Registered!

River poses for a picture.

It’s official! I’ve registered at ASG (The American Gerbil Society) as a breeder! Hopefully my listing will be up soon.

Previously I had said I wouldn’t do this, just because of the fee. I thought it was $10 a month. However, I was wrong! It’s $20 initially and then $10 a year! This will allow me to register my individual gerbils and provide purchasers with a pedigree. As well as be listed on the ASG website! I’m excited! Hopefully I will get some interest from potential buyers this way.

In other news, my two breeding pairs are getting along wonderfully. They are sleeping together in the same nest and grooming each other a lot. Very cute. Hopefully they will breed sometime soon. For now they just seem to be good friends. 🙂

 

Introductions

 

Using a “split pen method”, Smellin’ Good spray, and having young gerbils to work with, I successfully introduced my breeders today! They are currently sleeping all snuggled together with their new mates in their appropriate tanks.

The Doctor & River checkin’ each other out.

Amy watching Rory from a distance before going to greet him.

So excited to meet the babies someday. Currently they are a bit young to be interested in mating, but soon that should change.

 

The Cheapest & The Best

Henry enjoying a toilet paper tube

Toilet paper and paper towel tubes make the cheapest, but one of the best enjoyed toys for gerbils! Leave a little of the paper on it and your gerbil will enjoy ripping it off and constructing a soft fluffy nest with it. Cutting longer tubes in half doubles the fun.

 

 

Pet Store Shortcuts

At the pet store where I work, we strive to take top notch care of the animals we have in our store. We treat any sick or potentially injured animals and are very proactive about their health.

However, sometimes shortcuts must be taken. Our animal provider generally sends odd numbers of gerbils. Three, five, seven, nine. No matter my efforts to sell them in pairs, there is always one sad gerbil left alone. When the next shipment of nine or so gerbils arrives, it is in the lone gerbils best interest to be reintegrated into the group. A huge no-no in most gerbil forums and websites. But I am here to tell you that not only is it possible, but it can take as little time as five minutes, requires no cage divider, and has a 95% success rate.

The reason gerbils attack one another is because they smell different. They don’t smell like one of their own “clan”. (Unless they are kept in restricted quarters and begin fighting for space.) The trick to introducing them peacefully is to mask their personal scent.

Smellin’ Good is a pet safe deodorizer sold at our store. One small spritz on the rear end of all gerbils involved in the introduction and–at least with young male gerbils–they welcome one another with open paws! By the time they’ve rid themselves of the baby powder scented spray, they’ve been with each other for over an hour and are all sharing one smell. A newly formed clan!

I have literally introduced three groups of three with this method and come back to find all nine sleeping together in one hide house.

I cannot guarantee this method always works, just that so far it has always worked for me in a pet store environment. Tomorrow I am going to attempt it with mine, with much caution. I will post an update later.

 

Things that go “Thump” in the Night

No matter how careful you are, no matter what you take out of their tank before you go to bed, no matter how many ways you attempt to cover your ears with a pillow,

Your gerbils will wake you up at night. 

Whether it be thumping their little feet because they heard a noise, chewing, digging, running on a wheel, “talking” to one another, they will drive you to the edge of insanity and then push you right off.

Unless you particularly enjoy laying in bed with murderous thoughts running through your head, I highly suggest keeping your gerbils in a room other than your bedroom.

I have no where else to keep mine, so they are all on my desk, just two feet or so away from my bed. I’ve gotten pretty used to it by now, and have taken steps to avoid at least some of the noise. Such as applying a dab of Vaseline to the joints of their wheel to keep the squeak at bay. Taking the wheel out seems to just drive them to do other obnoxiously loud things, so controlling the squeak has been the best solution so far.

Have any noise reducing tips? Please comment and share!

 

Tank Toppers

(Yes, I know their water is low. I cleaned and refilled it after taking this photo.)

Tank toppers are a great way to add extra space and interest to your gerbils home, without the mess of escaped bedding that often occurs with critter trail style cages. They also allow you to mount a water bottle on a different level, and place a food dish on a different level, encouraging shy gerbils to come out into the open to eat. Toys can be hung or snapped to the bars and provide new chew and play options.

Your tank topper should be chosen with the same ideals as a wheel. It should have grid style floors to avoid tail or foot injury, and should be made solely of metal. I purchased mine from Amazon.com.

