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Post by oreothelonegerbil on Jul 30, 2015 17:15:30 GMT -8
No, I do not keep them in CritterTrail cages! They live in a bin cage!
So, I've been seeing my gerbils dig in the corners of their cage a lot lately, and it has been bugging me. Mostly because of the amount of noise it makes and I feel unhappy with the amount of space they have.
I have another, smaller bin that I am planning on setting on top of their current bin cage, in order to give them more space. In effort of giving them an easy way up to the second level, I bought some Kaytee "CritterTrail Fun-nel Twist and Turn Tubes" so I they can easily climb up.
But I'm a little hesitant to use them, since Oreo wants to chew everything in sight, and one plastic wheel I gave him lasted him less than a day (Bad idea, I hope he didn't ingest any of it. But the plastic on these tubes are harder). And Patrick I'm not sure, since I haven't given them any plastic since I got Patrick and the wheel incident.
I want to know if they're safe if Oreo and Patrick decide to chew on them? It says "ideal for gerbils" but to be honest I don't trust the company. Especially since they sell disgustingly tiny cages.
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Post by crittercrazy on Jul 30, 2015 19:15:29 GMT -8
Actually, digging in the corners has nothing to do with the gerbils being too 'squished'. You could give them a 100 gallon tank and I bet they would still dig in the corners.  You're right not to trust the company- there are tons of products out there that are "ideal for gerbils" but are, in fact, not. However, I do use Crittertrail tubes to connect 10 gallon tanks. And they do chew them. A lot. It takes awhile for them to get through that hard of plastic, but they do. If I had any other option, I would not be using these tubes. I'm trying to rehome some gerbils simply because I don't have the room or time anymore for nine little critters. So in the end, no it is not 100% safe. I haven't had any problems with it yet (the chewing just results in colorful powder in their bedding) but who knows when one of them is going to cut themselves on a sharp edge. The other thing is that if you're trying to avoid noise, this won't help. The chewing is quite loud, and even just the running up and down is a bit of a racket. Well, sorry this is a bit long. I hope that helps. . . sorry to be the bearer of bad tidings. |
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Post by betty on Jul 30, 2015 23:39:17 GMT -8
It's a difficult choice with things like this. Yes, plastic can become sharp if chewed, and gerbils can ingest little bits of the plastic dust as they do so, but if that is the only easy way you can link up the 2 cages you want to use, then you have little choice.
There are always alternatives to using plastic things, but they might not be suitable for your environment or your budget. And of course, if the tunnels aren't connected properly you could get escapes at some point.
And chewing plastic really is incredibly noisy.
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Post by vexorg on Jul 31, 2015 1:40:15 GMT -8
Actually, digging in the corners has nothing to do with the gerbils being too 'squished'. You could give them a 100 gallon tank and I bet they would still dig in the corners. Always funny when they have lots of space, but still manage to squeeze into the most awkward corner and position to dig. Seen them sideways and near upside down, beside or under toys, anywhere that looks difficult to dig. |
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Post by crittercrazy on Jul 31, 2015 6:03:36 GMT -8
There are always alternatives to using plastic things, but they might not be suitable for your environment or your budget. And of course, if the tunnels aren't connected properly you could get escapes at some point. That's also true- I have a decent amount of escapes due to the tubes. Fortunately whenever there is an escape they just go hide under my dresser, so I don't lose anybody for long. But who knows when someone will chose to hide somewhere else. |
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Post by oreothelonegerbil on Jul 31, 2015 9:22:36 GMT -8
Actually, digging in the corners has nothing to do with the gerbils being too 'squished'. You could give them a 100 gallon tank and I bet they would still dig in the corners. You're right not to trust the company- there are tons of products out there that are "ideal for gerbils" but are, in fact, not. However, I do use Crittertrail tubes to connect 10 gallon tanks. And they do chew them. A lot. It takes awhile for them to get through that hard of plastic, but they do. If I had any other option, I would not be using these tubes. I'm trying to rehome some gerbils simply because I don't have the room or time anymore for nine little critters. So in the end, no it is not 100% safe. I haven't had any problems with it yet (the chewing just results in colorful powder in their bedding) but who knows when one of them is going to cut themselves on a sharp edge. The other thing is that if you're trying to avoid noise, this won't help. The chewing is quite loud, and even just the running up and down is a bit of a racket. Well, sorry this is a bit long. I hope that helps. . . sorry to be the bearer of bad tidings Well I have seen a couple people use them in some youtube videos and it seems like you use them so I guess I'll try them and see what happens. Thanks for the help! |
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Post by crittercrazy on Jul 31, 2015 10:08:46 GMT -8
Well I have seen a couple people use them in some youtube videos and it seems like you use them so I guess I'll try them and see what happens. Thanks for the help! I do use them- but as I said, I really wish I didn't have to. I only use them because I have no other options. As I said in my first post, I'm to the point of rehoming my gerbils with the hope that at a new home, they won't need to have those tubes. (and for a couple of other reasons, but still) Just warning you that if you use them and you have gerbils that chew as much or even just half as much as mine, you'll have not only a lot of noise, but escapes. And you'll have to replace the tubes frequently. You might end up with an injured gerbil. But maybe your gerbils won't be so bad as mine. (mine do seem to find joy in chewing and only chewing.) So good luck! |
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Post by jumpyspeedyrule on Aug 2, 2015 15:57:45 GMT -8
You shouldn't use these with a gerbil that chews a lot. Mine cut her nose on a house by crittertrail. These products are really meant for hamsters which (in my experience) chew less.
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Post by the_gerbilpetsworld on Aug 3, 2015 3:36:58 GMT -8
I have read before I got gerbils that if they do chew plastic it can, in later life cause digestive problems in the stomach. I don't want to risk it so I don't give my gerbils anything plastic in their cage but I do give them it on supervised playtime where I can watch them if they do start to chew them, Like JumpSpeedyRule Said they can be very dangerous for gerbils if they do chew them because they can cut themselves on it and it can cause a lot of harm to them, inside and out. Also like JumoSpeedyRule said is that I recommend them for hamsters and in my opinion also I find hamsters chew less. Hope I Helped PetMad15 |
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Post by jumpyspeedyrule on Aug 3, 2015 16:26:43 GMT -8
Lol JumpSpeedyRule JomboSpeedyRule  |
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Post by the_gerbilpetsworld on Aug 4, 2015 9:56:58 GMT -8
Lol JumpSpeedyRule JomboSpeedyRule Oh lol sorry, it's spellcheck haha PetMad15 |
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