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Hey! Your new gerbils are very adorable :)

The cage you have now is a good starter cage, but should not be used for long term housing. Gerbils are desert animals, meaning they are better suited in an environment in which they can burrow. My suggestion is a simple 10 gallon tank for now. 10 gallons is the recommended size for two gerbils, 20 gallons for 3, you get the point. Just go to your local pet store and buy a 10 gallon tank and a tank lid (these should be in the reptile section). Then fill it with ASPEN bedding. Pine and Cedar are deadly to gerbils, because the dust from them will affect their respiratory systems. If you want, you can get a tank topper to expand the size of their cage like this one: http://www.amazon.com/Chew-Proof-Sm-High-Rise/dp/B0027J381U/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1406524528&sr=8-2&keywords=gerbil+tank

Gerbils will chew the living day light out of those plastic stairs, which they could ingest and have some serious medical consequences.

Something that you probably know, but is always good to reiterate, and is different for all gerbils, give them time to settle in. Lots of gerbil related fatal diseases are stress induced, so make sure they have a week or two to get situated, and then introduce yourself by hand feeding them treats, like pumpkin seeds.

Good luck with your new buddies. You'll love them as much as I love mine :)

It shouldn’t be, they’re naturally very social! The best way to introduce a second would be to look into the split cage method. If you can, separate the tank in half using wire - like a mesh screen or part of an old hamster cage - so that they can see and smell each other but not touch. You keep them like that for a while until they are comfortable and in the meantime swap toys between each side or even swap which side each critter is on until they’re comfortable with the scent.

If you can, a bigger enclosure is always better, but my girls did just fine in a 10gal for a while before I was able to upgrade. A cheaper way to get more space is a cage topper - something like this, I’ve used this one and found some similar in stores for around $20 USD. You can put the wheel and food up there and give them more room at the bottom for deeper bedding, they love to tunnel!

On that note Carefresh is a great bedding. Some people like to mix in aspen wood chips or Timothy hay for a little variety.

Your lil dude may or may not use the wheel, some gerbils love them and others are indifferent. I’ve found wooden wheels to be loud but the thinner plastic ones are chew hazards. I’m using a silent runner now (not silent spinner!) which, though still plastic, is thicker with a metal base and no exposed axle, and is extremely quiet

Best Gerbil handbook that my whole family loves is: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1931993564/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Good gerbil support groups on facebook (because if your gerbils are up to shenanigans at 3am and you're not sure if you need to bring them to the Vet ER, having as many resources as possible in a pinch can be tremendously helpful):

Gerbil Care And Support

Gerbil Friends And Care

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Also look on pinterist and on the web for DIY Gerbil Cage (or DIY Gerbil Bin), some of the gerbil homes folks have come up with are amazing!.

And don't just take the pet shop's word that something is gerbil safe, always do your research.

We've had our two bros for almost 3 years and it's been awesome! Our family's first fur-bearing pets :D

And check to see if your town or county has a 4H club for rodents - another good resource.

(And avoid those hamster balls - those can be traumatic for gerbils).

A playpen is awesome! Depending on the one you get they might be able to jump it. But this one is a good one to start with. It should be easy to find in stores though.

Just make sure it's not on carpet! Blankets/clothes are fine if you can wash them. Or any washable surface. I think there's one that comes with a plastic cover too. I recommend keeping the door closed too - they are fast when they escape. But if it's set up right and someone's watching them you and he gerbs should be fine.

I highly recommend putting some hiding spots and wooden toys in there. Silent spinners (or similar type wheels) are great too. Just remember to ALWAYS supervise them! I had a female who always jumped out just to jump back in her tank. I think you can safely use and put in plastic houses and such, but test it out first. Personally, all 10+ I've put in a play pen through the years have never chewed anything but food or the fabric(if any) they were on. If they don't chew the plastic it's fine to be in there. But not their tanks of course.

It's funny to see them mark everything too. They have scent glands on their bellies which they mark their territory with. So if you see them drag their bellies it's fine. It's quite funny actually.

Sorry about the creeping - I was mainly looking at your user history to see if you have ever posted anything about your gerbil before. I thought I might be able to give you better advice if I knew more about her.
What kind of houses to you give her that she chews up overnight? This is what my gerbils house looked like after about You could get her a house made out of hard wood or a coconut shell. My gerbils love both to hang out. I've also seen people use a flower pot with a hole. You'd also have to supply her with something to actually built a nest. Plain, unscented toilet paper would be good enough. She'll shred it and built her nest out of it.
You can also give her sticks you find outside to chew on. If you want to, I could try explaining how to make sure they are safe and mite-free. The safest way, however, would be to buy sticks like these, even though they are sort of expensive.

