What Should i all get and know for gerbils?

Question

Ok so Ive had my eyes set on gerbils for a while. And next time i go to my province capital im going to Buy two possibly 3. I know that Aquarims are the best and a rule of the thumb is 5 gallons for every gerbil you have. I have also read that they are the bigest chewers so No Plastic should be used.

So my question is. What should I have for Gerbils to keep them happy and Living long.

Also any eating habits that i should know about?

Do they go through alot of litter?

And any wooden houses or anything for them to sleep in?

( I have a dwarf hamster that i take great care of and my mom is letting me get two gebils when we go.

( I have about $250 cad to spend on them so Suggest away.)

Answer 1

well give your gerbils the biggest cage you can, dont just stick to the minimum. also i would consider getting a wire cage, it offers more ventilation and allows your gerbils to climb which they love. gerbils are very playful, so offer them lots of toys such as wooden ladders, hanging bird toys, and hammocks. you will also need a hiding place for each gerbil, wood or cardboard works great for this. feed your gerbils gerbil diet from the pet store, without sunflower seeds, if you can find it. gerbils love sunflower seeds and they will pick them out, and leave everything else behind, which can cause obesity. also feed them a small amount of veggies everyday, and occasionally a fruit, but not too much, or your gerbil can get diarrhea. you can also give them protein like eggs, fish, meat, beans, nuts, or mealworms from time to time. gerbils need at least two inches of litter in their cage for burrowing, but you will only need to clean the cage once a week, so their bedding goes about as fast as a hamsters. gerbils are lots of fun, so have fun!

Answer 2

Just so you know, aquariums are not the best because they don't provide good ventilation.  But they work.  I think that the more you have in one space the more you will clean and the more litter you will go through.  You can use plastic, just make sure it is safe, like the habit trails and stuff.  You should get them a hide, or something they can burrow under.  I am pretty sure they are just like hamsters.  

Answer 3

I love to see that you've done your research! Definitely 5 gal. per gerbils. I had 2 gerbils in a 10 gal. tank. Tanks are very easy to clean and basically escape proof if you have a mesh top. Now i have 3 gerbils and i just decided to move them up to a 4 level wire cage. They do kick stuff out, but the tray is so much easier to clean than the tank. they love to climb too!However, for a first-time owner, definitely get a tank.

feed them gerbil food form the pet store and you can also feed them lettuce, carrots, bananas, etc... sparingly as treats.

I only clean mine's cage every 2 weeks and they don't smell. I would say...no they don't really go through a lot of litter.

Get them a wooden house for them to sleep in. Put cardboard tubes and un-scented tissues in there too! They will shred them and use them as bedding! I have about 3 houses for mine and i switch them out everytime i clean their cage.

$250 is enough for the gerbils and supplies. I think I only spent about $150 on mine.

good luck! I hope I helped!

Answer 4

Aquarmium is not the best cage for gerbils. Gerbils are natural tunnelers and need tubes to roam through. Crittertrail cages are plastic, but they cannot chew on the floors or sides of the cages, so they cannot chew a whole to escape through, i now have 9 gerbils since mine just had babies and i keep them in a crittertrail cage connected to a habitrail cage.

I think connecting two habitrail or rotastak cages are the best. because they are made perfectly for gerbils, their tubes and wheels. and their solid plastic walls. gerbils love to kick their bedding and these walls stop it from going out of the cage.