#gerbil care

[plant-in-a-box]

I got a gerbil about a week and a half ago that was adoptable at work since he had a deformed leg. I figured it was time to get another gerbil after 7 or so years (even though I still cry about the gerbil I had before for six or so years). He ended up passing away and now I’m thinking of getting a “colony” of gerbs. Maybe two or three? They would all be male siblings and I’ve heard mixed reviews on it, but I’ve never tried it. I know hamsters are solitary, but I’ve always seen stuff about gerbils being social.

I’m going to do A LOT of research, but I was wondering if anyone on tumblr had some information about it.

[plant-in-a-box]

I can’t prove that Oxbow brand food for hamsters and gerbils causes wet tail, but I can say that the only time I’ve ran into wet tail is hamsters who were feed oxbow.

It’s what I’m feeding my gerbils now because I’ve been told that it’s good quality food, but the more I think about it the more I’m like ehhhh dunno.

[frogitivity]

hi! im sure youve been asked this alot so sorry if its annoying, but ive been considering getting gerbils. where should i get them? what kind of cage should i get? how much bedding should i have? i plan to get at least 2 so how much for 2 of them?

The best place to get gerbils is to try and adopt some from a rescue! Depending on where you are tho that’s not always an option so looking into reputable breeders is always an option (most places have a [insert country] gerbil society so check out if they have any lists of good breeders!

The cage I use is the savic xxl gerbilarium but it’s a lot cheaper to make bin cages! (Lots of tutorials on YouTube) bedding is as much as you can bc they rlly like to burrow (mine have around 10in which is about 40ltr of paper bedding)

For more in depth info I recommend the gerbil forums (here) and this YouTube channel (here)

[mammon-squad]

Is a 40 gallon tank good for a gerbil or should I just save up for a 55? I only have one gerbil that I rescued and she’s currently in a 29 gallon but it’s way to small to really put anything in for her to play with//I also need a wooden wheel that’s big enough for her but it can’t fit in my 29 gallon. So is a 40 gallon good or a 55 gallon?

[germangerbs-blog]

Rennmaus / Gerbil: Artgerechte Haltung / Species Appropriate Care

A creative way to make your aquarium gerbil home bigger...take off the side glass panels and add another!

[germangerbs-blog]

Platform Inspiration

I wanted to show some photos of retail platforms available to me as inspiration for the DIYers. All of these are also available on amazon.com, but being sold from Europe, the products have huge shipping fees. It’d be much cheaper to recreate these on your own (but hey, you do you with your money).

From left to right:

Elmato Rodent Shelter Assembly Set 

Getzoo Corner Platform

Trixie Natural Living Stand

Getzoo Racetrack

As you can see, a platform really is just a board in any shape and size with legs. It is said that round legs are harder to chew, but there is no hard evidence for it. Aim for legs about 1x1in, with a 1in diameter, or a bit larger as many gerbils do end up chewing on them regardless of size (this is a good thing, nothing in a gerbil habitat lasts forever besides metal, ceramic, and glass, chewing wood helps wear down their ever-growing teeth!). Legs should also be as long as your bedding is high, so at least 25cm (9-10in).

[germangerbs-blog]

Food...

I am having a really hard time finding food in the US that I would feed my gerbils. Either the protein is too high, or the fiber is too high, OR, it’s junk with nothing but a few seed types and fruit in it. The fact that they almost all seem to be marketed as “Hamster and Gerbil” combo foods is telling that they’re not really suitable for either. There are however some snacks that I would buy, and they’re found in the bird section. Millet sprays and dried mealworms are excellent and healthy snacks. 

The search for a base food continues though, I will keep you updated. 

If you would like to see an example of what I feed:

In the terracotta bowl: dried dandelion roots, dried edible flower mix, dried edible leaf mix

Top grey bowl: Seed mix (~20 various seeds), cucumber seeds, dried veggie mix, dried insect mix, a single dried goji berry

Bottom grey bowl: fresh cucumber

This is for a single gerb otherwise the seed and fresh portions would be doubled (his friend passed this past Wednesday). Everything but the cucumber gets scattered all over the bedding and furniture. Everything but the seed mix also gets swapped for other things day-to-day (and even the seed mix gets swapped for other seed mixes every couple months) since variety is so important.

[scails]

Sick gerbil urgent

My 3 year old gerbil is really lethargic, cold, and breathing heavy. She won’t take water or any soft foods and the only small animal vet near me isn’t in town. Is there anything I could do to help her? Her sister is acting just fine idk if it’s a respiratory infection ir not but I’m keeping her in a bonding pouch on me to keep her warm