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Post by eiphel on Apr 20, 2014 13:04:36 GMT -8
A while back I had a bit of kitchen roll lying on the floor, and Turlough, one of my boys, went and gathered it up, bunched it into a ball, then ran around with it stuffed in his mouth quite happily for an hour (it was as big as he was so it was quite a sight). When I put them back into their tank I let him take it with him because he was clearly fond of it, and he shredded it up to line their nest. Since then I give them shreds of kitchen roll or toilet roll and they always eagerly jump on them, roll in them, then wad them up and take them back to the nest. The other day, I saw someone saying that toilet and kitchen roll were too dusty for gerbils and you should only give them the tubes, not the actual paper. I've never seen this said anywhere else and I found nothing on Google, so I'm inclined to believe that whoever they were, they were just over-cautious (they also said not to use aspen bedding, so I suspect they're a hypochondriac on their gerbils' behalf). Does anyone know for sure?
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Post by summerrain on Apr 20, 2014 14:02:07 GMT -8
plenty of people here use paper roll as either their main bedding or as add ins. I've never heard of them being too dusty, and I don't see any dust when I give some strips to my boys. I always tear them into strips to make it easier for my older boys to handle and even when I tear them there is no dust. I actually love giving them paper roll, they love playing and sleeping in it.
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Post by catnut on Apr 20, 2014 14:38:34 GMT -8
Shelbys' nest is made up of all paper towels, I get a cheaper brand just for her, and I haven't had any problems with using it for any of my past gerbils either. It is soo cute when they carry pieces around and then shred it up to make a magnificent nest! She had a whole piece once and moved it but usually I rip it into pieces!
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Post by gerbillover9612 on Apr 20, 2014 15:53:43 GMT -8
My Gerbils love shredding up the tissues i put in their cage! ive never heard of it being too dusty :S Like you said, i think they were being over cautious D; tissue is perfectly safe as far as im aware and any other Gerbil owners as far as i know ;P xx
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rhianna
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Post by rhianna on Apr 20, 2014 17:51:41 GMT -8
I have always used toilet paper for nesting and my gerbils absolutely love it. I buy it in 4 packs for $1 and it lasts a while. So yes, it's completely safe and definitely not too dusty.
If you're using kitchen paper towel, though, make sure it's not the strong stretchy kind. It should tear apart easily. This is because I've heard a lot of stories of rodents getting a limb tangled in a strip of strong paper towel. It's similar to fabric in that sense.
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Post by wolfgirl on Apr 20, 2014 18:19:23 GMT -8
I once gave Dusty a whole half of a toilet paper roll just to see what he did with it. the next morning his tank was full and he was having the time of his life with nesting and burrowing. I've never had a problem with toilet paper or paper towels being dusty and they are his favorite nesting material
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Post by remarksises on Apr 22, 2014 7:20:21 GMT -8
Just one thing to make sure is that the tube you use is wide enough for them, and if it isn't make sure to break it down so they don't get stuck inside. I had an issue a few years ago with my little Cinnamon getting stuck. It was Christmas and we finished with a Christmas paper roll and I was going to break it down for Cinnamon and Mittens for Christmas. I was showing Cinnamon, the friendly of the two the tube. Faster than I could stop her, she ran in and got stuck inside, she tried back up soon after, but couldn't then she went limp. I never ripped a tube apart so fast, as I took her out. She had passed out due to having so much pressure on her lungs and the side of the tube covering her nose, so she couldn't breathe. I rubbed her and was blowing over her face trying to resuscitate her (I don't know if you can perform CPR on a gerbil, but I tried). A little later she flipped over and looked at me like, "hey, what's the problem? You giving me that tube or not?" My little girl was fine, but I was really shaken. But rolls are GREAT bedding!  |
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Post by gerbillover9612 on Apr 23, 2014 8:31:16 GMT -8
Awwh, glad cinnamon was fine ;D thankyou for the warning aswell! xox |
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Post by eiphel on Apr 24, 2014 6:09:21 GMT -8
Turlough once tried to squeeze himself through an obviously far too small hole in some cardboard (despite the fact there was a much larger hole right next to it). I got him unstuck and he proceeded to chew the hole wider until he could fit through it. He hasn't chewed the rest of the cardboard at all, but for some reason it was IMPERATIVE he be able to go through that hole, and not the one an inch to the side of it.
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Post by betty on Apr 24, 2014 23:46:07 GMT -8
Nerd Comment Alert: I know many of you have said that you use toilet paper and haven't had any problems - but just remember that toilet paper is designed to dissolve in water - it needs to not be floating in the water when it gets flushed to the treatment plant.
So just as it will with your gerbil, if you put toilet tissue in your mouth for a few seconds it will just dissolve into a thin broken-up mush that sort of sticks to you. Needless to say, you may find that your toilet roll bedding not being the most long-lived nesting material.
Whereas kitchen towel is the opposite - it is designed NOT to dissolve in water but to stay in one piece - otherwise how else would you clear up spilled drinks with a sheet of it? (also a very good reason not to use kitchen towel in the bathroom - it blocks the drains....)
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Post by ignacia on Apr 25, 2014 9:08:49 GMT -8
Hahahaha love your nerd comment, Betty
So, having that tip, which one would be best? My first thought is kitchen towels so the gerbils don't swallow the mush?
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rhianna
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Post by rhianna on Apr 25, 2014 9:13:26 GMT -8
The problem with kitchen towels in that sense, though, is that if they do get swallowed, they won't break down in their intestines. They'll simply sit inside and possibly block/tangle inside of them. Toilet paper is digestable, so you wouldn't run that risk.
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Post by ignacia on Apr 25, 2014 9:36:05 GMT -8
True! Thanks!!  |
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Post by betty on Apr 25, 2014 23:10:22 GMT -8
All retail animal bedding sold is the same as kitchen roll in that sense - it is designed not to dissolve in water to make it last longer in the tank (and not affected by odd wees and fresh food dribbles).
So I think it is just going to be one of those either/or answers for this one. I wouldn't use toilet tissue myself, but others seem fine to do so, so I think it's just personal choice.
And technically (nerd recurrence) toilet tissue isn't digestible in the true sense; but what it is made of - mashed paper products - should easily pass through the digestive system as fibre once it has dissolved in their mouth while they are chewing it or carrying it.
Cheap kitchen rolls (and most pet bedding) is made of the same stuff just stuck together differently and most gerbils can carry it in their mouth and remove it whole without swallowing any of it. Fancier brands of both though may contain other constituents such as scents and inks - so do check.
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Post by gerbillover9612 on Apr 27, 2014 2:05:21 GMT -8
The problem with ahop bought bedding is that alot of it contains fibres such as plant fibres and some people say that its harmful for gebils as they dont dissolve and like kitchen roll it just tangles inside and if ita wool or long strands it can tangle round their paws. Not sure if its true that they cant have fibres but i stopped using it aince i was told |
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