Getting some Gerbils soon!

[moonlight7wolf]

Hi, I'm new here, and I'm actually getting two gerbils soon, so I wanted to ask a couple questions here. 

First off, does it matter if I get males or females? Are males or females more friendly? I've heard that males get along better with each other, I don't want my two gerbils to not get along, so would it be better to get males? Are there any pros and cons for males and females? 

Also, how often do you usually clean the tank, every week, or every two weeks?

I had gerbils a long time ago, and had a hamster until just recently, so I know a lot of basic things, like, that ceder and pine shavings cause respiratory problems, so I should go with aspen. 

Anyways, I made my gerbils a bin cage out of a sterilite 110 quart storage container and I added hardware cloth to the top, and even put hardware cloth over some 'ridges' that are at the top of the sterilite bin, to prevent any possible chewing. Is there anything else I could do to prevent chewing? I mean I know that some people don't like the bin cages, but it was kindof necessary seeing as I'm in college so every summer and every break I will have to transport their cage home. And a glass cage would be too heavy and breakable.


But anyways, any other advice would be welcome!

[qtoffer]

I've only ever had females, so anything I say about males is based on what I've read and heard.

Both sexes are friendly and curious. Females are very curious and daring climbers. Males are more lazy and more likely to take a nap in your collar. Both will chew on things that they are not supposed to (your clothing, wires, their home, LOL).

Both sexes have scent glands and scent mark their surroundings. The odor really isn't noticeable if you clean their enclosure regularly. Males are said to have a slightly more noticeable scent than females - not a reason to prefer one over the other, though, so I'm told. Compared with females, males have a higher incidence of scent gland issues (growths, tumors) that may require vet care. Scent gland tumors are not common in either sex, though, and gerbils are generally healthy pets.

Both sexes require a steady supply of cardboard and wooden chew toys to keep their teeth healthy.

Both sexes are social and form lifelong bonds with other gerbils of the same sex. Females are more likely to de-clan if kept in groups larger than two. Males can be kept in groups of three, or even four - but larger groups require more room to prevent de-clanning. Safest bet is to get two gerbils - a same sex pair - it's the the most stable configuration for both males and females.

Cleaning frequency depends on how many gerbils, how much bedding, and where the gerbils use the bathroom. I clean my 20 gallon tank/topper every six weeks. It has a full 20 gallons of bedding and my gerbils pee and poop almost exclusively on the topper shelves, which I wipe down every couple of days. A bin containing a pair of gerbils and a few inches of bedding will probably need a thorough cleaning every two weeks. Your nose will know.

Aspen is a good bedding choice if you and your gerbils aren't allergic to its dust. It doesn't hold tunnels well by itself, so you'll want to randomly bury some cardboard boxes and paper towel tubes. I switched to dustless paper-based Eco-Bedding because of my allergies. It holds tunnels great, but is about 2X more expensive than aspen.

Plastic bins are fine if you take precautions to prevent chew outs and escapes, as you seem to already have. Make sure that the lid can't be knocked out of place by careless roommates or other pets.
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Eowyn (F) 11/12/2011 - 20 gallon with 20 gallon topper
Goldberry (F) 11/12/2011 - 20 gallon with 20 gallon topper
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RIP
Maire 11/6/2008 - 4/6/2011; Eithne 11/6/2008 - 10/10/2011
Lori 5/2/2011 - 7/24/2013; Mo 5/2/2011 - 1/14/2014; Carly 5/2/2011 - 5/21/2014
Arwen 11/12/2011 - 2/8/2015

[keldamouse]

qtoffer, great advice.

I'd like to add that if you add in some timothy hay that they will love to chew on it and added to the aspen it will allow them to make brilliant tunnels.

I think your bin cage would work but just try to allow them a lot of digging room.

[moonlight7wolf]

Thanks for the advice guys! I am planning to get the gerbils tomorrow from a breeder, it's two hours away, but I think it would be really great to be able to have some hand reared gerbils! And I've set up their cage for tomorrow with willow sticks (that my bunnies snubbed, so we'll see what the gerbils think) a tissue box, 3 toilet paper tubes and half of another box (I wanted to use the other half later, and it fit in better if it was just half.) There's also a wheel and a food bowl, I have yet to get a glass water bottle, and a little chewable wooden hut. I'm super excited to get them tomorrow! The breeder has two different pairs of females and one pair of males. And I plan to handle all of them to see who's temperament is the best.

And I actually did pick up this little thing of timothy hay, so I'll put that in too!

And the lid actually clips on, so there's no chance of it being knocked off.

[the_gerbilpetsworld]

Hi, How are you getting on with the gerbils? Do you have anymore questions?

PetMad15

[moonlight7wolf]

They are both wonderfully sweet. I'm really glad that I decided to get them from a breeder. They're both incredibly friendly and really like crawling into my hand and climbing up my sleeve.

I got a pair of females, one is a little black one and the other is a black and white one. The black one, who I've named Raven,(the black and white one is Stardust) came to me with an injured leg, but she seems to have improved drastically from when I first got her. Initially she was just limping around, but there was no visible sign of injury. And it seems to be healing up fine.

I understand why she injured her leg! She's a little daredevil and has launched herself off of my shoulder multiple times, luckily iv's caught her, but she's definately a daredevil. The breeder said that she hurt her leg when the babies had escaped into the house. So I'm guessing she launched herself off a surface and hurt it that way.

But they greatly enjoy their bin cage and all the items I've put in there. They've made many tunnels already and a sufficient neast out of toilet paper, paper towels and tissues.

I was worried about Raven and her injured leg, and if I should do anything, but it seems to be healing, so I'm feeling better about that.

But thanks for asking im very pleased with my babies.

[the_gerbilpetsworld]

Aw they sound cute. Aw poor Raven hope she's ok

PetMad15