Sterilite container cage

[snowballandnugget]

Hi all!! Has anyone here created one of those plastic container cages? I have been pinning them on Pintrest with the idea of making one for the little boy gerbil we got last week. Rightnow he is in two Habitrail connected together buy I really want to put him in something a bit bigger with more room to burrow in.

Thoughts?
Dayle

[rhianna]

I have one for my hamster. I really wouldn't recommend them for gerbils because they're such chewers and such escape artists. There's no doubt in my mind that he'd find a way to chew out of it in no time.

He shouldn't be in Habitrails, either, though. They're even more of a risk, and also don't give him nearly enough space for burrowing or just for living. Really the only suitable housing for gerbils is a glass tank. You can get a 10 gallon tank for awfully cheap, and that'd be big enough for one gerbil. I'd recommend that you get a topper for it though www.amazon.com/Chew-Proof-Sm-High-Rise/dp/B0027J381U That way you can keep his food, water, and wheel up there while allowing a deep burrowing space underneath.

I'm also curious to know what your other gerbils live in. Hopefully they're already in a tank? If not, then the same should apply to them, however a 20 gallon tank would be better for a pair.

I hope this helps. You can read some things I wrote about housing here: gerbilgerbil.tumblr.com/housing

[snowballandnugget]

Thanks for the reply!!!

gerbilforum.proboards.com/thread/19030?page=7

There is a picture of Snowball and Nugget's cage in this thread. It's pretty massive with lots of space to dig and tunnel.

I will see if I can get my hands on a 10 gallon tank as you suggested and skip the container set up. Are hamsters not big chewers? ?

[rhianna]

That's a great cage. I love the unique design of it.

Most hamster aren't big chewers; not nearly as much as gerbils. Mine won't chew anything that's not a treat. There is one species of hamster (Roborovski dwarf) that usually have to be kept in a tank because they tend to chew, but for the most part they're fine with plastic cages and toys.

[Jazzable]

A bin cage works perfectly well for gerbils as long as you make sure there are no chewable edges: e.g. big ridges on the side of the cage. I use a 160l crate for my gerbs- I just drilled holes in the lid for ventilation.

[Alphonsus]

I house my two gerbils in one of those big plastic bin you find in target or other stores. It is a 15*40*12 inch bin. This is more than a 30 gallon tank and I bought it for $10. I bought another one and stacked it upside down on top of the bin and drilled holes on the top of the container. I added a rack between the two bins that way the gerbils can climb up. They have lots of room to dig and run around. The bins I use have thick clear plastic and not the easily bendable or flimsy ones. Bins are less expensive then tanks and less heavy. A ten gallon tank can cost between $10 and $20. There is nothing bad with bins. You can even add on too it. I use to have a 15*20*12 bin and I drilled a hole and add a short PVC tube (cost only  dollar) and connected it with another bin. There are many things you can do with bins. I seen people who had four bins connected with 4 gerbils. All you really have to do is make sure to drill enough holes for ventilation.I use to have a 20 gallon aquarium and the gerbils were happy but when I moved them to the bin cage they are more energetic and lively. 

[Jazzable]

Apr 16, 2014 13:05:28 GMT -8 Alphonsus said:

I house my two gerbils in one of those big plastic bin you find in target or other stores. It is a 15*40*12 inch bin. This is more than a 30 gallon tank and I bought it for $10. I bought another one and stacked it upside down on top of the bin and drilled holes on the top of the container. I added a rack between the two bins that way the gerbils can climb up. They have lots of room to dig and run around. The bins I use have thick clear plastic and not the easily bendable or flimsy ones. Bins are less expensive then tanks and less heavy. A ten gallon tank can cost between $10 and $20. There is nothing bad with bins. You can even add on too it. I use to have a 15*20*12 bin and I drilled a hole and add a short PVC tube (cost only  dollar) and connected it with another bin. There are many things you can do with bins. I seen people who had four bins connected with 4 gerbils. All you really have to do is make sure to drill enough holes for ventilation.I use to have a 20 gallon aquarium and the gerbils were happy but when I moved them to the bin cage they are more energetic and lively. 

That sounds really cool - I'd love to see pictures of how you connect the two bins on top of each other?

[snowballandnugget]

Yes!! Pics would be great@!!!!