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Post by blockhead on Jan 11, 2014 16:46:47 GMT -8
I was just wondering how to best exercise my boys... They had a wheel but pooped in it so much that we got rid of it. I normally put them in a ball but how long should they be in the ball per week? And are there any alternative ways to exercise them? Thanks in advance!
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rhianna
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Post by rhianna on Jan 11, 2014 17:28:07 GMT -8
Did they run on the wheel when they had it in the cage? All gerbils will poop on the wheel, you just have to clean it regularly. It's no reason to get rid of it, especially if they used it relatively often. Most gerbils will get a lot of their exercise from burrowing. Make sure they have tons of bedding in their tank, preferably 10-12 inches or more but 6-8 is the minimum. As far as the hamster ball goes, most gerbils don't like it. If yours do like it then just make sure they aren't in it for more than 10-15 minutes each per day. Gerbil-proofing a play area is another great way to exercise them. You could let them run around on your bed or you could buy/make a playpen on the floor. Just make sure they're always supervised during this time and have food and water available to them. I usually take mine out for about an hour each day, but I do skip some days when I'm just really busy. It's good if you sit with them in their play area and let them climb on you because it will help strengthen your bond with them. If you want to buy a playpen (I recommend buying 2 or more and connecting them together): www.drsfostersmith.com/Product/prod_display.cfm?pcatid=17948Directions to make one: www.youtube.com/watch?v=UFahY6tx6gU |
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Post by blockhead on Jan 11, 2014 18:11:14 GMT -8
I never saw them ever using the wheel (except as a latrine) and as I have 5-6 inches of bedding I'm probably going to add more. I dont understand how playing on a bed works... wouldn't they just jump off and run away?
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rhianna
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Post by rhianna on Jan 11, 2014 18:51:35 GMT -8
Offering a wheel is still always a good thing to do, but with gerbils it's not very necessary so it's fine as long as you do exercise them otherwise. 5-6 inches of bedding is, in my opinion, not nearly enough for them to create any sort of burrowing system, so adding more will definitely be good. What type of tank/cage do you have them in currently? I definitely suggest getting a topper for a tank if you don't have one already, because you can keep food/water up there and then fill the entire tank with bedding (that's what I do). Your gerbils will love you for it and you will have tons of fun watching them create an underground "village".
Usually gerbils will just run around on the bed and burrow through the pillows and blankets. You just have to supervise them to make sure they don't jump off. My boys never jump off; they're sensible enough to see how high off the ground it is. If you do have problems with letting them out on the bed though then I suggest just giving them floortime in a playpen.
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Post by crittercrazy on Jan 12, 2014 8:41:27 GMT -8
I always let mine run around on the floor or in a tub of some sort. . . I'm sure the bed is a great idea but I have a bed that is high enough off the ground that if they fell it could mean injuries.  Like rhianna said, I would still give them the option of a wheel if possible. It may seem like they never use it, but I've noticed my gerbils go through "phases" where they use it then they don't. Personally I've only used a ball once. . . Peanut hated it so never tried again with the rest of my gerbils but if it works for you, that's great! If you can't get a topper, and what you have right now is an aquarium/tank, then there are still other ways to give them that much bedding. You can usually get a smaller, like 10 gallon, tank for pretty cheap (like if it's used) then what I do is I connect the tanks with those colorful hamster tubes. The bigger tank I put their toys/food/water in and the smaller one I fill with bedding. Just another option. But rhianna I do have a question. . . my gerbils have never made tunnels. Do you think that's because of the bedding I'm using, the amount of it, or they just don't know how. . .? |
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rhianna
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Post by rhianna on Jan 12, 2014 11:10:12 GMT -8
I always let mine run around on the floor or in a tub of some sort. . . I'm sure the bed is a great idea but I have a bed that is high enough off the ground that if they fell it could mean injuries. Like rhianna said, I would still give them the option of a wheel if possible. It may seem like they never use it, but I've noticed my gerbils go through "phases" where they use it then they don't. Personally I've only used a ball once. . . Peanut hated it so never tried again with the rest of my gerbils but if it works for you, that's great! If you can't get a topper, and what you have right now is an aquarium/tank, then there are still other ways to give them that much bedding. You can usually get a smaller, like 10 gallon, tank for pretty cheap (like if it's used) then what I do is I connect the tanks with those colorful hamster tubes. The bigger tank I put their toys/food/water in and the smaller one I fill with bedding. Just another option. But rhianna I do have a question. . . my gerbils have never made tunnels. Do you think that's because of the bedding I'm using, the amount of it, or they just don't know how. . .? The problem with colorful hamster tubes with gerbils is that they're plastic. You really shouldn't give them anything plastic at all ever because they chew like crazy. So even if they're not chewing them yet, they will eventually. This also provides an escaping point for them because they can chew right out of the tubes and jump out of them. What type of bedding do you use? How old are they? Usually younger gerbils don't burrow very much. Also, if their bedding is too heavy, then it just may not hold the tunnels that they're attempting to dig. Usually kiln dried pine is good for holding tunnels as well as kaytee clean & cozy mixed 50/50 with aspen. Whatever bedding you use I also recommend mixing in some timothy hay to provide a nice structure for tunnels. |
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Post by danw19 on Jan 12, 2014 11:16:45 GMT -8
I have a question that is sort of on the same topic so thought I'd add it here rather than make a new thread. I'm going away for a week and that means my gerbils won't be able to come out of their cage for a run around, my parents will feed them and give them clean water but won't get them out. So my question is will they get bored without their usual exercise? I usually try to get them out for an hour or more everyday. When I first got them they never really came out of their cage for the first few weeks as they just jumped off the bed and weren't tame enough but now the longest they go without coming out of the cage is like 2 or 3 days if I'm really busy.