Warnings & Tips:

Bar biting is when a gerbil obsessively gnaws on the bars of it’s cage. It can cause baldness on the nose and possible damage to the teeth. It is generally a symptom of boredom and can usually be prevented if other chew options are available. Usually. Henry (pictured above) however is a notorious bar biter no matter the toys and chews I provide. The best way to stop this bad habit is to only allow them to have their tank topper every other week. This prevents boredom and is good for their mental health.

If you are breeding your gerbils, only allow your pair to have a tank topper while there are no young present. Newborn gerbils may be placed by their mother under a ramp, where they are in danger of being crushed if you move it unknowingly. “Toddler” gerbils are clumsy and can hurt themselves falling from the highest level. Wait until your babies are of weaning age before allowing them to have access to a tank topper.

 

Habitat Setup, Easy as 1, 2, 3!

Step One:

Take one tank of appropriate size and insure that it is clean.

Ten gallon tank

Step Two:

Add three(ish) inches of bedding and squish it down.

Step Three:

Add crinkles (optional), water bottle, chew toys (wood & toilet paper tube), and food. (Wheel and hide house not pictured)

Step Four: Just add Gerbils!

Place gerbils in tank and watch them explore! Pictured are the Doctor and Rory.

(Remember that step five is the lid. Don’t forget the lid. 😉 )

This should be repeated weekly to insure clean, happy gerbils!

 

 

Soft & Fluffy

Once a week you should offer your gerbils a dust bath! Gerbils cannot be bathed with water, as they have difficulty drying themselves and can become sick if wet for too long. In the wild, gerbils roll in sandy, dusty earth to clean the excess oils and possible parasites from their fur.

Chinchilla dust is the best option for your gerbils. It is affordable and long lasting!

 

Place the dust in a container such as a glass bowl, mason jar, or gerbil bath house.

 

Allow your gerbils at least ten or fifteen minutes to frolic in the dust and groom themselves. I personally enjoy using a mason jar on it’s side for their dust baths, so I can watch them roll around and clean their faces. Once finished, they will be soft, fluffy and cuddly again! (They may leave tiny, dusty footprints on your clothes!)

 

Critter Trails & Glass Walls

Critter Trail Cage

As a pet store employee, one of my most commonly asked questions is “which critter trail cage should I get for my new gerbils?”, and the answer is: None!

Critter trail cages, though colorful and fun, are not ideal housing for gerbils. Though perfectly fine for dwarf hamsters such as the Robo Dwarf, Chinese Dwarf, and Winter White, gerbils will likely destroy and possibly escape from a critter trail cage.

Gerbils are Chewers and Diggers:

Say goodbye to anything plastic; they will completely destroy it. Critter trail cages are primarily plastic with a wire middle. Often times gerbils will become obsessive bar biters when kept in this type of cage. As shown above, the base of a critter trail cage is fairly shallow, and you will quickly find that more bedding is out of the cage than in!

Cleanliness is Key:

Most critter trail cages have tubes and tunnels, which gerbils will often do their “business” in. This makes it difficult to keep their home clean and neat. Cleaning the tunnels requires a soak in hot soapy water and a long, flexible bottle brush.

The Alternative: 

The ideal housing for gerbils is an aquarium with a metal mesh lid. Ten gallons for two, twenty for four, and so on.

Ten gallon glass tank

Though maybe not as visually appealing, a glass tank is simpler, easier to clean, and will provide your gerbils with a safe, happy, healthy environment.

Set up:

Bedding: Aspen and paper bedding products such as Carefresh and Kaytee’s Clean and Cozy are all acceptable bedding options for gerbils. Personally, my gerbils are kept on Kaytee’s Clean and Cozy white bedding, with a handful of Carefresh “Crinkles” for Nesting purposes. I’ve had gerbils develop allergies to both aspen and Carefresh Colors bedding in the past.

Kaytee’s Clean And Cozy Bedding is a cheap and long lasting bedding with limited dust.

Carefresh Crinkles are a colorful and fun way to provide nesting and stimulation for your gerbils!

Line the bottom of your tank with three inches of your bedding, and then mash it down to make a dense two inch (ish) layer. This will make for a better digging experience for your gerbils. If using crinkles, add a large handful to your bedding. Your gerbils will spread it around as they “decorate” their home!

Toys & Accessories:

Wheel: There is a lot of debate among gerbil lovers as to what is the right wheel. Allow me to guide you through the wheel selection process and educate you along the way!

