|
Navigation
|
Front Page |
Forum |
Gallery |
Wiki |
|
09-08-2018, 05:17 PM
|
#1
|
Newborn Pup
Join Date: Sep 2018
Posts: 1
|
Another Gerbil Cage Question
Hello everyone,
I have a 3 year old daughter that I would like to gently introduce to the world of pets along with the responsibility it brings (she absolutely loves animals...anything from slugs to elephants).
I am already resigned to the fact that I will be fully responsible for the care of whatwe get and honestly I think I am more excited by my daughter!
I have done a lot of research online about the most suitable animals to start with and have settled on a pair of gerbils. Basically all guides agree on everything but I see a lot of different opinions about the best type of cage.
I didn't want to ask in pets at home (I am in the UK) as I thought they would just sell me whatever they needed to shift that month without much thought.
So... is the large gerbilarium from pets at home suitable?
Approximate Dimensions: 56 x 70 x 37cm.
It has a plastic tank with a wire topper. I can't seem to link the product (probably due to forum advertising issues).
Please could you give me some pointers? I understand the wire bars may not be great for gerbil's teeth/feet.
What do you all recommend?
Thank you in advance,
Edd.
|
|
|
01-04-2019, 10:25 AM
|
#2
|
PM Fluffy for custom title
Join Date: Jul 2006
Location: Central Scotland
Posts: 13,415
|
Re: Another Gerbil Cage Question
Hi Ed. To be honest, gerbils are great, but at 3 years of age, your daughter is still very young and gerbils can be (a) fast and jumpy and (b) don`t like being held and can (and will!) bite.
It`s tricky with rodents for children this young because although the adult in the house will be doing the cleaning/feeding etc....the gerbils ( moreso females) can be known to fall out and de-clan, although males can also de-clan even after living together for a few years. I`ve had this happen a few times in the past. This means having another tank set up for the one that ends up ousted by it`s cagemate.
Do you have any other pets at the moment or were you just looking at something to have that your daughter could enjoy watching? I wouldn`t go down the barred cage route for gerbils in any shape or form because they chew the bars and can injure their teeth. Far better with a large enough glass tank that`s at least 3 feet in length with a secured meshed heavy lid. Gerbils are diggers, not climbers.
You mentioned Snails? These actually DO make good interesting pets that don`t bite and are very easy to care for and keep. Plenty of info on the internet about them too. Garden snails (the ones with the shells) can even be re-released again into the garden in early summer if your daughter got bored, but you can`t do this with African land snails or foreign species, for obvious reasons!
__________________
Get A Life, Get A Rodent!
|
|
|
01-04-2019, 11:56 AM
|
#3
|
Hamster Antics
Join Date: Sep 2014
Posts: 23,533
|
Re: Another Gerbil Cage Question
|
|
|
01-04-2019, 12:13 PM
|
#4
|
Hamster Antics
Join Date: Sep 2014
Posts: 23,533
|
Re: Another Gerbil Cage Question
It seems that Eco Habitat is now hard to find too! Another option is a bit of diy and an ikea detolf hack. You tip the glass cabinet on it's back and leave the door off and then need to build a raised lid out of wood and mesh.
If she is interested in a hamster possibly, then a Syrian hamster can be good to tame and a cage would be less difficult possible as there are quite a few good 100cm x 50cm cages for a hamster. But they do sleep more - maybe that's what you're thinking of.
|
|
|
01-04-2019, 07:57 PM
|
#5
|
Hamster Pup
Join Date: Nov 2018
Location: Missouri, USA
Posts: 96
|
Re: Another Gerbil Cage Question
I have some experience with gerbils, and in my opinion they do marvelously in glass aquariums. They really don't need a ton of space, but too little space is bad as well. A good rule of thumb for the minimum is 10 gallons per pair of gerbils, but I keep my two boys in a 20 gal. Gerbils are very high energy and jumpy, and honestly could be too much for a young girl. My 6 yr old brother gets overwhelmed by my gerbils quite often. Also, they are a bit difficult to tame. I'm going to echo what Serendipity said- a Syrian hamster would be a lovely option. They do sleep more, but are very easy to tame, don't move too quickly, and kids love them. I had one when I was a little girl and I have one now. I think that she would be old enough to understand the concept of a pet and to be able to hold a hamster in her hands, or pet it from your hands, once it was tamed of course. The decision is yours, but that is my recommendation.
|
|
|
|
Tags
|
pets, wire, animals, home, thought, gerbils, lot, suitable, daughter, cage, teeth/feet, gerbilarium, approximate, large, shift, advance, edd, sell, dimensions, needed, recommend, month, great, due, product |
Posting Rules
|
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts
HTML code is Off
|
|
|
Powered by vBulletin® Copyright ©2000 - 2024, Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd.
|
All times are GMT -7. The time now is 12:01 AM.
|
|
|
|