What should I do to prepare for getting a gerbil in August?

Question

I think I am getting a girl at PetSmart!

Sadly, I cannot adopt!

I will be giving the ONE girl a lot of my time!

-Miss Giggles

Answer 1

Nicole has cover most thing but i have a question by can you not get two write now it only a small bit of money to feed them.

By the why just remember you answer gerbil question and now you asking for help!

Also your answer was not to listen to me but to the women that said "i don't have a gerbil, but i have a hamster" (that was copy from the question)

And to show you some more help! and to show I was right have a look at this

http://www.geocities.com/heartland/plain...

and this

http://www.gerbilbreeding.com

also there lots of good help on the two websites

Answer 2

I have one male gerbil and he is very active playful nice and energetic not sad or lonely. Gerbils do fine on their own although it is ideal to get two getting one wont lead to a short lonely life! I have had my gerbil for almost two years now and he is still very healthy. You made a great choice!

      To get ready for my gerbil i got a cage with plastic tubes. If I were to do it again i would have gotten a glass aquarium because even though they are fun to watch them in they are a pain to clean. And if your gerbil is anything like mine he will gnaw on the sides of the tubes all night. They sell those glass aquariums at walmart for ten dollars. I would also get the cage completely ready for when he comes home it is a very stressful day and you want to have everything ready. I would also research as much as you can. Have the food ready too.

Hope this helped!!!

Answer 3

read up on places on the web and make sure you double read info on different sites you should get a cage I recomend just using a SMALL glass aquarium and buying small edible toys and an edible shelter area also wooden chewing sticks, a salt l**k, and  a water bottle would be good.  I also found it helpful to buy the bedding, food and gerbil all on the same day.

Answer 4

Well, Miss Giggles, I think you've made a fine decision there.  (;

Girls tend to be more territorial than guys, but they certainly can be tamed.  ^^

To prepare for your gerbil, act as though you were having a friend come stay the night.

Set up a space in your room for your new friend, just for her.  Have a spot for her to keep her things (bedding, food, toys, etc) and have some nice ideas as to how to spend your time!  

A ball is a nice thing to have.  My gerbils (I used to have two boys) loved rolling around in a ball.  (:  Though they ran into walls and made loud thuds with that, they were okay.  ^^

A wheel is a MUST!  I do not recommend getting a plastic one though.  Gerbils LOVE chewing and will chew out the plastic.  Wire or mesh tends to be the better of the two because gerbils may also pee in the plastic.  Should they do this, the smell is incredibly hard to rid.

OMGTRASH.

Ever heard the saying "One man's trash is another man's treasure"?  Get your whole family in on it.  From now on, save all toilet paper tubes, paper towel tubes, tissue boxes (just make sure to remove the plastic insert), and cereal boxes.  I cannot begin to tell you how much gerbils LOVE to chew.  Thus, buying things at the pet store will become expensive, quickly.  They will demolish homes in a week or two.  So why not give them a box inside their cage, every week when you clean their cage, along with a tube that they can shred?  You're not spending money and it's totally safe.  My gerbils loved it.  (:

If you want to play with your gerbil outside her cage while she's running on the floor, find the perfect room to do so.  Your bedroom might not be the best place because of all the things she can get into and under, but what about your bathroom?  No, no the one you do your laundry in, the half bathroom.  The one without the washer and dryer.  Pick everything up off the floor and make sure there aren't any holes or places she could get in that you couldn't get her out of.  Then let her place around in there.  Just make sure to have some wet wipes for when she pees on the floor or a dust pan for when she poops!!

Other than that, just the basics.  Make sure you get the best food, bedding, and toys out there for her.  

Bedding:  Care Fresh or Healthy Pet

Bowl:  Ceramic (gerbils will bury their bowl from time to time and will sometimes knock it over if they aren't careful.  This at least prevents it from being knocked over)

Water bottle:  I have personally found Krislin the best, my hamsters have chewed leaks into other brands and knocked them over.

Toys:  Mainly things you can pick up around your house, but make sure to get something wooden here and there for them to wear their teeth down.

Money:  It never hurts to have a little back up money in case something goes wrong or needs to be replaced.  (:

If you have any questions, feel free to email me!!

Answer 5

I don't want to be mean or bossy, but 1 gerbil will get really sad if its alone, and it makes me sad when my gerbil is lonely and board( his brother died and he doesn't get along with other gerbils so he's alone). 2 gerbils are a lot more lively and fun and please trust me its not much extra work for 2. So please, please consider getting two.

Here's a list of what to get

1. Get a 10 gallon glass tank with a lid.(Although the ones with plastic tubes look like more fun. the gerbils can chew it to pieces in a minute.

2. A gravity flow (hanging) water bottle. The kind with the little ball in the spout to keep it from leaking is best.

3. A ceramic food dish(optional)

4. A wire MESH wheel.

5.Something for her to chew on. Wood,clean stones found at pet stores, etc.

6. Bedding. I suggest you don't get wood shavings because some are unsafe. Pet stores usual carry Care fresh which I use and it is safe and great.

7. Gerbil/ Hamster food

Those are the major things you need. Gerbils like to eat small bits fresh veggies and fruits with their gerbil food. My gerbils fav's are lettuce, banana, broccoli,apple, strawberry etc.

This is a great site for more info, http://www.twinsqueaks.com

Answer 6

Why are you so opposed to getting TWO?

If you want a single pet, get a Syrian hamster.

Gerbils should not live on their own- it results in loneliness, boredom, and a shorter lifespan. Even if you give it plenty of love, you cannot sleep with it in the cage or communicate with it the way only gerbils can.

Answer 7

Look them up online, check out books at the libary, look around places, see where you can find a cheap cage and saw dust and other supplies.

kasey- gerbil don't die of boredem and not having other gerbils!!!!!!  I had a gerbil that lived for FIVE i repeat FIVE years!!! he was alone in his cage !!!!  y would they die of boredem....i am bored right now, im not dead am i? NO.

And the only way gerbils comunicate together is to kill each other, don't listen to her, you will kill the gerbils if you get 2!!!!!

Answer 8

get books on them, buy every thing you need except the food and treats ( they will go bad ) and set it all up and keep it in mind so when you wash it you will remember where everything goes.