Gerbil won't go in plastic tubing?!?

Question

i gave my gerbil a new cage with plastic tubing going up to enter the top floor of the cage where his food and water is. i tried tying food to a string to lure him up the plastic tubing but he's afraid of it and won't climb up. I don't know what to do! he'll starve himself if he can't get his food! plz help!

Answer 1

Ha. It's a common problem, don't worry!

The gerbil simply needs time to adjust. For now you need to move the food to where he is. If you're worried about him starving, don't leave the food out of reach ;]

You could try putting him at the top of the tube, if is close enough to the ground to prevent accidents. He will eventually get curious, or bored of being up there, and climb down.

Try that a few times a day, and eventually he will go up on his own. My gerbil boys did the same thing, and now they're tube-climbing fiends. I think they just needed to know they would not get stuck after they went up.

My rescue gerbil, however, was a smart one- he immediately ran right upstairs to investigate when he got home, after not living with tubes previously. Gerbils are burrowers in the wild, so they are used to tube-like spaces by instinct.

Anyway, it will just take time and patience.

Gerbils are just fine with tubes going straight up and down, it is dwarf hamsters that need 45* or less, since they are so small with slightly stubbier legs. :]

Answer 2

May be we should put you in the cage and watch you climb the d**n tube! Why dont you try putting the food and water on the bottom and just let it get over its fear with time dont rush it.....LOL Im just playing.. i didnt mean the put you in the cage thing.... LOL

Answer 3

what you need to do is simply take the tube out, take your gerbil and stick him in one of the ends. he might sit there for a bit, he might try to bite... if he truly wont do it, you need to get a different cage :(

Answer 4

Hello!!

The manufactures / designers of theses cages have absolutely no idea of how rodents work. To them they are just money generating gimmicks, if theses tubes are going up / down at 90 degrees angle, most rodents won’t use them. Simply because some are not big enough to reach the sides of them, therefore cannot get a grip on them. Hamsters are the same, sometimes they may climb ‘up’ if they are able to, but will not come down again, because no rodent will go down such a steep drop head first. The tubes need to be at no more than 45 degrees, for them to feel safe and confident to use them. They must be able to walk with all 4 feet in the normal walking position.

May be best to put his food on the ground floor for now.

Answer 5

Until your gerbil gets the hang of it, put the food on the level he does have access to.  At times all it takes is a little time for them to realize there's more to their home.  Once he does, he'll be able to have the food where it currently is.

I do wish to make sure you know that gerbils do chew through plastic and make quick work of tubes and tunnels.  Within a couple weeks there could be a hole large enough for him to get out.  Please just keep an eye on him to make sure he's not chewing on it.  If he is, you may want to put him in a safer cage.  I've seen many gerbils chew through the Critter Trail cages and many distraught owners wondering how to find their gerbils once they have escaped.  Many owners don't feel their gerbil is a "chewer" or that the plastic is thick enough, but never underestimate the power of their determination and jaws.  Many will chew through it, it simply ends up being a matter of when.  Then again, some are fine, but in my own experience with gerbil parents, their gerbils all found a way out.  My own two included (though I had been watching and as soon as I found the possibility of them making it out, they were immediately switched to a safer cage).