I would really recommend more bedding so she can burrow.

One of my boys lost his top front teeth as well. They fell out on their own after a few days of difficulty eating (not sure how he broke them).

It took several weeks before the teeth were grown back in to a usable length. During that time, he was on a diet of omnivore power and herbivore powder. Basically mixed it around 1:1 ratio and added a couple drops of water to make an easy to eat paste. It worked super well; he continued to have tooth issues on and off for the rest of his life, and that mix was often an important part of his diet. The omnivore powder has to be through a vet (they may have it, or can order it for you).

You can try crushing some food as well; my boy was able to eat hard foods as long as they were small enough that he didn't need to use the front teeth to break it into bites! Potentially soaking his regular food in water (or even a low sodium broth) could work, but my boy didn't care for it.

Some meat, egg, bread, noodle, rice, vegetables are alright to help keep interest in food and weight up; fruits are kinda heavy on the sugar and moisture. Baby foods like "Brown rice and Turkey" are okay in moderation too, but probably not a good idea long term.

I highly recommend a scale to keep track of weight. I got this cheap scale. Weight loss is expected (a few grams), but too much more isn't good.

Best of luck.

Edit: added a little for the next time I copy and paste my comment :)

Your gerbils sound a lot like mine - lovely and sweet, but very demanding! Mine were particularly active when they were 3-4 months old, now that they are 6 months old they are starting to calm down a bit.

Unfortunately I find that when gerbils see a barrier in their way, such as a playpen fence, they will want to get through/over/under/round it, no matter how big the area they already have is. They always want to know what's on the other side of the fence. Your run looks really big, so space shouldn't be an issue at all. It may be that they need more mental stimulation. I have one of these puzzle toys for mine. I also teach them little tricks, like knocking over small cardboard box towers and jumping over obstacles. It seems to help wear off some of their excess mental energy. I have found that some gerbils are more intelligent than others, and many will be completely baffled by puzzle toys and tricks. However some are very intelligent, and these are often the ones that need more stimulation, so will respond well.

When the gerbils seem restless but you don't want to take them out, you can fill the cage to the top with paper and cardboard and leave them to demolish it all. This will keep them occupied for a while. Also, any kind of new toy or object in the cage will occupy them for a short time while they thoroughly investigate (and probably destroy) it.

Thanks so much for your great response. I wish I've would seen it earlier. I just ordered this cage for a 10 gallon aquarium. I hope they do well in this habitat. I will take care of the guys, if I feel they are unhappy, I will expand their home. Again, thanks.

I use this:

Suncoast Sugar Gliders Wodent... https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01MRWR7MQ?ref=ppx_pop_mob_ap_share

Yes it says it's for sugar gliders but my two girls love it and can easily run on it, unless there is bedding underneath so we usually have to put the wheel down first and then fill tank with bedding but they use it just fine! & I like it also

I have a 10 gallon tank with a wire cage topper. Wire is best that way they don't eat everything that is plastic. It has worked pretty well and I think they like being able to climb.
Best I can do for a link on my phone to the topper I have:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B0027J381U/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?qid=1380680596&sr=8-1&pi=AC_SX110_SY165_QL70

Not sure how helpful this is but I got my gerbils a playpen like this which has worked well for them as it's quite spacious. Ronnie did work out he could jump up onto the top though after a few months (he's very much a gymnast!) so we did have to double up. We haven't had any problems with chewing but I suppose it depends on the gerbil.

We had such a big wheel that wouldn't fit in their cage at the time, so once we had a routine established of getting the gerbils out at the same time every day for playtime, they would clearly get excited for this. It did take them a few weeks to learn how to use the wheel... and take turns! But they got there in the end.

Try this.

https://www.amazon.com/You-Me-Small-Animal-Topper/dp/B01MYOQ1QR

I had one and it worked awesome. The only thing is I would get some kind of mat to lay over the bottom so they don't hurt their little feet, which they might do from walking over bars after awhile. I liked it because it was a good way to stop the gerbils from burying their food and water, which they will often do. I put a container of wheatgrass up there and sprinkled seeds in it so they could forage and they loved it. If you don't already know, they chew on anything they can reach so have plenty of stuff for them to do so they dont get bored and chew on the bars.

Sure!

I buy practically everything on Amazon and these would be my top recommendations:

Hidey Hut - this is large enough to fit two grown gerbils and my first survived the chewing for close to 4 years.

Small Animal Pet Playpen/Exercise Pen - this is just tall enough for the jumpers. I've still had some be able to reach the top but it is a struggle and you'd be able to catch them in time. Really sturdy as well.

