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Post by roadrunner on Apr 18, 2015 20:01:53 GMT -8
hello, I was wondering if it's ok if I use coconut substrate (powder one) for gerbils. I saw it today in the petstore in reptile section. It was this Eco Earth Coconut substrate It's nice, light and soft, so I was wondering if it would be better for them to play around in. Their natural habitat is in the sand, but it can be abrasive to their noses, so I thought this maybe a nice alternative. I asked the person working there, but she couldn't tell me for sure. She thought it may dry their skin too much. Anyone tried it? thank you |
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Post by eleda on Apr 19, 2015 6:08:10 GMT -8
only concern i have about it is whether its dusty; it looks like it might be from the picture but heck if i know really. the thing about drying out their skin seems like an odd concern - why did she think it might do that?
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Post by roadrunner on Apr 19, 2015 16:58:14 GMT -8
it didn't look dusty. They actually have several different varieties of the coconut substrate (bigger chunks). I guess she was thinking along the lines that if it has sand like consistency, they would bath in it every day. She was saying that giving bath to them is only recommended once or twice a week, but I've seen set ups online where people leave a dish with sand in their house all the time. Also Ive noticed that after I gave them chinchilla bath sand, they start to use it as a potty, so I was thinking to take advantage of that and maybe get some less expensive sand instead where they can go pee. I've tried the potty litter but they don't like and kick it all out within 5 minutes.
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Post by eleda on Apr 19, 2015 20:09:56 GMT -8
ohhh i see - well, maybe it's worth a try
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Post by betty on Apr 20, 2015 6:06:16 GMT -8
Mine have dust baths in all the time and they do poop and pee in it - but they aren't using it as a 'proper' toilet - they still poop and pee everywhere else it's just that you see it more in the dust bath.
As far as I am aware, you cannot toilet train gerbils in the same way that hamsters and rabbits seem to abide by - and certainly not like cats. Even rats poop just about wherever they feel the urge even though they sometimes use toilet corners.
These corners are just easy to see and easy to clean out - but it doesn't really reduce the cleaning out turn-around of a normal gerbil tank - well not so I have noticed anyway.
So if you do buy cheaper 'sand' to put somewhere in your tank - I don't think they will toilet exclusively in it. And yes, anything other than sand or dust in their dust bowl will no doubt be dug out or kicked out as they carry on with their tiny gerbil lives...
As for the coconut substrate it shouldn't be harmful in itself - but a lot of substrates specifically for amphibians, spiders and other creepy crawleys are designed to keep quite moist (as many of these species need it that way). I know yours says for reptiles too (which generally prefer dry environment) so it may be alright, but I would check with a non-mammal person for advice on how different types of bedding work before spending a fortune on new bedding types.
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Post by rilence on Apr 21, 2015 3:59:44 GMT -8
I leave my Gerbils' bathsand in 24/7 and for 8 years I never had any issues with any Gerbils.
I seriously doubt they would get overly dried.
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Post by roadrunner on Apr 25, 2015 9:52:23 GMT -8
thank you everybody for your reply. I think im gonna give it a try, as a playground first and see how it goes.
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Post by leafwhisp on Apr 25, 2015 11:18:44 GMT -8
tell us how it works out, this could be usefull.
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Post by roadrunner on May 1, 2015 16:58:42 GMT -8
So I bought the eco earth loose coconut substrate and made them a playground. I put some paper tubes in there to "pretend" they are tunnels. I'm not 100% sold on it, but it's been only 2 times i put them in there. They seem to like going through the tubes, even if there is little substrate on the other end and they have to dig through it, but they definitely like to pee in it!  It feels like dirt, but lighter. they are not sneezing or rubbing themselves, so I don't think it irritates them. Person working at the petsmart i was buying it from told me that if i mist it it may be stable enough for them to even dig their own tunnels. I will try that once they get used to it a little bit more. After I put them back home, they were standing there expecting a nice treat, so each one got half of a big peanut that they both ate on the palm of my hand. SO CUTE! next time I have my husband take video so I can post it here. |
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Post by betty on May 2, 2015 4:02:43 GMT -8
Videos would be great - we like to see what other people are trying fro their gerbils - especially with a new substrate.
Thanks for keeping us updated.
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Post by reesesturtles on May 17, 2015 19:41:18 GMT -8
I don't think misting, or adding moisture is a good idea, as you don't want to encourage fungal growth in the bedding. If you just mix the coconut bedding with another substrate (shredded paper, hay, pine, whatever you like) then it will tunnel nicely. Mixed bedding tends to hold up tunnels especially well. I'm glad to know they like the coconut bedding. How does the price compare to other beddings?
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It feels like dirt, but lighter. they are not sneezing or rubbing themselves, so I don't think it irritates them. Person working at the petsmart i was buying it from told me that if i mist it it may be stable enough for them to even dig their own tunnels. I will try that once they get used to it a little bit more. 