Do you keep gerbils? Some questions...

[p_anda]

I didn't want to join the eGerbil forum in case I offend people with my questions. There are just some things I don't understand about them, so if you can help me out I'd appreciate it. :)

1. So I understand you meant to keep them in a glass tank as to avoid chewing through plastic cages and because they need deep bedding to dig. I have seen a lot of people on there keeping a pair or a trio in a 10 gallon tank...now I've kept baby turtles in a 10 gallon tank and I know they're tiny. I was under the impression that gerbils need a lot more space than the average hamster. Do they? How much space does 1 gerbil need?
2. Some people have cage-type tank toppers in their tanks to add more space but some people don't? Do you always need one? Or can you just get a very tall and large tank?
3. Some people keep them in bin cages, do they not just chew through them in a matter of days?
4. Lots of people don't give them wheels, why is that? And when they do, they're usually this wire one with gaps in it.
WARE Small Animal Wire Wheel Mini Exercise Accessory for Hamsters Mice Gerbils (http://www.petkaboodle.com/products/items/1492/Small-Animal-Wire-Wheel-Mini-Exercise-Accessory-for-Hamsters-Mice-Gerbils.htm)
Is this considered safe? Aren't the gaps big enough to catch the gerbil's toes? Aren't they uncomfortable for them to run on?
5. Most people's tanks seem to contain nothing apart from LOADS of bedding and the gerbil itself. Sometimes it looks like there isn't enough space for the gerbil to stand up straight without hitting its head of the tank lid. Do gerbils mind that?
6. Apparently it's estimated that now around 40% of all gerbils that are bred in the UK have epilepsy. Is that true? So is it even advisable to get one?

The reason I ask this is because these cages were in the 'ideal set ups' thread. Sorry for my ignorance. :)

[racinghamster]

Hi P_anda, I`ve kept gerbils and have some knowledge on what you want to know so I will do my best for you. :)

1. Gerbls are best kept in glass tanks at least three feet long (minimum for a single or a pair) or something like a Zoozone 2 if going for a perspex equivellant. Either would be fine in terms of floor space. Gerbils are diggers, not climbers, so are better addressed in a tank which can have good digging.

They do not require a wheel. Now some people will say they do, but a wheel can do two things. A gerbil can get obsessed by a wheel and exhaust itself. A plastic wheel can be chewed and an all metal wheel will probably be have a mesh running surface and a central spar. Gerbils have flat feet that are better suited to drumming and digging, not running on a wheel. I never used one.

Tank toppers are also a recent invention aswell and not required. As said, gerbils with a large enough floor space do not require a topper. Bars can actually start stereotypical bar chewing and I`ve had gerbils teeth broken by doing this, so bars and gerbils are best kept apart if you don`t want any mouth or tooth injuries.

Gerbils do fine with about five/six inches of substrate. Some people fill their tanks right up and mix it with hay, twigs and such where the gerbils will burrow down, but I personally feel this prevents hanging a water bottle properly or allowing the gerbils much room, unless you have a huge tank that is custom made where you can have seperate chambers. It`s not something I would bother doing. As long as the gerbils can dig and be happy, they don`t need a filled tank full of shavings.

Stick to wood, cardboard and cork/natural items. No plastics as gerbils will chew anything plastic and it`s not safe.

I have had a baby gerbil (a rescue under ten weeks of age) who early on, tended to take little seizures if removed from his tank for too long, so I limited his playtimes and steadily moved this up weekly until he was fine being out. I got him as company for an older male who had lost his cagemate. Typically, I have heard that epilepsy can run in gerbils, but I`m not sure how prevailant it actually is. I`ve only came across it this once and very young gerbils can usually outgrow it, if given the time and the correct care to overcome fitting. I was lucky my lad matured into a big sturdy lad. :)

I hope this has answered some of your questions and these are just the my own interpretations on keeping gerbils. I also see tank toppers and deep substrate being used and all manner of set-ups. I guess it just depends what you prefer to do yourself. I like to keep things as natural as I can and not add things that gerbils don`t actually need to be happy like tank toppers, wheels or cage add-ons.

paper based bedding is much the same as hamster bedding, so no change there. gerbils can have hay though as they don`t have pouches.

