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Post by meagan on Feb 20, 2015 8:56:24 GMT -8
Hello everyone, I need some help. Well i have 2 male gerbils and have previously set up a date to pick up my female pair of gerbils for this sunday! I went down to feed my gerbils and mufasa the father was all bloody but still alive. Simba the son is perfectly fine and not a scratch on him. I took mufasa to the vet and they said it was a bad fight but he will be okay. He does have a broken tail which the vet said would most likely fall off. Now they are by themselves and i have two babies for them when the babies are weaned so i will eventually need help with introductions. Oh they each have a 29 gallon tank with beddimg filled to half way. My questions: 1. What exactly do i need in my gerbil's tanks, the must haves? 2. Is it the best idea to keep the two boys seperate and give them a baby each. Having more is not an issue. I have another 29 gallon tank. 3. Is there specific toys or treats their gerbils like? 4. What is everyone's favourite bedding? 5. If there is anything you think every gerbil owner should know please share. I want to give them the best possible life and i am still researching! If you would like to see some pictures of my gerbils you can visit facebook and click on Calliope's Haven! We have lots of pictures of our pets
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Post by crittercrazy on Feb 20, 2015 13:29:20 GMT -8
Sorry to hear your gerbils fought! 1. Bedding, food, water, wheel (not a must have but recommended), wood or something for them to chew. Those are the necessities. On top of those you're going to want hay, toys, chinchilla sand (or give it to them when they're outside of the tank), nesting material, cardboard, a house/den, etc. 2. I'd say that is the best idea, a pup to each. 3. Toys: cardboard, dens/houses, basically anything wooden they can chew, sticks/branches, and there are others I'm sure but that's all that's coming to my mind right now. Treats: sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, Cheerios, most fruits and veggies (in moderation), millet, crickets/mealworms, once again, I'm sure there's more. 4. I prefer aspen. But you can also use kiln dried pine, and though I don't have much experience with it, I've heard that carefresh is fine. Avoid pine (not kiln dried), cedar, and other softwood shavings. 5. There are a lot of things! Here are a few of the more major things I've learned over the years: Every gerbil is different. Save pretty much all things cardboard. Handle gerbils at least a couple of times a week to ensure they remain tame. Hope that helps!!
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Post by betty on Feb 21, 2015 2:46:27 GMT -8
Are you planning to breed them in the near future?
If you are getting the females to breed with your males then you won't need to get the new pups to split with them.
Or did you just mean you were aiming to have 3 pairs of gerbils?
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Post by cathy123 on Feb 21, 2015 3:00:15 GMT -8
1. I think crittercrazy covered all the must haves I know. 2. I think you should give them a baby each so they aren't lonely(unless you're keeping the females with the males-in which case they wouldn't be lonely) 3. My gerbils like milk drops and yogurt drops. They also like cornflakes(plain ones) 4. I'm not sure what type of wood my wood shavings are made of but they have got on with it fine-the brand is Snowflake if you wanted to know. 5. Don't give them plastic toys because it makes an ear-piercing noise when they chew it and the shards they chew off can be harmful. Try to keep them busy most of the time by giving them cardboard, wooden toys etc so they don't get bored too much. Good luck with your gerbils!
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Post by meagan on Feb 21, 2015 10:13:25 GMT -8
Thank you so much for all the answers. I really appreciate it. Im not planning on breeding so would need to buy the pups. I think it would be very complicated but rewarding. i have 2 29 gallon tanks and another tank a bit bigger but no idea the size.
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Post by the_gerbilpetsworld on Mar 4, 2015 11:40:31 GMT -8
Hi, Make Sure you don't use Woodshavings, Aspen, Sawdust as a substrate or bedding as it can irritate gerbils skin. I use Non-Toxic Children's Play Sand as a substrate with shredded paper they love it because it's completely natural for them I would answer the rest of your questions but it looks like people have beat me to it Have fun looking after your gerbils Hope I helped PetMad15
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Post by crittercrazy on Mar 4, 2015 11:45:59 GMT -8
Hi, Make Sure you don't use Woodshavings, Aspen, Sawdust as a substrate or bedding as it can irritate gerbils skin. I use Non-Toxic Children's Play Sand as a substrate with shredded paper they love it because it's completely natural for them I would answer the rest of your questions but it looks like people have beat me to it Have fun looking after your gerbils Hope I helped PetMad15 Again, as I said in the other thread, I'm not sure where you heard that PetMad but woodshavings (certain types anyway) are fine for gerbils. Pine and cedar (unless its kiln dried pine) are not good, but aspen is fine.
