# Gerbil info / advice



## joanna1984 (Jun 14, 2010)

Hi there,

I am looking into getting some gerbils but wanted to find out as much info as possible before i committed to getting them.
The reason i chose gerbils over other rodents is because i have read that they are more active during the day, they smell less and if trained correctly, they nip less (this is only what i have read, i understand people have their own views and may know / think differently).
I have looked at different cages and mostly found them with big tanks on the bottom where they can tunnel underneath. Are these the best? I was wondering, if I could put a load of sand in there (as the ones I have seen pictures of all seem to have sawdust / wood shavings in, but I read you shouldnt use that!)
If anyone could give me any info / advice on anything at all I would be most appreciative.

Thanks in advance,
Jo x


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## HazelandDan (Apr 22, 2012)

Hello!! 

I'm personally a massive gerbil fan, so may I congratulate you on your selection of pet! Gerbils can become very tame, and very rarely nip you unless you're doing something wrong. also... they're really CUTE! they are generally more active during the day, mine tend to pop into action around 9pm.

Basic Gerbil info:

Always buy at least a pair - they're very sociable creatures, and no matter how much love you give them, it will never live up to them having a fellow gerbil companion

You need a large tank (As you suggested), they love to burrow, make nests and generally kick their bedding all over the place, the minimum requirements are really 10 gallons per gerbil. Many people use a cage topper on the tank to put wheel and sand baths in etc, often these get dug up and covered in substrate if in the main tank.

Here's a useful thread from another gerbil forum which may help you decide what bedding to use:
The Gerbil Forum - Substrate
What I gathered from that is that usually a combination of different bedding is the best option. Woodshavings, cardboard and hay seem to be popular combinations. I currently only use shavings (in the UK they're kiln dried and dust extracted so shouldn't cause respiratory infections/irritation) but I will be moving on to a combination of shavings, aspen and hay when our new massive tank arrives 

They love to chew and scratch on stuff to keep their teeth and claws short, so lots of wooden and cardboard toys (eg. toilet rolls) should be provided... try to avoid plastic as the small fragments they bite off could be ingested and cause them problems.

Hope that's helped a little... I'm not an expert by any means so hopefully someone else can give you more information. Feel free to post any more questions you may have and I'll do my best to answer.

Have fun getting your gerbils!


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## GerbilNik (Apr 1, 2011)

Hi Jo.

It's great you want to find out all about gerbils before going ahead and getting them. The sign of a good owner 

There's a basic guide here on my website Gerbil Care « Indy's Rascals Gerbil Rehome

For more in depth information, please visit eGerbil | For everything gerbil! It's the best website for anything gerbil and you can spend hours reading the articles on there.

It's said in some places that the minimum requirement for one gerbil is 10 gallons but really that is far too small. I always say 20 gallons is the *very minimum *for either one gerbil or a pair.
Sawdust you can't use, but woodshavings are ok for gerbils as part of a mix. It's best to mix in different things like hay, paper, cardboard/cardboard type bedding like bedmax excel or finacard and plain kitchen roll or loo roll.
Sand wouldn't be any use as a sole substrate as tunnels will just not hold up using plain sand.

You will also have to give thought as to where you plan on getting your gerbils from. You are best to steer clear of petshops and either go for rescues or from a reputable breeder. Unfortunately good breeders are very hard to find these days. I would also say if you do think of a gerbilarium please stay clear of the pets at home plastic ones as they are far too small and pricey for their size!


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## joanna1984 (Jun 14, 2010)

Hi,

Thank you so much for your advice. I have had quick look at the links you have both given me and i have found some really good stuff on them so thank you for those.
I do have a couple of questions if you could help me though. 
1. I read that a tank is the best house without a topper because of the gerbils chewing the metal bars.....how would i be able to attach a wheel inside a tank? Also, how would i secure the water bottle inside a tank??
2. Could i put a bowl on top of the deep substrate filled with chinchilla dust or would they dig the bowl up? Or do you just put it in every so often?
3. I have seen some tanks with glass shelves which look quite good for climbing etc. but im wondering how they would burrow around these? Are they a good idea?
4. Would they go to the toilet in their tunnels or right on the top of it all? Im just thinking when they need cleaning, am i going to have to mess it all up? Also, from what i can gather they won't need cleaning too often but when they do, will i need to clear it all out or just the toilet area?

Im sorry i am asking so much (and im sure there will be more, just to warn you!!) but just want to try and figure everything out first!!

Thanks in advance
Jo x


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## HazelandDan (Apr 22, 2012)

Hey Jo, 

1- Most tanks will have a mesh lid to ensure the gerbils get adequate ventilation... you can attach a wheel 'upside down' to this similarly if you get a bottle with the right attachments you could hook this to the mesh lid too.

2- Yes, they would likely dig the sand bowl up. We have ours in there all the time, on top of the bedding, but it gets covered up after about half an hour.

