Hello,

Has anyone got any hints and tips for keeping happy gerbils??

I have the perfecto tank I collected my little'uns from a rescue last night. Now there are three of them. The tank, I think, is only good for two? Is this right?

But:

- I couldn't leave one girl on her own when she is bonded with the other two.

- At the moment they are still young and small

- I can expand if necessary

So really interested to see people's set up - any pics would be great!
Or
Just some general advice you have on keeping gerbils happy

I couldn't believe it when I saw them - they are the most amazing colours. I assumed they'd be the plain greyish colour, but nope! One is a lilac colour and the other two are multi-coloured black and white. One even has a white bit on the end of its tail! I've never seen gerbils like it!

They are a little shy overall, but one is slighly more inquistive and will come sit on my hand for a few moments. I'm starting the taming with leaving my hand in the tank for them to jump over etc. Just did it for a few minutes this evening, but mostly leaving them to settle, will properly start over the weekend. One won't come out at all. Another will pop her head out and then run back again.

On my shopping list this weekend is a Chincilla sand bath - I've heard they like that.

What other must have's should I be adding to the list?

At the moment they have a couple of little houses, two ladders, a plastic L shaped tube - taken from JC's (only used for 4 days) rotacrap, and lots of burrowing material.

Thanks
xx

__________________
Mummy to 4 piggies, Manny, Floyd, Izzy and Eve, 3 hammie's, Jean Claude van Ham (aka JC), Princess & Prince Philip, 3 Gerbils Itsy, Bitsy and Ditsy. Foster piggies China & Alfie.

Your gerbils sound so cute. I love gerbs so much, they are fascinating little things!

What size is your tank?
For a trio you will need at least a 3ft tank. My 2 girls are in a 3ft tank and they love it.
You can also make your own tank using RUB's (really useful box) if you want to, just cut away most of the lid and mesh it and you have a cheap gerbil tank. The 145 litre one is fine for 3-4 gerbils. Plus it is lighter than a tank so easier to clean and has handles
Go Shopping - Really Useful Boxes - 145 litre Really Useful Box

It's best to give gerbils no plastic because they will chew it and you dont want to risk them swallowing it.
Cardboard, cardboard, cardboard Gerbils love the stuff....boxes, toilet roll tubes, egg cartons, carpet tubes, anything!
Make their house out of a cardboard box, they will chew it but when you clean them out they just get a new one.

I always chuck in a whole toilet roll (tube and paper) for them to shred their own bedding on clean out day.
You dont have to do that of course but I find my lot really enjoy it and it gives them something to do.

Terracotta flower pots seems to be a favourite with mine too, they sleep in them and sit on them.

If you're getting a chinchilla bath then there is no need to get the expensive metal ones, I got the loaf cake tins from tesco for about £1 each.
Always use chinchilla sand, not chinchilla dust.

Here is something I do with treats and their food....
Get a small box/egg carton. Fill it with hay, food, treats, bedding or whatever else you want. Then bury it in their substrate, they will have great fun finding the box and getting into it for their goodies.

Also a toilet roll tube stuffed with shredded toilet paper and a few treats then wrapped in a piece of A4 plain paper (so it looks like a christmas cracker) is a great toy.

And lastly, giving them some wood to chew on is a good idea, not everyone does but I give mine wood sticks and they destroy them!

Sorry for the rambing!

No you're not rambling at all this is all great stuff!

The tank is 62 cm long - damn it! Just convereted it using google and that makes it 2ft something.....boo. Going to need to upgrade! It just came as a bargin from the rescue! I think it's ok for now as they are still young, but will upgrade with any Christmas cash I get

Ok the plastic rotacrap tunnels are coming out....is Rotacrap good for anything? lol.

Everything else is cardboard, they have boxes but will throw in some toilet rolls too! How much burrowing material do they need? I'm worried I've put in a bit too much.

Great idea on the loaf tin, infact I have one anyway, saves me some money so that's brill. I have lots of hay from the guinea pigs - plus hay cookies....could I give them a hay cookie?

__________________
Mummy to 4 piggies, Manny, Floyd, Izzy and Eve, 3 hammie's, Jean Claude van Ham (aka JC), Princess & Prince Philip, 3 Gerbils Itsy, Bitsy and Ditsy. Foster piggies China & Alfie.

Get the biggest tank you can afford and fit in. I have a 4ft one for 3 boys and an enormous square one (I think its 3ft square) one for the 2 boys, then my poor girls are crammed into half a 2ft one each, they are in the middle of being bonded . the girls will be going into a 3ft perfecto when they are bonded though. No plastic at all in with them, they WILL chew it and might injest it and become ill. I use a layered substrate of shredded paper, aubiose, and hay. I get all my friends to save toilet roll tubes and cereal boxes and they all get a selection of those each night to chew up and play with, they dont have a sand bath in with them as they tip it up and scatter it all over, they do have a sand bath every day or so in a seperate cage though, they absolutely love that. I love to make piniatas for them with toilet roll tubes hung from the roof of the tank, just fill them with treats and bend the ends in so they arent easy to get into.

__________________


gsds (Henrick and Bella), the cats (Syd, Lilly, Elvis and Dizzy), the gerbils (Honey, Lisa, crusty, Millhouse, Flanders, Bart and Homer), the rats (Valentine, Flower, Petal, Blossom, Koda, Cava, George), the mice (Minnie, Pop, Seudag, Caraid, Silver, Trouble, Athena, Pandora, Aphrodite, Meep, and Springtime)

hhmmm I dont know about hay cookies tbh, although they are just compressed hay aren't they? So they must be alright.

I dont think you can give too much substrate. I fill the tanks up just over half way and then over the next few days with all the cardboard and toilet paper they shred it ends up about 3/4 the way full and they love it.
Oh right now my boys have burrowed and made a bed right at the front of the tank and are sleeping pressed against the glass, it's the cutest thing ever!

Oh mealworms are a nice treat for them. Most people I know that have gerbils say their gerbils go mad for them.
They also enjoy cabbage and broccoli.

And no, I dont think rotacrap is good for anything at all....well except the bin!

Mine used (don't have any now) to enjoy the odd bit of chicken too - much to the dog's irritation... lol....

__________________
Penny
Funfastquick Agility Dogs

What thedogsmother and purple_x said