My rommate and I just bought 2 gerbils, and they are so cute and we love them. The problem is they like to dig (which we new when we bought them) but the bedding chips go everywhere, and we are constantly having to clean the chips up. They also seem to think that they have the ability to dig through plastic, and make scratching noises all the time (we had to take their hutch out last night because we couldn't sleep).
Does anyone have any suggestions, preferably cheap (we are poor college students)?
2006-11-07 07:41:02 · 13 answers · asked by seasonsoflove 3 in Pets ➔ Other - Pets
We did our research before buying our gerbils, and we know that they are diggers, and we aren't trying to discourage that, we just didn't realize it would be this messy, and if we have to just clean it up constantly, so be it, I was looking for some other ideas. I really appreciate everyone's input.
2006-11-07 12:32:26 · update #1
gerbils are rodents....rodents LOVE to dig...AND chew. so watch out that they aren't chewing THROUGH the plastic....*trust me..i raise hamsters*
you can get a large cardboard box and cut the bottom off so that it just covers the bottom of the gerbil cage and stick the cage inside it to catch bedding. OR you can use a plastic container....just make sure that it's larger than the base of the cage.
also, id stop using the wood chips. you can find the paper bedding at a good pet store. wood chips cause upper respiratory problems for rodents when mixed w/their urine. paper bedding absorbs the urine better. *and is easier to pick up, and it won't stain like wood chips* DONT take out the amount of bedding you give them, these animals LOVE to burrow under it and hide, it's instinct. you can give them cotton balls for extra bedding...it's warm, safe and won't make such a HUGE mess.
make sure they have TONS of chew toys...wood blocks etc. rodents teeth NEVER stop growing...so they need to break them down.
what are you feeding them? the store mix is usually horrible.
pellets are best, like RAT pellets...great for their teeth and have better nutrition than the seed meal *seeds are great treats...but they are PACKED w/sugar* and rat pellets are cheaper than the seed meal for gerbils.
2006-11-07 08:38:33 · answer #1 · answered by ? 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Gerbils are great pets I am sure you will have a ton of fun with them !
In answer to your problem with the bedding making a mess, I would suggest that you buy an aquarium and get a screen lid. This way they can not kick the bedding out of the cage.That is what I did with all of my gerbils.
As to the noise problem you really can't do much about that. My advice is that you move their cage as far away from your room as possible, however please don't put them outside gerbils are dessert animals they do not react well to cold. ( not even a little bit )
Good luck enjoy your new pets !
2006-11-07 10:07:56 · answer #2 · answered by Alley 9 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Coming from someone with 2 gerbils myself, they will never stop the digging thing. The only way to stop the mess is to house them in an aquarium. They will get enough ventilation in there to be healthy. =) They sell 10 gal aquariums at walmart for $10, and you can buy a lid separately for about $6-7. As far as the noise goes, it never ends, so you'll probably have to keep them in the livingroom or something. LOL Hope this helps!
2006-11-07 12:12:05 · answer #3 · answered by Carpet Shark Luver 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
my gerbils do that too. it used to be super annoying and i couldn't stand it. but i did get used to it....but just a tip- dont use a plastic home for your gerbils, because they will chew through it and escape. i've heard an aquarium works really good. i have a bar cage for mine. the only thing i can suggest is to try to put the cage somewhere where you cant hear them, but eventually it wont bother you. you could also investigae other options for their flooring besides wood chips. is there a softer type so that it wont make as much noise? as for the mess, we cave our gerbil's cage inside a shallow box to contain the debris.
good luck!
(p.s, if you wink at them, they'll wink back!)
2006-11-08 02:57:07 · answer #4 · answered by sally 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I have 2 gerbils, and i agree they make a HUGE mess... i have like 4 different cages for them , and all of them are connected(my gerbils get quite a bit of excercise now.lol) First, what kinda of chips are you using? i found out about a year ago that certain wood chips are bad for gerbils and give them like breathing problems.. so I switched beddings, and now i use Carefresh bedding. It works.. i also use corncob, which is nice, but annoys the gerbils b/c they can dig..and believe me, they STILL try to dig through it. my gerbils make a HUGE mess, and all i can do about it is clean it everyday. i have a big plastic tank cage for one of their 4 cages, that i put a ton of cardboard in, so they can chew the cardboard, then dig in that..but once they get to the bottom they still scratch the cage, so i would suggest putting like cardboard in the bottom, so they cant scratch. That will help with the noise, and the tank cage helps with pushing so much bedding out. Also, about scratching the bottom of the tank(i just remembered this..) ive figured out that they seem to do that to sharpen/ cut down their nails, b/c just like their teeth(and just like our nails) gerbil nails grow constantly. so they have to have something to scratch the nails so they dont get to long..i guess you could get some time of rope for them to climb or run across or something, but im not sure how well that will work(ive never had a problem with the scratching the cage... i was asleep whenever they did it,lol.).... So as to the cheap stuff..which i also agree on!...i would say put cardboard or something in the bottem of the cage that wont be as loud, and that they wont chew on immidiately...eventually tho, they will scratch through that cardboard and you'll have to replace it..and as for the mess, i would try to either use bigger bedding...or something that is quieter for them to dig through....or put something against the inside(or outside) of the cage so the bedding wont be kicked all the way outside... OR put something around the outside of the cage that will make it easier to clean up.. well hope it helps!!
2006-11-11 15:14:19 · answer #5 · answered by Kember 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Gerbils are night loving animals...can you move the cage somewhere else in the room? If you can get a hold of some stiff acetate, you can cover 3 sides, leaving the top open for air.
Covering them with a light cover may work...not sure!
2006-11-07 07:53:01 · answer #6 · answered by fairly smart 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
That sound funny =p I've never had gerbils, so, I don't know. But I did have a hamster. And she dug all the time, and I thought nothing of it. Of course she couln't get it out of the bottom of the cage. =] and I would set the hut back up-- So they don't have to sleep in a side ways hut >< and, well... I have no clue about the bedding =]]
2016-03-19 05:07:05 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
what kind of chips are they? if ther ceeder thats not good for gerbils, use Paper! I use paper 4 bedding 4 mu gerbil. And i have a 3ft tall cage, with tubes and the works! goto Ebay.com
2006-11-08 08:33:28 · answer #8 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
You can try putting less chips in the cage, however there's not much you can do about the noise. I have the cage with the bars, so it isnt as bad as the plastic ones, you may want to try one of those. Once they get used to their environment, they will be a little more quiet, but not much.
2006-11-07 07:53:50 · answer #9 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
this is what they do. next time you get a pet maybe you should take the time to find out their habits. they sleep during the day and awake at night they need to chew to keep their teeth down. as for the chips you can put newspaper under their cage or put their cage in a box that goes around the bottom of the cage with enough room for the chips to fall. or just keep cleaning up the mess every day, its your responsibility anyway
2006-11-07 10:04:24 · answer #10 · answered by parrotsarenoisy 5 · 0⤊ 2⤋