I was just worried about them getting bored and/or frustrated at being in there for so long.
I have a little plastic wheel that came with the first cage I had so I was thinking about attaching that to the topper just in case they get restless and need to burn off some energy, but I don't know if they would even use it.
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Post by blockhead on Jan 12, 2014 12:37:01 GMT -8
I use only NEPCO Kiln Dried Aspen Bedding with some timothy hay... I heard some bad things about Kaytee bedding,as well as pine and cedar bedding so I'm playing it safe by staying away from them. I filled my tank with 7 inches of aspen which is the most I'm "allowed" to, which should be enough, but I have had my gerbils for 9 Months. Does that make them young?
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Post by blockhead on Jan 12, 2014 12:38:31 GMT -8
I have a question that is sort of on the same topic so thought I'd add it here rather than make a new thread. I'm going away for a week and that means my gerbils won't be able to come out of their cage for a run around, my parents will feed them and give them clean water but won't get them out. So my question is will they get bored without their usual exercise? I usually try to get them out for an hour or more everyday. When I first got them they never really came out of their cage for the first few weeks as they just jumped off the bed and weren't tame enough but now the longest they go without coming out of the cage is like 2 or 3 days if I'm really busy. I was just worried about them getting bored and/or frustrated at being in there for so long. I have a little plastic wheel that came with the first cage I had so I was thinking about attaching that to the topper just in case they get restless and need to burn off some energy, but I don't know if they would even use it. They should be okay, (with the wheel and all) but when you get back I would be sure to exercise them a little more than normal, but I may be wrong. |
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rhianna
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Post by rhianna on Jan 12, 2014 13:54:40 GMT -8
blockhead - aspen and timothy hay do make a pretty good bedding mixture for burrowing. If you're not seeing much burrowing then it's not really anything to be concerned about; some gerbils just don't do it very much. And considering you've had them 9 months they're probably just under a year old which would make them adults. danw19 - Giving them a wheel would be a really good thing. Also clean out the cage just before you leave and give them more toys than usual, so they'll have lots of exploring to do. Also maybe you could leave a stack of toilet paper rolls by the cage and ask your parents to put a few in each day when they go to feed them, just for a bit more enrichment. I'm sure they'll be fine when you're away, and when you get back home be sure to give them some extra attention
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Post by crittercrazy on Jan 12, 2014 14:05:37 GMT -8
rhianna - Peanut is around two years old while the other two are around six months. I use aspen with timothy hay. Are we thinking of the same type of tubes? Peanut chews absolutely everything she can get to and yet I've never had a problem with her or the other two chewing those tubes. . .? Actually her chewing everything is the whole reason I can't even give them quite eight inches. . . she was able to reach the lid and completely shredded the screen. I have a heavy-duty wire screen instead now but I'm still not sure that will hold her. danw19 - I wouldn't worry at all as long as they have a wheel and some cardboard/extra toys. I've left my gerbils for that long without having anyone there to give them any attention whatsoever. The only time I've had trouble with that was when I had only Peanut and we had a pet bird in the same room. The bird scared her somehow and when I got home she was freaked out and a lot of her toys were flipped over like she'd been running around crazily. So just make sure there's no birds in the room.  |
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rhianna
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Post by rhianna on Jan 12, 2014 14:28:19 GMT -8
I'm sure we're talking about the same tubes. It's really up to you if you want to keep using them but generally they're no good for gerbils.
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Post by blockhead on Jan 13, 2014 18:11:52 GMT -8
Offering a wheel is still always a good thing to do, but with gerbils it's not very necessary so it's fine as long as you do exercise them otherwise. 5-6 inches of bedding is, in my opinion, not nearly enough for them to create any sort of burrowing system, so adding more will definitely be good. What type of tank/cage do you have them in currently? I definitely suggest getting a topper for a tank if you don't have one already, because you can keep food/water up there and then fill the entire tank with bedding (that's what I do). Your gerbils will love you for it and you will have tons of fun watching them create an underground "village". Usually gerbils will just run around on the bed and burrow through the pillows and blankets. You just have to supervise them to make sure they don't jump off. My boys never jump off; they're sensible enough to see how high off the ground it is. If you do have problems with letting them out on the bed though then I suggest just giving them floortime in a playpen. I put a wheel in but they won't run on it... Any tips? Is something wrong? Or do they just not like it? |
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Post by crittercrazy on Jan 13, 2014 18:30:08 GMT -8
What type of a wheel is it? I have two wheels for my gerbils, both are different types, and I've notice they love one while they hardly use the other at all. Also, like I said, my gerbils go a few days without running then it seems like it's all they'll do for a few days. They might also be running at night while you don't know it. It's also possible that they just don't want to use a wheel. . . some gerbils don't. I would still leave it in there so that if they ever change their minds it'll be available. |
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rhianna
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Post by rhianna on Jan 13, 2014 19:22:16 GMT -8
Often if a wheel is too small then the gerbils won't run on it. What size is the wheel? Usually around 6.5 inches is the minimum but 8 inches is best.
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