What are some good tips for looking after gerbils?

Question

My friend recently got some (what I think are) gerbils for his birthday. After realising that he wasn't feeding them or giving them water I offered to take them off his hands. I have put some bedding, hamster food and water in shallow bowls and a little play toy for them but I don't know much about how to look after them. Do you have any tips?

Answer 1

Create a good home for your gerbil. The most popular type of home for most gerbils is going to be an aquarium. It is best to go with glass for a number of reasons. First, gerbils tend to chew on things. This means that they could chew through the plastic aquariums after time. This leaves out wire cages for the same reason. Of course, wire is also bad because gerbils sometimes rub up against the walls of the cage and the wire bars will scratch their flesh.
The hardest cage for a gerbil to escape from is going to be a glass aquarium with a tight-fitting wire or air-mesh lid. On the inside of your gerbil's new home, he will need two or three inches of bedding. Cedar can be deathly to your gerbil due to oils in the wood which can cause serious health problems. Breeders recommend CareFresh, which is made of cellulose fibers. Once you have the bottom down, you'll need to add some things for the gerbils to make their nests. They will want the bedding to be soft so you can place in such things as toilet paper, cotton balls, and strips of paper.


Keep your gerbil groomed properly. The good news is that gerbils are fairly clean animals on their own. You will not need to bathe them or handle any issues that are typical when grooming pets. The most common grooming issue you will deal with as a pet owner will be keeping the cage clean for your gerbils and laying down new bedding as needed. Generally, you will know when the cage needs cleaning by the smell. However, it's good to clean the cage anywhere from weekly to monthly based on your gerbils and the necessity factor.

Medical issues - Gerbils usually are not going to need check-ups like other animals would. However, it is still important for you to have a vet that you can go to if something comes up. One thing to watch for is your gerbil's behavior. If your gerbil seems to be sick and lets his grooming go and is not eating, then he needs to be seen by the vet immediately. You should also look for his behavior with the other gerbils. If one is not playing with the others, then that could be a sign that something is wrong.

Keep them busy - Your gerbil is going to need to be entertained or else he will work to find trouble. The good news is that gerbils are usually easily entertained. They love toys. Feel free to add some to their cage. Unlike some animals, you aren't going to need to spend an arm and a leg on toys. In fact, most gerbils love playing with junk you have around the house.

You can give them paper towel or toilet paper rolls when you are finished with the paper on them or for a special treat you could place some non-treated wood or chew blocks into their cage. Exercise is going to be important to sustain a healthy lifestyle though this should not be an issue because gerbils are fairly hyper animals.


Know what to give them to eat and drink - You are going to want to feed your gerbil a balanced diet or else he could suffer health problems as he ages. Gerbils will eat nearly anything though they should stay away from fattening foods that are not good for them. You can feed them pre-packaged pellets that you buy in any store with a pet department. However, it is recommended that your gerbil's diet includes more than just these pellets. You can also feed your gerbil fruits, vegetables, and small insects.

For snacks, give them a few seeds, such as pumpkin seeds or sunflower seeds, because while fatty, they absolutely love them and a few won't hurt when they are being good. Your best bet for feeding is going to be to place the food in a heavy dish.

Some people sprinkle the food around the cage, but when you do this, the gerbils tend to miss some and it rots in the cage. As for water, the gerbil's cage needs to have a water bottle attached. You should add fresh water as needed or at least on a daily basis. You can check the bottle by tapping the hose. If no droplets of water come out, then the hose is plugged up and you need to replace the bottle immediately as your gerbils are not getting any water.


Taming the beasts - Your gerbil needs to be tame enough to be handled. You need to inspect your gerbil often to ensure he is healthy and going to stay that way. That means you need to look in his eyes and check the color and for mucus, make sure his nose isn't bloody, and he is free from bites and scratches from other gerbils.

You should also check his teeth and his breathing. If your gerbil is wild, it will be hard for you to do this. Most gerbils are going to run when they see your hand enter the cage. However, the more you handle them, the more accepting they will be to you touching them, and the more tame they will become.

Answer 2

Although Rae Rae gave you quite an extensive answer, I'm going to disagree with one thing -- wire cages are FINE for gerbils. Providing they are high quality and escape-proof. Wire cages provide far better air quality and also give the gerbils places to climb and get exercise. A GREAT place to get wonderful cages is: http://www.martinscages.com/ Make SURE you get a powder coated one.

The very first thing you need to do is to determine if you have boy or girl gerbils -- or one of both. I'm sure you can find pics of gerbils online, if you do a bit of searching. Or go into a pet store and ask them to show you how to sex your gerbils. Or ask a vet. HOPEFULLY you have 2 boys or 2 girls...if you have one of each, you will soon have babies! Please do not separate the gerbils unless you HAVE to. Gerbils form very strong bonds with each other and it's cruel to separate a bonded pair.

I assume you have two gerbils and that's good. Gerbils NEED to be with other gerbils. But NEVER try to introduce a strange gerbil to yours!! Gerbils who have not grown up together will fight TO THE DEATH.

Your gerbils will LOVE a roomy cage with a box or house of some kind where they can sleep. They will LOVE a wheel. They will LOVE lots and lots of soft, fluffy stuff to make nests. They NEED wood or cardboard to chew on -- keep chew toys in their cage at all times. Have all your friends and relatives save the inner tubes from their paper towels and toilet paper -- gerbils LOVE those and will chew them up faster than you can believe!

Cedar, pine or chlorophyll bedding is not healthy. Use Care Fresh, Eco Bedding or Aspen. Give them lots of toys. Try to give them a healthy diet, one made just for gerbils that doesn't have too many sunflower seeds. They also do need a water bottle, one that hangs on the cage. A bowl is too easy to spill.

Of course you must keep the cage clean...

Get a book on gerbils -- you will learn a lot from that. You can probably learn to tell their gender from a book -- you can get books on gerbils at any pet store or borrow one from the library.

Gerbils make wonderful pets! The more you handle them and play with them, the tamer they will become. Thank you for saving them from your thoughtless friend and HAVE FUN!

Answer 3

Do not get a wire cage as they like digging and will throw the bedding out.