Kordon/Oasis (Novalek) SOA80304 Bell Bottle and Hold Guard Small Animal Value Set, 4-Ounce - this is by far my favorite recommendation of the bunch. I cannot tell you how many water bottles were just destroyed and I would come home to an empty bottle and a very wet gerbil. This thing is impenetrable!

Kaytee Hamster Silent Spinner, 6 1/2 inch Exercise Wheel - although I've had to buy a couple of these (they will chew the yellow part holding the bottom part to the wheel) I find that this is the sturdiest of them all. It becomes less silent the more they chew on it and push it around but it's never been loud enough to be considered especially annoying.

Great for cleaning cage and is safe

As far as dust baths go, I've tried several different kinds and find them all to be equivalent.

Would not recommend:

Ware Manufacturing Flying Saucer Exercise Wheel for Small Pet - the quality is fine here but if you are using carefresh, it gets buried and doesn't allow any give for it to spin.

Kaytee Woodland Get-A-Way Medium Hamster House - quality here is also fine and it's pretty thick so it would take a while to get them to chew. Since it is wood, it absorbs liquids. My gerbils would pee on it and it got to the point that it looked moldy and unhealthy so I just threw it out.

Alfie Pet by Petoga Couture - GARI Wood Hut for Small Animals like Dwarf Hamster and Mouse - Size: Large - this is the cutest little home I've ever seen. I had to eventually throw out though because the wood was so thin that the back wall collapsed due to their chewing and would no longer stand up.

Prevue Pet Products Multi-Color Small Pet Playpen 40090 - I think the quality is here too. It's just too short. My gerbils were easily able to escape this.

GreatChoice Water Bottle - chewed through in a week and Same

Perhaps something like this?

I've seen these metal aquarium cage toppers around and it seems like it might be a good solution. It gives them a lot more space to run around by extending the whole thing upwards and stops them from escaping at the same time.

Personally, I have an Ikea Hacked Detolf cage for my two gerbils that I love. It's just the shelf without the middle put in place and the entire thing turned on its side. I have a metal grate piece I put on top to stop them from escaping. Gives them a HUGE area to run. Not portable, of course.

I would also suggest perhaps looking into getting a second gerbil. Unlike hamsters, they are VERY social. With a little lady buddy, she might be less stressed when you are out so much and may spend less of her day chewing her way out to try and escape.

Destroying is the whole point of a gerbil's existence! Also never underestimate the power of a toilet paper roll. Good for both chewing and tunneling. The best tunnel is one that he's made himself, so lots of materials for digging and such is good. Here's a few links to some tunnels my gerbil has enjoyed.

https://www.amazon.ca/Living-World-Chew-nels-Alfalfa-Medium/dp/B004ZP9SB8

https://www.amazon.ca/Living-World-Tree-House-Large/dp/B00CE8SOIQ/

https://www.amazon.ca/eCotrition-Large-Activity-Guinea-Rabbits/dp/B000FTEQA6/

I've got this wheel for my two little friends and it's remarkably quiet:
http://www.amazon.com/Trixie-Natural-Living-exercise-wheel/dp/B0057FZ9AO?ie=UTF8&psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_search_detailpage

It runs on an axle with ball bearings. At first I thought the wheel would have too much mass, but in the evenings one of our two gerbils tends to go full throttle in it.


Also, gerbils like some privacy and some hiding places. Wooden houses or hollowed out coconuts are great. Mine gnawed away the ropes on this one: http://www.amazon.com/Prevue-Hendryx-62801-Naturals-Hideaway/dp/B007PO3AEC?ie=UTF8&psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o06_s00 (bet they were really surprised when the coconut met gravity), so I replaced the upper rope (to suspend it from their ceiling) with a ball chain.

I've also found they enjoy lying in the morning sunlight, so you might want to place the tank somewhere it does get some direct sunlight some times of the day.

I've read before that corner digging is a learned behaviour and is related to stress (apparently it's common from gerbils brought from pet shops as they are often overcrowded). I had a gerbil who used to do that. I got her to stop by really going to town on enrichment. I would recommend getting a load of things to chew on, try blocking the corners with hanging chew toys and driftwood. I'll drop a few links below of things I found actually helpful, I've wasted a lot of money over the years on toys that they don't like so these are just the ones I recommend.

