Gerbil Housing
The Cage
Housing
There are a number of good choices for your new gerbils home. The most popular for a pair is a ten-gallon aquarium, for a number of reasons. It is inexpensive, easy to clean, roomy, and allows for great creativity. It will be necessary to have a small animal top, both to keep the gerbil from escaping and for its safety.
Click here for some great cage ideas
General minimum guidelines:
10-gallon tank 1 or 2 gerbils
15-gallon tank 3 gerbils
20-gallon tank 4 gerbils
30-gallon tank 6 gerbils
There are two popular types of lids available in most pet stores. They are both inexpensive and safe. The first is a simple fine wire lid. The second has a number of fittings to allow for 'habitat' tubes. If you are not near a large pet store, simply make your own lids with hardware cloth. It takes about $1.50 to make a lid for a 10-gallon aquarium. Make sure the lid is secure with commercial or homemade lid clips, especially if you have cats.
A large variety of wire cages can also be found, everything from a simple cage to a multilevel condo. There are several drawbacks to cages though. First, gerbils love to rearrange and dig in their bedding. I like to give my gerbils two or three inches of bedding to play and romp in. With all the playing, scurrying, and digging the bedding would end up all over the floor. Second, multilevel cages with ladders can cause a hazard to young pups. It is not unheard of for a pup to break its leg in the wire rungs. It is not advisable to use this type of cage with a breeding pair. Third, gerbils often gnaw on wire cages incessantly, which can be both annoying to you and harmful to them.
The third type of home easily found is the plastic habitat. Although these are very popular, they have poor ventilation and smell rather quickly. Additionally, they are easy for gerbils to escape from and over time are gnawed to ruins.
Bedding Material
Gerbils require bedding to absorb their urine, as well as for digging fun. They don't urinate all that much, so it doesn't need to be perfumed. The best choices are aspen, Carefresh, and corncob bedding. The average 10-gallons with two gerbils in it will only need cleaning every two to three weeks. If water is spilled or it smells you will have to change it. When cleaned on a regular basis a gerbil tank/cages should never smell. Fill the tank or cage 1/3 full with bedding. They love to pile it up, and bury their food in it. If you are breeding, two inches should be sufficient. Aspen, Corn Cob, or Carefresh bedding is recommended by most experts. DO NOT use Pine or Cedar Wood Shavings. Plain shredded paper will work, however the cage will start smelling earlier than if the recommended bedding are used. DO NOT use shredded paper with any sort of newsprint on it. Fill the tank or cage 1/3 full with bedding if not breeding. If breeding, two inches should be sufficient.
WARNING: Do not use Cedar or Pine Bedding; they can be harmful to all gerbils, but particularly pups. They've been known to cause respiratory problems and liver damage.
Click here for some safe bedding
Nesting Material
Plain white unscented tissue provides a safe and inexpensive nesting material Shred it into narrow strips and leave the rest to them as they build great whip cream castles out of tissue paper!
WARNING: Commercial nesting material looks soft and fluffy and perfect for a lovely nest, however it is very dangerous to gerbils. Gerbils can become entangled in it, amputating a foot. (Even if it only happens to 1 in a 100 gerbils, it's not worth the risk!) They can eat small amounts that may later cause a blockage.
What You Need In The Cage
Nesting Box
A simple nesting box will provide your gerbils a nice place to sleep, hide, and find some privacy. You can make a nesting box out of wood, or buy a commercial one at a pet store. A plastic one is not recommended, since the gerbils would chew it within a week.
NOTE: Many breeders do not advise the use of a nesting box with a breeding pair, since pups have been know to be trapped under or behind them.
Water Bottle
Each tank/cage will need it's own water bottle. There are a number of styles and most come with a simple wire hanger to use with cages. If you are using an aquarium you will need to purchase a special bottle holder/shield. Be sure that the tip of the water bottle is well above the bedding. If the tip comes in contact with the bedding or other material it will drain out in a matter of hours. Even though gerbils are a desert animal they require clean, fresh water at all times. Check the water every day to make sure it has not run dry and is operating properly. (When you tap your finger to the nipple, and you should get a drop of water.)
Food Dish
A food dish is not necessary because the gerbils will just bury it under their bedding. If you would prefer one, use a small heavy ceramic dish, so they can't tip it over as easily.
Wheel
You can use traditional wire hamster wheel in your aquariums. BUT… there are several precautions that must be taken before using them with your gerbil! First, to save on room hang the wheels from the wire tank lid. This keeps it three to four inches off the tank floor. A simple way to attach the wheel to the tank lid is by using twist ties. They work well, and are easily removed. Second, tightly cover the outside of the wheel with a heavy masking tape (but not plastic or anything with embedded threads). Then carefully coat the inside of the wheel with bedding. This covers up the tape, and prevents the gerbil's feet from sticking. See picture below. Some gerbils love their wheel, and play in it for hours! Others are will have nothing to do with the wheel.
WARNING: Tails can get caught in uncovered wheels and be amputated.
Click Here For Some Safe Wheels