[Queen Of The High Teas]

Hi I keep gerbils. I have 3 boys ATM and I keep them in a meshed zoozone 2, and have no trouble with them chewing it. I find this better than a glass tank, as most tanks are only 12" wide (no matter the length), so they have more space. They are a lot more active in their zz than they ever where in their old tank. I fill it about halfway to really make the most of the space and they still have enough space to stand up and jump about. Put in plenty of cardboard and you wont go wrong;). As for a wheel, no its not essential, I couldn't put one in a glass tank as it just gotten full of bedding, but I have put one in the zz and my 3 now love it. They're not obsessed by it though and happily dig and run through their card tubes as well. You also need to keep them in at least pairs, gerbils don't like being on their own. I love them, I think they can be friendlier than hamsters in they generally dont bite, and don't smell like mice do. They also help me with the recycling given the card they get through!! They chew it up and then I put some of it in my rabbits litter box to save using the new stuff! Waste not want not! If you're in a position to get gerbils, I'd say go for it, you won't be dissapointed:p

[SnickersTheFirst]

1. I don't think a 10 gal tank is big enough for any animal? :mad: My boys were in a 20 gal tank with a topper of the same size.
http://i155.photobucket.com/albums/s320/Ronaldo2007_2007/DSCF6158600x450.jpg
http://i155.photobucket.com/albums/s320/Ronaldo2007_2007/DSCF6159600x450.jpg

2. Tbh, most people I've seen have toppers, they don't cause any problems as long as wire floors are covered and they provided me with space for a sandbath and water bottle without them being buried. :mad: Murphy especially would spend lots of time in the topper to get my attention. :p

3. I'd never recommend a bin cage or any plastic cage for a gerbil, I've seen the damage done to plastic by gerbils and it's also a danger to them if they ingest any.

4. My boys used to have rolly wheels but tbh they never used them so I just took them out.

5. I always left room for them to walk on top but they spend 90% of their time digging and bulding nests anyway. :D

6. I think this only applies to pet shop gerbils but I believe it to be true? I'm 90% sure my boy Buddy had epilepsy as he had a few bad fits (where I didn't think he'd pull through) in his short life and his brother outlived him by nearly a year so I think it altered his health and life expectancy.

I'll add these for the cute factor ;)
Murphy:
http://i155.photobucket.com/albums/s320/Ronaldo2007_2007/DSCF2347600x450.jpg
Buddy:
http://i155.photobucket.com/albums/s320/Ronaldo2007_2007/DSCF9833600x450.jpg

They live a fair while too. :) Buddy passed age 2 years 4 months and Murphy passed a few weeks ago aged 3 years and 3 months. They are lovely little characters!

[fluffymunchkins]

1. No I definitely feel they need more room than this, even more than a syrian hamster if possible. They are so active :) My pair of boys have a 4ft long tank.

2. Toppers aren't necessary, I do have a slight topper with a bit of a shelf. Which is nice for them to jump on and come say hi to me. Since they tend to be very curious and keen to know what your up to.

3. I wouldn't trust mine in a bin cage, but a thick plastic bin may work for some.

4. My boys aren't very wheel mad like hamsters tend to be, they do have one which they go on occasionally. But they prefer to dig and chew more than anything.
Hence loads of bedding is a dream come true for gerbils :) They really love to make quite impressive tunnel systems (megazorb works well for this).
But I would give space above the bedding as well, either with a topper or in the case of mine - another section with lower bedding.

6. I wouldn't let that deter you, though i don't know if that figure is true. Fitting is quite common in gerbils and happened with one of my first boys, but usually it doesn't lead to any after affects. So they carry on as normal
unless it develops to epilepsy x

heres an old picture of my tank. The topper was made out of a cut up hamster cage and theres a glass pane splitting up the two sections (this tank cost me £10.50 off Ebay)
http://i741.photobucket.com/albums/xx57/Piggylicious2009/Gerbils/gerbiltank2.jpg

[Cheetah]

1. 10 gallon is NOT at all appropriate. Not even with a topper cause it doesn't give them enough running and digging space to feel comfortable. The general rule is 10 gallon per gerbil. Since you NEED at least 2 gerbils the min tank size is 20 gallon.

2. I don't recommend these. Seeing as you need a min of 20 gallons this isn't necessary. And unlike hamsters the bigger the habitat is NOT the better. Too big with gerbils will cause them to separate it into their own territories and that causes fighting. With a tank topper you have two different sections, one claims top, one bottom. But then many people have had these without problem, its your own opinion on this really.

