Manual pet-owner)","url":"https://www.merckvetmanual.com/all-other-pets","retrieved":"2026-08-01","ref":"","doc_type":"official PDF","source_document":"Merck Veterinary Manual — pet owner version (all-other-pets)","verification_file":"pdf-raw/owner-care/merck_gerbil.txt"},"source_document":"Merck Veterinary Manual — pet owner version (all-other-pets)","source_file":"pdf-raw/owner-care/merck_gerbil.txt","trust":{"authority_tier":"T3","fidelity":"paraphrase","license":"paraphrase","display_grade":"B"},"tokens_estimated":491,"generated_at":null,"tip":"Use /api/v1/topics to discover more topics. /api/v1/nutrient for precise single-point queries. /api/v1/cross_compare for 2-3 standard comparisons."}