What kind of cage is the best for two gerbils? and what do they need to be happy?

Question

Im thinking about two gerbil and ive read that there tails get caught In Wire cages and like lots of room to play/burrow in. Whats the best type of cage for them and why?

Answer 1

In my opinion, the best housing for a pair of gerbils is a 15-20 gallon tank with a mesh lid (found in the reptile section of the pet store). 10 gallons is okay, but really not ideal. You'll find that after you put stuff in the tank for them, they don't have much room to run around and play.

Tanks are best because gerbils love to dig and chew. You can put lots of bedding in a tank without worrying about having to vacuum it up every day to keep their cage area clean. If they were housed in a wire cage, they'd kick it through the bars, and it'd end up all over the floor. Gerbils teeth grow continuously, so they need to chew. If you house them in a wire cage, they could end up chewing on the bars. This could cause hair loss on their nose and become very annoying. Also, a tank with a secured lid is pretty much escape-proof.

Bin cages are alright, but gerbils can chew through plastic. It may also get scratched up by the gerbils digging at it.

Be sure to provide cardboard items for them to chew on all the time. Toilet paper and paper towel rolls are great for gerbils. Just ask your relatives and friends to save them for you. I'm lucky. My mom works in a restaurant, and she brings home paper towel rolls for my gerbils.

EDIT: If you do decide to go with the barbecue top, please be sure the gerbils can not fit through there. It's amazing how small of a hole they can fit through.

Answer 2

For 2 gerbils the best cage is a 10 gal. tank. that's what i used and it's so easy to clean and you can rearrange their stuff however you want!

However now i have 3 gerbils and i have moved them to a 4 level wire cage. If you do a wire-cage, make sure you use Carefresh bedding because i've found it's the only bedding that doesn't go throught the wires as easily when they kick and burrow. Stuff like Aspen gets ALL OVER your floor!

It really doesn't matter what kind of cage you get them as long as there is enough room and it's easy for you to clean. But no plastic, because they can chew it and escape.

the necessities they need are a cage, a water bottle, a food bowl, food, wooden things to chew on(they chew on EVERYTHING!) and a hut or house for them to sleep in and bedding.

~ their tails don't get caught in wire cages, they get caught in wire wheels. if you get them a wheel make sure it's solid!

Good luck, they're great pets!

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A bin cage would be ok as long as you do the emsh thing on top to give them ventilation also make sure its big enough.

Answer 3

all of my small pets live in glass aquariums.  a ten gallon should be fine.  it's easy to clean and they won't kick the bedding everywhere.  they like to make nests and bury their food dish so bedding would probably go all over the place with a wire cage.  gerbils also like to chew on things so they may chew on the wire which isn't good for them.  

i would use carefresh bedding or something that is made with paper materials.  pine or aspen isn't healthy that healthy for them.  you don't need to use a ton of bedding for this reason: you can give them toilet paper tubes, plain cardboard, white toilet paper, and white paper towels to chew on and shred.  if you give them a decent amount they will end up chewing/shredding these materials and will use it in building their nest.  this is what i do to cut down on using so much bedding because it is expensive.  they also enjoy having eco bedding.  it's basically shredded paper and it's cheap and helps with nest building.

give them wood to chew on as well.  they need that to keep their teeth healthy.  i wouldn't really use anything plastic.  they will chew that up and possibly eat it which could harm them.  wood huts or dens works well because not only does it give them a place to sleep but they will also keep their teeth in shape too.  my gerbils seem to like the coconut dens and it stands up well to chewing.  you'll find if you buy anything that's wood you may have to replace it every so often because with their chewing habits they won't last.  i would also use a ceramic food dish.

i let my gerbils run on a mesh wheel.  their feet and tail don't get caught in that type of wheel.  

i also have chinchilla sand that i put in a small bowl that they clean themselves with.  they roll around in it and it helps clean their fur.  

well, these are the things i use and it works for my guys.  i hope i helped out a bit.  good luck with your gerbils!  any questions feel free to email me!

edit: i agree with the other post.  i usually suggest a ten gallon aquarium to start out with but my gerbils live in the twenty gallon aquarium.  both pairs have their own twenty gallon.  our solitary gerbil lives in the ten gallon.  a ten gallon won't give the most room for them but it's okay if you are concerned about space.  i just wouldn't put too many things in there.  a ten gallon is about enough room for a wheel and a den.  if you do have enough space go with the twenty gallon.  they do enjoy having more room when they are active and you can add more things to the cage for them to amuse themselves with.  sorry, i should have clarified that better.

Answer 4

I used to keep my gerbils in a cage that was plastic on the bottom and wire all the way up. The plastic kept the bedding in for the most part and the wire kept them from being able to chew through. They did chew a hole in one of the tubes on the cage because I didn't put enough in there for them to chew on. They also chewed through their little igloo home and I had to replace it. I don't think wire cages are bad since they keep the gerbils in, just make sure the bottom is plastic or you will have a mess. Get plenty of toys for them to chew on and toss an empty toilet paper roll in there every once in a while and you should be fine.