Here are some things that my gerbils go crazy for;

1. chew toys (this material in general they love, they also love wood with bark, avoid plain wood and fruit/coloured chews, never known a gerbil show interest in them and they end up getting tossed out with bedding) https://www.amazon.co.uk/Rosewood-Boredom-Breaker-Treat-Chain/dp/B00PUENT9U?ref_=Oct_BSellerS_471575031_44 - I'd remove the bell personally
   
   
2. boredom breakers https://www.amazon.co.uk/Rosewood-Boredom-Breaker-Animal-Activity/dp/B002NKD0BG?ref_=Oct_BSellerS_471575031_0
   
   
3. This wheel (22cm) can easily be suspended from their ceiling with some metal wire and is a must have because it's so quiet. Couldn't recommend it enough.
   https://www.amazon.co.uk/Trixie-Wooden-Wheel-22-cm/dp/B008H2VA6G?ref_=Oct_CABSellerC_13755519031_2&pf_rd_p=3e28c275-fcd8-5699-9995-a5ba5528b63f&pf_rd_s=mobile-hybrid-6&pf_rd_t=30901&pf_rd_i=13755519031&pf_rd_m=A3P5ROKL5A1OLE&pf_rd_r=SNRAXCADSZQJ00MTTZSX&pf_rd_r=SNRAXCADSZQJ00MTTZSX&pf_rd_p=3e28c275-fcd8-5699-9995-a5ba5528b63f
   
   Hope that helps!
   
   If some corner scratching persists, don't worry, sometimes that just happens. Hopefully they'll grow out of it!

Thanks! It's the Trixie natural living wheel on Amazon - fingers crossed it will be put to good use! https://www.amazon.co.uk/Trixie-Natural-Living-Exercise-Diameter/dp/B0057FZ9AO

I just ordered this (in large). We'll see if it's any good. I will treat it with some natural stuff as well.

https://www.amazon.ca/Bravefull-Exercise-Climbing-Habitats-Dam-Board/dp/B07D3NF8MG/ref=sr_1_8?gclid=EAIaIQobChMI0eH2o7nl5QIV7R-tBh2RwwY2EAAYASAAEgIN5fD_BwE&hvadid=269099466419&hvdev=c&hvlocphy=9001294&hvnetw=g&hvpos=1t1&hvqmt=e&hvrand=2714834789149681429&hvtargid=kwd-304555214852&hydadcr=28948_10701504&keywords=wooden%2Bhamster%2Bwheel&qid=1573588320&sr=8-8&th=1

Did you know Amazon will donate a portion of every purchase if you shop by going to smile.amazon.com instead? Over $50,000,000 has been raised for charity - all you need to do is change the URL!

Here are your smile-ified links:

those fancy wire clips they have for laundry / hipster chip bags

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If you're worried about your gerbil climbing over it, you can zip tie two of these play pens together to make the wall taller (see other reviews for an example). These fold up easily and connect together easily. Here is a video of my gerbil!

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/review/B003SZSVCI/R3BATXUUR8WHOF

[This] (http://www.amazon.com/Kaytee-Hamster-Silent-Spinner-Exercise/dp/B000A7DFUU) is the best type of wheel. If you have a different type, there could be several problems. For example, their tails can get caught in a metal wheel, and they can get sick from chewing on the plastic of a thinner wheel. I recommend getting the type above if you can because it is deeper in the bottom which will help the gerbils from slipping out. Keep in mind that there could be other things going on too which are making your gerbil grumpy. Gerbils love to claim items as their own. Perhaps the grumpy gerbil rubbed her scent on the wheel and is angry that you didn't respect her territory.
Edit: link

a d clip should hold his cage door shut. you might want to go with one of those fancy wire clips they have for laundry / hipster chip bags (just make sure it doesn't have a coating on it that he could chew off).

he is bored; bored as fuck. give him shit to do / think about:

get him lots of safe things to chew, lots of stuff to tunnel with, change out a toy each day, see if the wheel can attach to the bars & move it so it can't get filled (though some gerbils just don't like wheels), get some gerbil playpens & a sheet or something & shape it into mazes / interesting terrain with tunnels he can explore, add a bit of variety to their diet/treats rotation (look up what's safe on the sidebar's links), teach him tricks, introduce him to new scents.

dunno about introducing another gerb, i never had to deal with that. i did see someone using a soft, childrens' toothbrush to simulate another gerbil grooming their pet. give him a treat and pet him with the bristles a bit, see how he likes it.

Oh I see what you mean! Yeah it has a decent sized stand you can kinda see below it half covered in bedding, got this one Trixie Wooden Wheel, 22 cm https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B008H2VA6G/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_K1m5Bb46GPAZ8 taken them a good while.to chew through but they are getting there, had it for maybe 6 months now?

I bought multiple playpen fences like this and just linked them together to make a really big space: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003SZSVCI/

https://www.amazon.com/Kaytee-Hamster-Silent-Spinner-Exercise/dp/B000A7DFUU

This is the wheel that he has so he could probably use a bigger one.

It seems easy to spin at least to me.

When he was in his temporary cage he had a wheel attached to it that he ran in so could he have just lost interest?

The reason I'm worried is because he does not get enough exercise and is a bit overweight now.