General Gerbil care for newbie!

[Deleted]

Hi people of The Gerbil Forum! I am a soon to be new gerbil owner (hopefully!) and I am looking for just some general info for gerbils such as cage size, diet, etc. I also have a few questions about gerbil care:

Are run around balls necessary? I've heard that it depends on the gerbil if they will use it, but do they need them? 
Is a 10 gallon aquarium suitable for 2 gerbils?
Where should I get my gerbils? We don't have a rescue or shelter that has gerbils so we are stuck with pet stores.
What should I look out for when I am choosing my gerbils?
I've heard that you should buy plastic wheels only, with no space for their feet to get caught in. I've also heard that I can use mesh wheels as long as the width of the holes are under the same width of a pencil. Since I have a tight budget, its better for me to buy the mesh wheels, but I want the best for my gerbils. What is your opinion on this?
How often should I clean the cage, and how should I do so?
Are gerbils dirty? Do they smell? 
Do gerbils bite?
From your own experience, how much does it cost every month to care for them? 
What is the best diet for them? 
And my last question: 

Do gerbils need dust baths? I've heard that it is necessary, as long as you use chinchilla SAND, not dust. Some people say that they don't need them. 

Thank you to everyone that answers! Any answers help! 

[eleda]

- They don't need a run-around ball. They should get their exercise from digging. If you're concerned you could try getting them a wheel and see if they use it (i think they're generally cheaper?) And 8-inch wheel is a good size.

- For 2 grown gerbils, a 10 gallon needs a topper to give them extra space and bedding. 20 gallon is better for a pair, tho bigger is always better as far as cages imo

- If you live in America, Petsmart or Petco are good bets. For Britain, I've heard Pets@Home mentioned most often. but, the most important thing is the health of the gerbils you're looking at. Healthy gerbils are *very* curious and interested and will like stand up, looking around with bright eyes and sniffing. If they sit still with their eyes partly closed they're not well. Also, pet store gerbils are rarely tame so if it's easy to catch/handle its probably sick. Often the gerbils will be asleep (or hiding in their hut) when you go into the store, but an employee should agree to show you the animals if you ask. Also, each Petsmart or Petco store carries only 1 sex of small animals. So if you want a particular sex and your store has the opposite, try a different store.

- I used a mesh wheel with no problems. The only downside is you do have to oil it once in a while to keep it from squeaking horribly. (Vegetable oil works nicely)

- How often you clean the cage depends on how big it is an how much bedding there is. I had a 20 gallon tank (long) with around 6 inches of bedding and a plastic shelf in one corner. The gerbils used the shelf as the bathroom so I cleaned that daily - often more than once a day. I changed 1/4 of the bedding once a month and did a full cleaning every three months. A full cleaning entails taking everything out of the tank, putting all the bedding in a trash bag, vacuuming out the rest of the debris, then spraying down the tank with pet-safe cleaner and wiping it clean with paper towels. I used Nature's Miracle brand for my cage cleaner.

- Gerbils clean themselves daily like cats and are generally very clean. They tend to potty in a specific place so the waste is mainly kept to one area. They do have a natural spicy scent (due to the scent gland on their tummies) but it is not unpleasant and you can usually only smell it when the gerbil is close to your face. Its possible for their fur to get oily and unkempt looking over time (gerbils at the store often have this look to them) at which time they should be provided with a sand bath. Put it in a bowl, or pan, or some sort of container and provide it to your gerbils. they will dig in it, kick it around, and hopefully roll in it. rolling in sand comes more naturally to some gerbils than others. if they don't seem to know what to do you can sprinkle some of the sand on their back and teach them/bathe them that way. (its a natural behavior but domestic gerbils dont always get the chance to learn before going to the store.) If they look combed and clean they dont necessarily need a sand bath, but some gerbils really enjoy it as a fun treat regardless. I suspect you already know this but, never bathe your gerbil in water as they can become hypothermic very quickly when wet.

- Some gerbils bite, but in my experience they usually have a good reason. They WILL nibble you at the beginning and it may pinch. This is not hostile though. They're just trying to figure you out. Their teeth are more sensative than their hands so they explore new things with their teeth. Over time they will learn you are a living thing (that gives treats!) and they will not nibble so much. I only received serious bites (that drew blood) from my gerbils when I mishandled them and they were afraid for their lives.

- There are 2 options for feeding gerbils (with store bought stuff anyway) - pellets and seed mixes. Some people prefer only pellets because it means they know their gerbil is getting all the nutrients it needs. Some people prefer seed because it's a more 'natural' food and provides more taste variety. Some people mix the two together and provide both. Look at the bags of food at the store marked for gerbils and get the most affordable one that is highest in protein and lowest in fat. Sunflower seeds and corn are sort of gerbil junk food for a mix with less of those is better. (Corn is just yummy and sorta fattening, sunflower seeds are the same with a bit of more nutrition.) I always used Ecotrition Essential Blend, which was about 9 dollars a bag and would last a few months. Oxbow is also a good brand.

- I found gerbils to be a very affordable pet. Most of the expenses were a 1-time cost. The only things I needed to buy on a regular basis was food, hay, and bedding. All of these lasted months at a time. A bag of Ecotrition usually lasted me like 2-3 months. The other things depend on how much you provide and how often and stuff. I did have to buy a second box of chinchilla sand, but everything else lasted the entire lives of my gerbils (which was about 2 years) My bottle of cleaner had a couple cleanings left in it when I had to give up my last gerbil, who was quite healthy, so that may have been a 2-time purchase as well. The initial cost of the gerbils and all the supplies was somewhere around $160 i think

You can find a lot more information on these topics throughout the forum. If you have some time, I suggest exploring the board and reading a bunch. Also, congrats and good luck with your new babies!

[leafwhisp]

They don't need to run in the ball, but some gerbils enjoy it. For me however, only 1 out of my 5 gerbils obviously likes it. The others just stare at me then sit and start grooming themselves.
Is a 10 gallon aquarium suitable for 2 gerbils? No, not unless you get a special topper made for 10 gallon cages. That's what I did for my first pair, and then for the three I have now I just added a topper on top of that topper.
Where should I get my gerbils? I got all of my gerbils from Petco. Just take a look at your local ones to make sure they take care of their gerbils properly. You don't want to get an unfriendly and/or sick gerbil when it's your first time. The ones in my area have both genders of gerbils at once occasionally. To make sure they are healthy just look and see if you can see missing fur, or stuff in the corners of there eyes. An active gerbil is usually healthy. A non active one may be sick, or you might just have come to the store during nap time.
I have only ever used plastic wheels, and they seem to be quieter, but I think if you do enough research on good wire ones it would be okay.
eleda covered the cleaning cage bit, but know that some gerbils from pet stores are known not to burrow very much (like mine) so I gave up giving them more than 2 or 3 inches of bedding. When they only have that much bedding they need a full change more often.
Gerbils shouldn't smell too much, and if they do, watch your gerbils to make sure they are healthy. However, if you notice a smell in one specific place, it is probably their bathroom area that needs to be cleaned more often.
Gerbils bite if they are afraid. Don't be rough with them and don't try to pick them up right away. My gerbils still nip, but it doesn't hurt, and is just a sign they use to tell you "please don't do that"
The only thing I buy monthly is food, which costs for me 8-10 dollars. I buy bedding every few months, because my gerbils aren't burrowers, I don't need to buy much.
eleda - good food advice
gerbils don't need sand baths, but they like them. The make their fur less oily. My first gerbils never had sand baths though and they did fine. If a gerbil has never had a sand bath before it might take a week or two for it to figure out what the sand is for, so give them time.