3. I know many gerbil owners who have these, they've never had any problems with chewing.

4. Seeing someone not giving them a wheel is rare for me. Anyone who does shouldn't own a gerbil. Its as necessary as it is with hamsters.

As for the wheel the spaces look too big, probably would get a foot caught. This is the type most gerbil owners use:
http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_AUEMpISBDU4/TLOJzLD5iuI/AAAAAAAAD0Y/En_3QoH-7X4/s1600/wheel.jpg

5. There should be enough room for them to stand up straight. (Er, well they never really stand straight, but you get my point) Often gerbils will make it too high in some places though, so its not always the owners fault :p The recommended amount is 8 inches, 6 inches is the minimum and 1 foot (12 inches) is the best.

6. Never heard of that. But gerbils are "hardy" animals. (As people say) Often seizures don't phase them. On that rare moment when it does it'll cause brain damage and they'll probably die. OR they'll keep going with a paralyzed leg of two ;P I heard of that happening once. The love gerbils give far outweighs the chance of getting a life threaten-epileptic gerb ^^

Source: My 2 and a half years of gerbil research and several tips from breeders whom have been in the "gerbil business" for 10-30 years (one is 30, another about 20-ish, the other is about 10 years)

[chewy1991]

1. I really don't think ten gallons is enough for a pair. It might hold a very young pair, but you'd have to upgrade once they matured. The most accepted rule of thumb is ten gallons per gerbil. Some people will say five gallons per gerbil (after the first gerbil which would require ten), but I'm not sure I agree with it. I'd say twenty gallons is most ideal for a pair.
2. It's completely optional, as is a tall tank. Some people use them to make a ten gallon bigger, but it doesn't really help (I think) as the ramp will take up tank space and the levels in a tank topper aren't that long (usually, though some people have some that are). People use them just to give the gerbils more space.
3. I know of a lot of people that use bin cages and have heard that if you use bins with strong enough plastic, this isn't generally a problem. Though, I have heard that they'll scratch at the plastic and cause it to be "foggy" after some time.
4. There's a reason for this, actually. I can speak from experience here. I would not say that wheels are as necessary for gerbils as they are for hamsters. I think everyone should start out at least offering their gerbils a wheel. However, whether the gerbil will actually use it largely depends on the gerbil in question. Most gerbils could do with or without the wheel - without any repercussions (whereas a hamster can get cage paralyse without a wheel) provided they have enough bedding to burrow into for exercise. The reason many people do not have wheels is not because they did not start out with them, but because the gerbils stopped using them. I offered both of my boys a wheel the first two months they were with me. As young gerbils, they loved their wheel. However, as soon as they hit "maturity", they just stopped using it. They would neglect it, pee on it, and bury it under their bedding. Now, I just offer it to them once a day. If they use it, they do. If they don't, they don't. I can't force them to use their wheel. I don't keep it in their tank at all times. Just taking them out allows you to add more bedding for burrowing. Most gerbils prefer burrowing over spinning a wheel.
5. My tanks start out with enough room for the gerbils to stand on their hind legs. After half a month, it gets pretty "full" looking in there. This is the gerbils doing, not mine. So, they arrange the bedding like that... so, I'm assuming that they like it. :mad:
6. I'm not in the UK, so I don't know. I wouldn't let it deter you, though. [/QUOTE]

[p_anda]

Thanks everyone, you managed to clear some things up for me. :)

-cheetah - that is the exact wheel that I'm talking about, so doesn't their feet get stuck in them?

-SnickersTheFirst - they're very cute :)

[purple_x]

Those wire wheels are like torture devices :( not safe for any animal.
I've kept gerbils for a long time and have found that they much prefer to dig about than to play on a wheel anyway so mostly mine dont get a wheel in the tank, they have one at playtime but usually ignore it.

I always have a minimum of a 3ft tank for a pair.

Although as my boys got older and moved about less I did move them to a 2ft because it was easier for them.
They both passed away in the last couple of weeks (:( r.i.p Dante and Jakey) but were a few months off of 5 years old, so they had good long lives.

[racinghamster]

Sorry for your losses purple_x and I totally agree with you on the wheels issue. Gerbils are diggers. They do not have the same running action (longer back legs) than hamsters and mice. Gerbils are fabulous pets and I miss my lads.