Option Number One: The Tail Eater

An Unsafe Wheel for Gerbils: DO NOT USE

Though rarely seen in the market these days, this wheel with it’s bare slats has caused pain and heartache for gerbil lovers all over the world. A gerbils tail is very fragile, and can become caught between the bars causing “degloving”, a painful injury when the skin is ripped away from the bone of the tail. Never purchase this kind of wheel for your gerbil.

Option Two: The Solid Wheel

Though “safe”, this wheel does not allow waste to pass through it’s floor, your gerbil will be running in his or her own “yuck!”. Also, these kinds of wheels are usually made of plastic. Thus, they will quickly be destroyed by your gerbils teeth! This wheel can be used, but it is not ideal.

Option Three: The Flying Saucer

Similar to the solid wheel, it often becomes dirty and chewed to bits. Also, many gerbils have difficulty learning to use this wheel and it is a bit pricey, so I do not recommend it.

Option Four: The Grid Wheel

A six inch or larger grid wheel is metal, and instead of bars, it has tiny squares. Small enough that feet and tails cannot become trapped yet allowing waste to pass through. This is the ideal wheel for gerbils! It is also the cheapest and easiest to come by, it can be found at almost all pet stores as well at most Walmarts!

Home Within A Home:

Igloos are the most common hide houses for small pets, but as with all plastics, they are easily destroyed.

If you cannot acquire a ceramic hide house, I suggest this:

It is made of a wood/plastic composite. Though still plastic, is it much denser and harder to chew. It will get a little tattered around the edges, but will not likely be totally mutilated. We use this house in the pet store I work at, and it suits the gerbils well.

Water:

Again, plastic bottles will likely be chewed through, and you may come home to find a small pond in your gerbils tank! (Trust me, I know from personal experience.)

There are glass “chew proof” bottles available, but they are often hard to use in a glass tank. Currently I am using one of these:

Though plastic, it’s round design makes chewing near impossible, and it comes with a metal guard/holder that works well in a tank setup.

Last But Not Least!

Please provide chew toys for your gerbil to allow healthy chewing, as this keeps their teeth trimmed. Some good chewing toys my gerbils enjoy are pictured below.

BUT WAIT, what about food dishes?!

I didn’t forget! Though I sometimes use ceramic food dishes, they are not needed. Scatter roughly 1/8 cup of food in the tank daily and your gerbils will have lots of fun “hunting” for their food! If you are going on a weekend trip, scatter a ½ cup of food and insure the water is full, and your gerbils should be fine.

Tip: Gerbils need at least 15% protein in their diet. Most “Hamster/Gerbil” food is 13.5% or lower. Below is the food I use and love. It boasts a 17% protein content! Meal worms (dried or alive) and crickets make a great treat.

 

Available on Petmountain.com

You can also use this food, which is found at most pet retailers.

 

One is the Loneliest Number

A lone gerbil is a sad gerbil!

Unlike the solitary Syrian hamster, gerbils live in fairly large social groups when found in the wild. This makes gerbils ideal pets, as they are naturally more outgoing, trusting and often bond to their human companions!

The Myth: If I get two gerbils, they will bond to each other and not me!

The Truth: Not so! Gerbils require the security and companionship of another of their species! When kept alone, gerbils often become lonely, depressed, paranoid and more prone to biting and bolting. A lone gerbil will be more likely to be overweight, it’s lifespan will decrease, and it may develop obsessive behaviors such as bar biting. Gerbils need to be housed in same gender pairs in order to live a long, happy, healthy life! They enjoy grooming and sleeping with each other, playing together, and even running on the same wheel together! They will also be more active and enjoyable to watch when kept in pairs, as well as easier to tame.

Female gerbils tend to be a bit more temperamental than males, and may fight as they become older. If it is a companion pet you seek, I suggest a pair of males, preferably purchased at the same time from the same cage.

If you have unknowingly purchased a lone gerbil and are seeking a companion for it, first identify it’s gender, and then seek out a reliable source for it’s same gender companion! Once acquired, use the split cage method to introduce them. Gerbils are usually open to accepting new friends, especially when already alone, but don’t get in a hurry! Gerbil fights can be bloody and violent! Be sure your gerbils are displaying friendly behavior (such as sleeping next to one another on opposite sides of the divider) with one another for an extended period before leaving them alone together.