Well, last December, my sister's hamster died and now I was thinking I could use the cage for a different small rodent. After thinking for a while, I got to thinking (more thinking!) about gerbils.
I was wondering if anyone else on here has or has had gerbils. I was thinking to get a pair. I found some ads on Craigslist, but some only had one gerbil. If any of you have had any experience with gerbils, I would love some tips about them and how to care for them.
Thanks!
I've had a gerbil before- they LOVE to dig and need a lot of bedding. Otherwise they'll just keep digging obsessively.
Also, I don't believe you can keep males together but I'm not certain on this. I'll let somebody else have that input. I just know they like to dig.
I have two males and keeping them together is essential. They are extremely social and dont like to be alone. They love! to burrow so the more bedding the better. They need ventilation in their cage so an aquarium isn't the best idea. The standard size cage per gerbil is 10 gallons. They love to climb and don't pee and poo as much as other animals. They also don't bite as often. I have had my gerbils for a while and have NEVER been bitten. Lets see... they love tunnels and such, I use old toilet paper rolls and they just chew them up (don't eat them) and use the scraps for more bedding. They are super sweet but bundles of energy. Make sure when you get them out you have somewhere set aside that is safe and easy to find them again because if you drop one or it gets away, they are pretty quick and hard to catch. They seem to have no fear, whenever I get one out (I take one out at a time so that the other can have a chance to be in the cage alone and enjoy the wheel and such) and put him on the bed, he has no problem climbing the sheets til he hits the floor. Other things to watch out for are wheels with wire openings and exercise balls with wide openings. If their tail gets caught it will fall off. First the skin and muscle and then the bone will follow.
Hope this helps!!
Fizzlepop40 (06-22-12)
@EverGreenly : Thanks SO much!!! That helps a lot! I think I might end up using the pet store cage I got when I first got a guinea pig. (They're in a C&C now.) I'm probably going to use that one if I get gerbils because it'll be nice and roomy for them, plus it has a nice deep base.
Now I just wondering if I need anything else.
I already have:
Cage
Water bottle
Solid running wheel
Tubes
Chew toys
I know I need to get:
Bedding
Hidey house
Food
Gerbils, of course!
Make sur eyou have a mat or something underneath the cage because bedding will go EVERYWHERE. I have my cage sitting in a big tray like tub so the bedding goes right into the tub.
Okay, sweet. I'm probably going to keep the cage on this one cabinet/table that is the perfect size for the cage. I'll be able to sweep up bedding every day as well.
Here's some pics of the stuff I have. Do they look good?
This is of all the stuff.
This is the cage. I put a CD next to it for size comparison.
That looks great! And that bottom is deep enough to help keep most of the bedding in.
Okay, great. Now all I have to do is ask my mom... I did mention another hamster or something earlier today (I was like, "We should get another hamster or something.) and all she said was "Oh..."
I can tell her that I'll pay for everything ( I have more than enough money) with my own money and I can keep the cage in my room because she doesnt like rodents much. That's where my pigs' cage is and where the cage was when we had a hamster.
Thank you so much for all your help! I'll let you know if I get gerbils or not.
Now I'm just wondering if anyone has any tips or suggestions on how I can ask and convince my parents about getting gerbils. I've brought up the subject, ("What are you going to do with the old cages in the garage?" stuff like that.) but my dad said "I don't know yet," and my mom said, "I don't know, we can talk about it some other time."
I just get really nervous when I ask for a pet or something like that because my parents usually say no to pets. It took my sister and I almost a year to get our hamster, but it did only take me a little less than a month to get my first guinea pig, so I don't know.
Any tips or suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!
Good luck!!
Fizzlepop40 (06-23-12)
*bump*
Anyone have any tips?
Be non-whiny about it, show your parents you have a plan for where to put the gerbils, you have specific money set aside to pay for it (please don't try to use your college savings), explain you already have the cage - which isn't being used, etc.Originally Posted by Fizzlepop40
If your parents say no at first, don't bug them about it! Calmly ask them why they object, and respond in an adult like manor and once you have an answer of why not - leave them alone for a week or two while you show them how well you can take care of your current GPs and revisit the subject at a time when both your parents are in a good mood
Again - Good luck!
Thanks!! I already figured out the cost, it would be 30-40 something dollars for food, bedding, hidey house, toys, and stuff like that. And I'm just using some of the money that I get every month for babysitting my little siblings.Be non-whiny about it, show your parents you have a plan for where to put the gerbils, you have specific money set aside to pay for it (please don't try to use your college savings), explain you already have the cage - which isn't being used, etc.
If your parents say no at first, don't bug them about it! Calmly ask them why they object, and respond in an adult like manor and once you have an answer of why not - leave them alone for a week or two while you show them how well you can take care of your current GPs and revisit the subject at a time when both your parents are in a good mood
Again - Good luck!
Thanks again!
Hi!
It's great your getting gerbils! Remember they LOVE to dig. Give them toilet tubes thin cardboard boxes (remove tape, glue and other packaging first) and they'll chew them up to make their nests. DO NOT use fluffy bedding, this may kill them if ingested. Instead, use toilet paper, they'll love to rip and tear it to help make their nests. Give them a good few inches of bedding to get them started. Megazorb, Carefresh...all those beddings are good!
That wheel is really small. Hamster and gerbil backs are fragile and they must have a big enough wheel so that their backs are straight when running. You would have thought that the curved back issue was only to do with piggies, but it's actually not! I'd say for your new gerbils get a wheel that is at least 7" big. Please get 2 wheels - it'll reduce the risk of fighting which my first gerbils did. And make sure they are not barred or meshed as this is bad for the feet, and they might get their tails caught.
Good luck persuading your parents
Fizzlepop40 (06-23-12)
make sure you post pictures of the cute gerbils once you get them good luck have fun
@CathiiPiggie Okay! I can get new wheels. Thank you so much for all that advice!
@cross Will do!
Now I'm wondering if they would somehow be able to chew through the plastic base of the cage as I have read that they are pretty big chewers. Do you guys think they will?
Thats okay, i'm glad to help! I found my old gerbil preferred to use an exercise ball over a wheel but they're all different!
*bump* (again, sorry..)
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