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The VEZ is the Dutch association of fanciers of exotic mammals, founded in 1985. It has about 600 members, mainly from Holland, but also from Germany, Belgium and other European countries. The main goal is to provide good information on keeping exotic mammals. In this case the term 'exotic' means 'rarely kept' and not 'from the tropics or abroad'. In other words native animals are also being kept, like for instance the Harvest mouse (Micromys minutus).
Members of the VEZ try to keep their animals as natural as possible. For some species stud-books are being kept. Four times a year, the VEZ emits a magazine with information on all kind of mammals.
The VEZ now has his own homepage, click HERE.
Many different animals are being kept, ranging from Harvest mice to Lama's and several types of predators. There are separate study groups concerning squirrels, gerbils and chinchilla's,............ and more to come.
If you want more information about the VEZ, please contact Peter Verberne.
Or write to him: van Brakelvliet 12, 2992 TD Barendrecht, The Netherlands.
A VEZ display at "Beestenspul" in Leiden, 1997.
 The Dutch Gerbil Study Group (DGSG) consists of several enthusiastic VEZ members that keep and breed gerbils and jerboa's. They try to increase their knowledge on taxonomy and natural habitat of these animals, in order to use this knowledge for optimizing the conditions under which they should be kept in captivity. The Australian hopping mouse (Notomys alexis) is also included because this animal is an ecological equivalent of the gerbils on the Asian and African continent.
Members of this group keep the following species of gerbils and jerboa's:
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Gerbillus amoenus (Charming dipodil)*
Gerbillus cheesmani (Cheesmans gerbil)
Gerbillus gerbillus (Smaller Egyptian gerbil)
Gerbillus perpallidus (Pallid gerbil)
Gerbillus pyramidum (Greater Egyptian gerbil)
Gerbillus sp. (two Tunesian species)
Meriones crassus ssp. (Sundevall's jird from Pakistan)*
Meriones crassus perpallidus (Sundevall's jird from Egypt)*
Meriones libycus (Libyan jird)
Meriones persicus (Persian jird)*
Meriones shawi shawi (Shaw's jird)
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Meriones unguiculatus (Mongolian jird)
Pachyuromys duprasi (Fat-tailed gerbil)*
Psammomys obesus (Sand rat)
Psammomys obesus tunesien (Sand rat)
Psammomys vexillaris (Sand rat)
Tatera indica (Indian gerbil)
Sekeetamys calurus (Bushy-tailed jird)*
Jaculus jaculus (Smaller jerboa)
Jaculus orientalis (Greater jerboa)
Notomys alexis (Australian hopping mouse)
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The gerbils marked with an * are maintained in a Gerbil stud-book in order to prevent extinction in captivity. In this way inbreeding problems can be avoided.
When a stud-book works well, there are always enough animals to supply enthusiastic people who want to keep these species. Their most important function is that new imports from the wild can be avoided.
The writer of this homepage is also a member of the DGSG, and part of the information on these pages, especially about the 'other gerbil species' has been written with the help of members of this study group. A lot of credit goes to Fred Petrij, chairman of the DGSG and former chairman of the VEZ itself.
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