Swapping gerbils cages?

[imjessiegee]

I have 4 of my girl gerbs, housed in pairs. I have a Gerbilarium, one with the three stories and cost £40 which house two of my fat 5 month old gerbils and I've got a bigger one at around £70 which house my other two. Right now, I have Oreo, and she is becoming awfully skinny. I don't see her eating so I have started hand feeding her. It's hard too get her out of the bigger cage (£70).

I was wondering if I could swap the fatter gerbils into the cage that's bigger but harder to get them out as they are slightly tamed and move my skinny gerbil into the smaller one. I HAVE GOT ANIMAL DISINFECTANT too disinfect the whole cage from the plastic bottom and even the bars.

Opinions?

[Demonic Hope]

Of course you can switch tanks. Make sure you give the other tank a very good cleaning.

This is how I do it.

I suggest vinegar which will remove the odors. You want to spray it with white vinegar, scrub, rinse, spay again, scrub, rinse to make sure that there are no left over smells, then give it a good drying. Then dump all of the used bedding from the gerbil's usual tank into the clean tank. Add gerbils and repeat with other cage.

[Nightingale]

Is the smaller one this one?

The £40 price (and £70 for the bigger one) could be a coincidence and maybe you have some different bigger tanks. But if it is that one, then that's actually far too small for gerbils to live in. I measured it once and it's somewhere between 7 and 8 US gallons - the minimum for one is 10 gallons with a 10 gallon topper, minimum for 2 is 20 gallons with topper, etc, and that is just the absolute minimum with more being so much better for them generally. Keeping two in there will most likely lead to fighting somewhere down the line, and will definitely lead to cramped gerbils not getting enough exercise and stimulation.

If the £70 is the Savic XL, then that's better, but still feels cramped for two. I'm not sure of its exact size because I wasn't sure how to measure the sloped sides. I'm pretty certain it's less than 20 gallons though.

Also, if your gerbil is losing weight, I would recommend you take her to a vet if you have not already done so. Weight loss can be an indication that there is something very wrong, especially if it is sudden and dramatic and accompanied by loss or change of appetite. An experienced, knowledgeable gerbil vet could tell you more and treat any problems.

Smaller cages can be useful for taming for a few reasons, but do not make suitable habitats long-term, so it might be a good idea to move Oreo and her friend into the smaller cage for now if you are truly struggling - though it won't make her any happier to have less space. But, this is only if vet care is also given and only if it is a very temporary habitat. If you look on websites like preloved and gumtree, there can sometimes be large tanks for cheap prices.

Any questions, let me know, and I hope Oreo is okay! (And apologies if they are not in fact in the cages I'm assuming they are.)

[imjessiegee]

I do have a 2ft tank by 1ft in my cupboard I plan on using but just haven't had the time too make a robust lid.

[Nightingale]

I see, that sounds excellent then, at least for one of the pairs. Hope you get the time soon. (Could buying a lid instead be an option?)