3- I reckon the shelves are a good idea, gerbils will burrow around stuff or use lower shelves as something to build a hide-out under we have some wooden stand alone shelves that we put in with them and they love burrowing around the legs and nesting underneath it... but also love climbing up to the top to say hello

4- Gerbils are pretty clean animals and tend to do their business in one spot... ours use the sand bowl, even after it's been covered up, so this is easier to keep clean. If you know where they're making a mess you can spot clean. we change the sand every day or two and do a whole tank clean every 2-3 weeks, but the more bedding you have/ fewer gerbils you have, the less frequently you need to clean. You can train them to go in one place (like a shelf) if you place some soiled bedding up there... they'll eventually get the idea 

GerbilNik is incredibly knowledgeable, she helped us a lot when we were introducing a new gerbil, so I'm sure she can give you much better advice 

Hazel


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## peter0 (Oct 4, 2011)

I don't have gerbils but i can help on the water bottle idea. It's not my idea (another member on the forums, but i'm sure they won't mind me using it!) You get a mesh bird feeder and cut a whole in the mesh and put the spout area in there and it will be free standing! Also you can buy wheels that are free standing too like flying saucer wheel or free standing wooden wheels


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## GerbilNik (Apr 1, 2011)

I think HazelandDan has pretty much covered most aspects, but here's my tuppence worth to add to it. (thank you for the compliment H & D  )

A topper if it is something that you like, needs to be in addition to a large tank space and not instead of. Whether you have a topper or not the tank size will remain the same as it's that part that allows the natural burrowing behaviour.
However, if you do decide to go for a topper, if your gerbil does start chewing on the bars then it should be removed and just stick with a tank type enclosure. Bar chewing is a stereotypical behaviour which occurs due to the gerbils not being raised in deep tunnels. Most pet shop gerbils will display this behaviour as they would have been raised in very minimal bedding. Once it starts it's hard to stop and they feel compelled to do this. Housing them in deep beding may alleviate this but wont "cure" it one it starts.

That tanks with the shelves aren't worth the money. They stop proper tunnel systems forming and for much cheaper you can get a plain tank and allow the gerbils to build the tunnels themselves. You can make some wooden type shelves to sit in the substrate which will help hold tunnels up if you really want to do that, but things like cardboard, loo rolls, fiddlesticks bridges, terracotta pots, glass jars etc can all help to support tunnels.

It's up to you how often you clean, but a full cleanout shouldn't need to be done more than once every 3-4 weeks. On a weekly or fornightly basis you can take a few inches of substrate out and replace it with fresh and mix through the old to freshen up without upsetting the gerbils as full cleanouts too often will just stress them out. When you do a full cleanout - ie disinfecting the tank, be sure to keep a good carrier bag full of their old bedding to mix in with the fresh as again a totally new environment will cause them stress and upset.

As for the water bottle - if you don't have a topper, the simplest way to do this is to sit the bottle on top of the lid with the spout poking through the wire mesh into the tank. Gerbils will stand on their hindlegs to drink very often and are comfortable doing so. Doing it this way means no leaking so no soggy smelly bedding - the only thing you have to do is check that its in a position where it can be reached a few times a day. When the little menaces dig their tunnels the substrate may be much lower at one side than the other. If you're not sure what i mean about the bottle I can get a picture for you.


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## joanna1984 (Jun 14, 2010)

Hi there,

Thanks again for all your advice, sorry it has taken so long for me to reply. 
I have decided against a gerbilarium type house and to get a standard glass tank..will 36L x 12W x 15H (inches) be big enough for 2 or 3 gerbils? 
I am hoping to find one with the glass supports at the top so I can make my own lid if I need to and then I can secure a wheel and water bottle to it. GerbilNik, if you could send me a picture of the water bottle that would be great, I think I know what you mean but just in case!
I was looking at those chinchilla dust baths but im not sure if it might be too deep but im not sure what else would be heavy enough or gerbil proof!! My first thought was to use a shallow plastic dish but thats probably not the best idea!!!
Hazel, you also said that you put wooden stand-alone shelves in.do you make these yourself or buy them. Im just thinking I have access to lots of wood and could knock something together myself but would it get chewed and how could I attach legs (im just thinking if the gerbils chew through the wood and I use screws or nails, that might not be the best snack!! Also what sort of wood should i use?)
I im ok with the bedding..im thinking woodshavings, hay, shredded paper, loo roll middles and some other cardboard bits, glass jars etc. (would shredded paper from work be ok, bearing in mind it will have been printed on.just wondering about overdosing them on ink!)

And lastly (so sorry to wibble on), is there a particular reason to steer clear of pet shops? I know the younger you get them the better and I assume pet shops will just keep them until they get sold so you dont really know how old they are. But if I could get young ones from a pet shop, would they be ok or are there other reasons? I have looked on the net and i could get them from the RSPCA but they are obviously a bit older and i would prefer young ones if possible. And I cant seem to find any breeders near me but if I have to travel a bit further or wait a bit longer then so be it!!!

Thanks so much again in advance for all your wonderful advice,
Jo x


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## GerbilNik (Apr 1, 2011)

Hope this advice below helps.



joanna1984 said:


> Hi there,
> 
> Thanks again for all your advice, sorry it has taken so long for me to reply.
> I have decided against a gerbilarium type house and to get a standard glass tank..will 36L x 12W x 15H (inches) be big enough for 2 or 3 gerbils?
> ...


Where is it you live Jo? I might be able to recommend somewhere or someone where you could get young gerbils from.


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## joanna1984 (Jun 14, 2010)

Hello,

I can't believe all the advice i have been given, you have been so helpful, so thank you very vey much xxx

I live in Burton on Trent in the Midlands, postcode DE15 - i hope you can help me find some little babies!! 

Thank you again....i'll more than likely be in touch for more info soon!!! 

Jo x


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