# housing gerbils... new to be owner maybe



## shellyann1971 (Jun 25, 2010)

Hi

It is looking like I will have a 80 litre tank, as my fish are getting moved to a bigger tank... then I had a brain wave, thinking it would be ideal for gerbils... 

what you think... 

there are no platforms of anything like that, being as its a maybe a ex fish tank... 

how many would you think in a tank of this size? I was thinking maybe 4?

thanks

Michelle


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## Tigerneko (Jan 2, 2009)

Hello 

That sounds like a decent sized tank for gerbils! I think most people tend to recommend a minimum of 10 gallons per pair of gerbils, and your tank works out at about 17 gallons, so ideally i'd say you're best with a pair in there to give them plenty of room, although 3 wouldn't be a problem, I don't think 

do you have measurements/pictures of the tank? I'm not great at working out these kind of things, I go better with something a bit more visual like pictures or measurements :lol: but I think you'd get 2 or 3 in there.

I have a basic glass aquarium for my gerbils and they are very happy in there. They don't even have many 'toys' as such - just about 6-8 inches of wood shavings to dig around in, and different types of tunnels to help them build their networks 

Have you owned them before? They really are fantastic pets, i am addicted


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## shellyann1971 (Jun 25, 2010)

Hi

Sorry I havent taken a pic, but I have found the same size as mine on ebay

fish tank on eBay (end time 23-Sep-10 20:16:02 BST)

no I havent had any before, I am going to rescue some from animals in need I think!! although I know they are well looked after there, so I may get some from the shop.... get them out of the shop evnviroment....

Michelle


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## ShakeyJakey (Aug 25, 2010)

Its a great idea i used to have gerbils kept like this and always kept them in a pair,think my tank was a bit smaller than yours.

i never had platforms or toys they just had 3/4 tank full of compost and shavings mix and they loved it


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## holly1 (Aug 10, 2010)

Do it!They are great.My daughter just got 3,hand reared. They are so funny.I half filled it will hay,and tunnels,and they just stuff it all in the tunnels,so it looks empty now!
I put a glass shelf in mine,made from a small fish tank out of the shed,I cut the seals,and glued it in with aquarium sealant.


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## shellyann1971 (Jun 25, 2010)

ShakeyJakey said:


> Its a great idea i used to have gerbils kept like this and always kept them in a pair,think my tank was a bit smaller than yours.
> 
> i never had platforms or toys they just had 3/4 tank full of compost and shavings mix and they loved it


Hi

compost? never heard of that before

I have two hamsters so I was going to use wood shavings that I use for the bottom of there cages... ? is this ok? or is there anything cheaper that would do the same job?
I was also going to get the tubes at the bottom of the tank, and cover them with the wood shavings? or should I do it deeper? for example put some tube connections unright?
also what tubes do you use? they sell tubes for hamster cages seperate, are these what you use?
what about toilet area? 
how often do you do a complete clean out? I do my hammies once a week... 
what about a wheel? what toys do they need besides the tubes. 
oh! how would I attach a water bottle to the tank, and where if there is so much wood shavings in there?
maybe it would be a idea to have a small platform on top of the wood shavings? loose?

sorry for ALL the questions, I believe in giving ALL my animals the best enviroments, I possible can that would mimic there natural way the best I can, but the only difference would be , I would like to be able to handle them........ my hammies have 4 cages lol!!

Thanks

Michelle


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## holly1 (Aug 10, 2010)

Ive got my food bowl velcro'd to a rock.
I got some cardboard tubes from inside a new carpet,try asking the carpet shop for some?
Water bottle,Made a strip of chicken wire,bent it around the bottle,and hooked over the glass.Mess on top,made out of 2 old chair ends,and mesh and 2 strips of wood from homebase
I clean out weekly,but I think it would do longer,this week,i will just throw some more hay in,and mess it up,so they can dig it out again!


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## Tigerneko (Jan 2, 2009)

shellyann1971 said:


> Hi
> 
> compost? never heard of that before
> 
> ...


Don't be sorry for asking questions, it'd be worse if people didn't ask and just did what they assume was right!

People use compost or peat quite a lot for gerbils, it's often mixed in with woodshavings and hay, it just helps them to make more sturdy tunnels and is natural - and a mixture of compost and woodshavings will make for a less dusty environment  (however I just use woodshavings and have never had a problem!) some people also put shredded paper in too, it's up to you really - as long as it's not sawdust (this is much more dusty than wood shavings)

You can put the tunnels anywhere you like, I put some along the bottom, some half way up and some going down from the surface of the wood shavings. The gerbils will move the tunnels to wherever they want - my girls re arrange their tanks on a daily basis!

Tubes wise - please don't use plastic hamster tubes!! Gerbils chew and eat EVERYTHING and obviously plastic can be toxic and can cause blockages/be a choking hazard so plastic is a massive no-no for gerbils! Wood is best for gerbils, along with cardboard toilet roll tubes (you will not be able to get enough of these!) and cardboard boxes of varying sizes..... no plastic, rubber or 'unnatural' materials!

Toilet area - my gerbils don't tend to have a toilet area. They poo wherever they like and gerbils don't pee very much any way.

Cleaning - If there's any smelly areas, spot clean them. Other than that, my girls only ever need a full clean about once a month (I have 2 in one tank and one in another) so they are very low maintenance pets!

Toys - anything chewable!! Hidey houses, nests, hanging ladders (my gerbils love their wooden hanging ladder - I have it suspended from the tank lid) anything really - they're very good pets for creative people 

Water bottle - I have mine hooked on the sides of the tank (took pictures for someone else, will upload it at the bottom of the post) but you can also buy hanging water bottles that you could hang from the tank lid. Water & food bowls are pretty much useless because they will just bury them! So I scatter feed mine by just chucking the food in and hiding it around, it makes it fun for them too 

A platform would be good if you really want one, it will probably just be buried though :lol:

Hope that helped...and here's how my water bottle is attached:


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## shellyann1971 (Jun 25, 2010)

Hi

thanks for all that, I really appriciate.

I will start a collection now of toilet role tubes! as my fish wont be moved to there other tank , until the water quality is right for them, and based on last year it took 3 months!! but that was also bad bad advice from the pet shop.... so hopefully it will take only a few weeks, which will also give me time to buy everything the gerbils will need. 

Thanks again

Michelle


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