Post by sandy on Mar 7, 2008 11:25:39 GMT -8
I remember some time back someone posted that regular sand granules have sharp edges and this dulls the gerbil coat.
I think personally that corn meal is the best and cheapest option for sand baths.
I know people who swear by corncob bedding as a comparable safe, eco-friendly, granular, non-tunnel-forming substrate, which has the added benefits of being much more absorbent (you don't have to clean it as often), less dusty, and is lighter. It's also warmer in the cold season. Sand of course would be cooler in the hot season.
At this time I'm still using the softwood pellets, which in relaxed form, when deep, are non-toxic, hypoallergenic, very absorbant and tunnelable. It takes a bit of time for the pellets to relax, however, so it is always a good idea to mix some of the old bedding in with some of the new. This has the added benefit of reducing the chance of declanning during cleaning times for groups.
The gerbils enjoy chewing up the pellets to create the softer substrate. The nest areas are softened with tissue, which is also chewed up.
The downside of these softwood pellets is they are heavy and a bit dusty (with a fibrous dust, so it doesn't float around in the air). The corncob is lighter and would make handling tanks easier. I think also you can use the vacuum cleaner to clean tanks out with corncob. So who knows, I might switch one of these days. The cost I understand is comparable.
This is a discussion that we always seem to come back to! Nothing so far has been perfect, and I hope someone someday comes up with a better option than anything we've seen so far.
I think personally that corn meal is the best and cheapest option for sand baths.
I know people who swear by corncob bedding as a comparable safe, eco-friendly, granular, non-tunnel-forming substrate, which has the added benefits of being much more absorbent (you don't have to clean it as often), less dusty, and is lighter. It's also warmer in the cold season. Sand of course would be cooler in the hot season.
At this time I'm still using the softwood pellets, which in relaxed form, when deep, are non-toxic, hypoallergenic, very absorbant and tunnelable. It takes a bit of time for the pellets to relax, however, so it is always a good idea to mix some of the old bedding in with some of the new. This has the added benefit of reducing the chance of declanning during cleaning times for groups.
The gerbils enjoy chewing up the pellets to create the softer substrate. The nest areas are softened with tissue, which is also chewed up.
The downside of these softwood pellets is they are heavy and a bit dusty (with a fibrous dust, so it doesn't float around in the air). The corncob is lighter and would make handling tanks easier. I think also you can use the vacuum cleaner to clean tanks out with corncob. So who knows, I might switch one of these days. The cost I understand is comparable.
This is a discussion that we always seem to come back to! Nothing so far has been perfect, and I hope someone someday comes up with a better option than anything we've seen so far.