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Post by the_gerbilpetsworld on Mar 4, 2015 11:52:27 GMT -8
Oh right Sorry I've only gone on what I heard better to be safe than sorry. Thanks for correcting
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Post by crittercrazy on Mar 4, 2015 11:53:13 GMT -8
That's fine, no problem!
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keldamouse
Member
rest in peace my dear lovely Leela youre in our hearts
Posts: 374
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Post by keldamouse on Mar 4, 2015 12:00:28 GMT -8
From everything I have read and seen since gerbils have been kept as pets (in the 1960's) Aspen is a good bedding source. It doesn't contain oils like cedar. In the USA and Canada pine is also not good for gerbils because it is not kiln dried. In the UK pine is okay to use because of how it is dried.
Bedding can be your preference but truly it is economical and useful for the gerbils to have aspen. They chew on it, it smells very faint but good-like outdoors, and it mixed with some timothy hay is brilliant for the gerbils to make tunnels.
I use Aspen 2/3, and then the other 1/3 is Carefresh Ultra (they use this as the soft bedding) and Timothy Hay. I also add in some sheets of tissue for them to chew and have soft bedding for their sleeping dens. They also chew up lots and lots of cardboard so this adds to the bedding. I have a 20 gallon high tank and I change the bedding every 7-8 weeks. When I do a change I only put 6 or 8 inches of substrate and then by the 4th week I am having to pull out handfuls in order to add a bit more timothy hay and cardboard for them to chew and add to their tunnels.
My girls have topper and they go the bathroom on the cardboard, on ceramic tiles and in their sand bath (a high sided candy dish) I just spot clean every day and sift out their sand to keep their bathroom areas clean.
I give my girls popsicle sticks and cardboard every day. they love the size of the sticks because they can carry them around. I also get pine cutouts that are thin (in the craft section of the dollar store) and they love these too. I would say MY favorite thing is their bendy bridge, I have had it since I got them over two years ago and it is a nice permanent tunnel that they chew on but it's still structurally sound. Their favorite thing is anything they can destroy by chewing.
I'm Happy you are getting gerbils. they are incredible creatures!
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Post by sinthiav on Mar 5, 2015 1:07:52 GMT -8
Hello everyone, I need some help. Well i have 2 male gerbils and have previously set up a date to pick up my female pair of gerbils for this sunday! I went down to feed my gerbils and mufasa the father was all bloody but still alive. Simba the son is perfectly fine and not a scratch on him. I took mufasa to the vet and they said it was a bad fight but he will be okay. He does have a broken tail which the vet said would most likely fall off. Now they are by themselves and i have two babies for them when the babies are weaned so i will eventually need help with introductions. Oh they each have a 29 gallon tank with beddimg filled to half way. My questions: 1. What exactly do i need in my gerbil's tanks, the must haves? 2. Is it the best idea to keep the two boys seperate and give them a baby each. Having more is not an issue. I have another 29 gallon tank. 3. Is there specific toys or treats their gerbils like? 4. What is everyone's favourite bedding? 5. If there is anything you think every gerbil owner should know please share. I want to give them the best possible life and i am still researching! If you would like to see some pictures of my gerbils you can visit facebook and click on Calliope's Haven! We have lots of pictures of our pets betty Yes, she's talking about a pair of female pups. Two family clans hopefully I think is what she's going for. Are you planning to breed them in the near future? If you are getting the females to breed with your males then you won't need to get the new pups to split with them. Or did you just mean you were aiming to have 3 pairs of gerbils?
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