Gerbils....help me?

Question

Ok I need to know if I'm correct about this stuff (caring for a gerbil):

-Water should be changed every day (chlorine free)

-Shavings should be changed at least once a week

-Food bowl should be refilled every other day

And also...any tips for taking care of a 6 month old gerbil?(someone was giving her away because the family didn't have time to really care for her, so we took her)

Answer 1

all of that care is correct. make sure you get her used to your hand and handle her. gerbils are generally don't bite as much as say a hamster but without alot of handling, she could get mean

Answer 2

That's all right, except you should feed her daily, not every other day. What tye of fod is she eating? Seeds are THE worst thing you can feed to rodents. She should have a lab block food (pellets) made specifically for gerbils. This way she will be getting all her nutrients balanced.

Otherwise, since she is new to your home, she will probably be a bit stressed. Try not to handle her, and keep her as comfortable as possible for the first few days. You can try petting, but most will freak out about handling.

Also, when you clean the cage, it's a good idea to leave a tiny bit of her old shavings in the new clean cage so it doesn not smell totally strange and unfamiliar. Also, do not use cedar or pine bedding.

Answer 3

Yes, water should be changed every day... and you should get some vitamins to put in it as well to make the life as easy and healthy for the gerbil as possible.  Shavings, they say change it at least once a week.  But you should really only change it like every other week or once every two weeks because if you change it too often the habitat will not feel very welcoming to the gerbil.  If there is a lot of p**p and it is not time to change the cage, just scoop it out and put a little fresh stuff in to keep it clean, but keep the home like the gerbils like it.  And the food bowl, just watch it and refill it when it gets low.  You want to keep the bowl replenished yes, but you don't want to over fill the gerbil for health purposes.  

And make sure in the cage there is somewhere for the gerbil to hide like a tunnel or something, make sure there is a wheel, make sure there is wood or cardboard for the gerbil to bite... and make sure you don't handle it too often.  YOu want to give it some space, while also showing love.  

Good luck, you'll love it!

Answer 4

make sure she has a companion in the cage otherwise she'll be extremely bored. gerbils need to be in a group or atleast have one friend

also make sure you provide stuff for her to chew on like dry wood, toilet paper rolls, kleenex boxes, etc. its also good to have a wheel in there for her to run on

good luck!

Answer 5

1) you have someone else's picture as your own. i've seen that picture everywhere on myspace. that's lame & creepy.

2) google gerbils/ask the petshop where you bought it from about it.

Answer 6

Yep thats all correct but i would refill her bowl every day.  

you may want to leave her alone for the first day to let her settle in.  then let her get used to your scent by putting your hand in her tank.  also for the happiness of the gerbil you should consider getting another female. gerbils live longer and healthier lives with a buddy.   if you do make sure to use the split cage method or something along those lines.  

split cage method-  http://www.agsgerbils.org/Gerbil_Care_Ha...

Answer 7

For the most part, it sounds good. You don't have to change the shavings at least once a week. Since gerbils are desert animals, they drink less, which results in less urine. Less urine = less smell. You could change the shavings once every two weeks, unless you want to change it once a week. As Eraser Eraser said, stay away from pine and cedar. The aromatic oils in these woods can cause respiratory problems. Aspen is the safest wood shaving you can use for small animals.

Also, refilling the food bowl so frequently can result in the gerbil just picking out what it wants to eat (ex. sunflower seeds). Gerbils, generally, love sunflower seeds and will go to those first. If they are given the chance, they'll eat just sunflower seeds and leave the rest. If you refill the food bowl every other day, you could just be giving your gerbil the choice of what to eat. I would recommend you refill the food bowl as needed. For my two gerbils, this tends to be every 3-5 days. It doesn't give them the chance to eat just what they want. They have to eat almost everything.

The first few days she's with you, she may be pretty scared. It's best to give her a few days to get used to her new surroundings before trying to handle her. Don't ever grab her by her tail. It's a defense mechanism, and if you pull hard enough, you could deglove her tail (pull the skin off).

Have you considered getting her a young, female companion? Gerbils are social and do well in same s*x pairs. If you are to get a new friend for her, it should be a younger female. Introduce them using the split cage method.

http://www.agsgerbils.org/Gerbil_Care_Ha...

If you have any other questions, feel free to e-mail me. I'd be glad to help answer them.

Answer 8

get another gerbil while she is still young to be a companion