Would a Bin cage for gerbils?

[racinghamster]

My personal choice would be two males, but please don`t let that put you off taking on two existing females who are living together. I never kept female gerbils I always kept males. My first four boys had to be split up into pairs as two of the four de-clanned. When my numbers dropped, I brought in a nine week old baby male to pair up with one of my gorgeous, laid back little males and he was so gentle, they hit it off immediately, I almost cried! But Grub was a darling little gerbils with no dominant behaviour, so I knew he was an ideal candidate to introduce to a younger baby and it worked so well. Both lived together for the rest of their lives, but sadly, Grub injured a tooth one day while playing on the floor, he started to bar chew one of those multi-coloured hamster play pens and twanged his teeth. He was never the same health-wise after that and I lost him. One of the main reasons I don`t like gerbils near bars.

Munchie, who was the baby gerbil I brought in lived alone after that, but he too somehow managed to injure his tooth and I felt he got an infection in the gum that got into his bloodstream because he went lethargic one day after being such a big, robust lad and he passed away.

Gerbils need careful observation while playing out of their tanks and kept away from any bars they can chew on or obstacles they can find trouble with! They are so nosey, that`s their problem! But they are just lovely and I miss my boys. x

[chinesehammy]

Okay, thanks racinghamster! I am going to take the first ones I feel that need rescued most, and I don't think that I will get an option in gender really.

There was two girlies in pets at home last week, so once the 110L bin arrives and I have it all kitted out I will go in and see if they are still there. They will most be gone though as they have sent my 110L bin with the slowest courier in the world!!!

I won't be putting them anywhere near anything with bars, and there bin will either have no old or most likely holes on the lid that that they can't reach, as I don't want them too get hurt.

One last question, is it true that only wood can be used for toys, food bowls etc in the cage? Apparently the chew threw plastic and I don't want to damage their teeth on metal. I have lots of chews and treats bought for them.

[racinghamster]

Wooden items, cardboard items and natural things made from hay/grass or straw are all fine. Depending on how you feed them, a ceramic dish can be used, but if you really don`t want anything in their Bin that could fall over or they might chew at, you could coral their food using a low hollowed out wooden log or think of something where their food could be placed and also scatter feed?

Gerbils come up on RSPCA websites and Gumtree type sales websites, so if you just keep an eye on those websites, I`m sure it won`t be long until a few gerbils are looking.

Sometimes making a `vaulted` lid for Bin cages or tanks can work well. But you would need to make a frame from wood and then `vault` the frame to look like the roof on a house, so that it is out of reach of the gerbils for chewing purposes, but as ventilation.

I`ve only made a wooden mesh frame for a Gabber Rex cage so I`m not sure how easy it would be to construct something similar for a Bin cage. Might be worth looking at though. x