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Post by burninglotus on Apr 13, 2014 23:52:28 GMT -8
Hi, new here! I got 3 males from Petsmart (I know, I know) on March 31 that I think are about 3 months old (stupid employees should probably know.) I think they may be slightly differing ages but they get along very well and snuggle a lot. The black with white chin is Oz, he is the smallest. Oliver is the biggest and was nicknamed "squirrel" by my boyfriend due to his coloring (also may be oldest, balls are definitely dropped). Peter is the red-eyed dove, I would call him medium. I have a 20 gal long glass tank with a homemade "hideaway" (courtesy of my boyfriend) that is made of Poplar. It seems to me that lately I would like a topper to help expand their cage. 20 gal seems plenty for them, but I want to keep their food dish up and the water bottle is too large for the substrate amount I want to put in there. It is only about 3 inches right now and they have not dug a single tunnel or even tried. I switched their bedding from care fresh (what I used for non-digging hamsters when I was a young teen) to aspen and it is a mix at the moment, but I am worried they won't even with just the aspen and more substrate, so I think that putting their wheel (mounted to a wood base by wire), bottle, and food up is a good idea. I was looking online and I can't seem to find any good wooden premade toppers like I am looking for. I would like it to be mesh around it, but I would like a wooden base. I have curious cats (they they are afraid!) so the mesh would have to be sturdy. I want an opening in the side or something to reach in. Would a mesh ladder be okay, and what about the levels? I guess only one level NEEDS to be wooden because of the wheel, but it is also detachable. I saw some ideas in another thread but am unsure of how to actually go about doing it and what materials work best. Thanks and sorry for the long post!
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Post by burninglotus on Apr 13, 2014 23:57:50 GMT -8
I forgot to mention that I would love to use hay to support the tunnels, but my boyfriend is allergic. I know they love it because I had a small amount that doesn't hurt him, and they love carrying it around. He doesn't live with me but he comes over often and fell instantly in love with these guys at the store and convinced me to get them. You can tell he loves them and I want to not make him all sick. What are some good alternatives? I hear newspaper or just plain shredded paper? He tries so hard to make cardboard tunnels for the gerbils and they just keep eating his creations! He is happy about that but only one tunnel is staying up and it is made by use of a giant thick cardboard tube from some seran wrap.
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rhianna
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Post by rhianna on Apr 14, 2014 8:23:29 GMT -8
Don't worry, all of my gerbils have come from Petsmart, so I won't judge you for getting yours there too  Here's my favorite tank topper tutorial: www.egerbil.com/extensions.html Mesh ladders and levels would be fine, however you should cover the levels with either cardboard, wood, grass mats, or even bendy bridges from the pet store. Gerbils need a bare minimum of 6-8 inches of bedding, but you should give them as much as you can. Having a topper will definitely allow the space for this. Aspen bedding was a good call; Carefresh is not a great choice for gerbils. Is your boyfriend only allergic to Timothy hay, or have you tried other types? I know that personally Timothy hay bothers my allergies, but I'm fine with using other hays such as Orchard grass or Meadow hay. You can find different types of hay in the pet store where the Timothy hay is sold, and it's usually the same price. You can use plain shredded paper to help with tunnels. You can shred your own paper, or a softer alternative would be buying it from a pet store - Kaytee Clean & Cozy is my favorite brand. You can also buy colorful paper shred from papermart.com in bulk for cheap, but just be sure not to pick a metallic or shiny color (as these contain plastic which is harmful if your gerbils ingest it). |
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Post by burninglotus on Apr 14, 2014 10:11:19 GMT -8
Wow you are awesome thanks! Yes my boyfriend is allergic to hay, all kinds it seems, it is apparently minor but he has other minor allergies and of them hay is probably the most major. I like the idea of covering the mesh stuff, I am worried their claws will get snagged. Is a hanging little hammock okay? I have one but I read that they might chew and swallow the fibers. I will look into shredding paper! Thanks a lot!
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rhianna
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Post by rhianna on Apr 14, 2014 10:30:22 GMT -8
The hammock won't be safe; it'll get eaten and the fibers could be swallowed which is very harmful to their digestive system. Cardboard, paper, wood, or pet shop toys such as grass mats and bendy bridges are all suitable for covering the mesh.
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