Thea
Member
Posts: 1,012
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Post by Thea on Feb 5, 2021 8:47:41 GMT -8
so I've used ecoshiv for just over 3 weeks now (I think?) and I think its the best hemp bedding I've tried for constructing and holding up tunnels - I think this is because of the fuzzy bits mixed into it. it held burrows well even before I added some hay in. For hempbed and aubiose I had to add in cardboard shreddings and hay before it really started making and holding good burrows, but this one is working nicely So I'm a happy gerbil owner. Great! I've been setting up the tank partly today (I gave it a good clean yesterday) because I'm hoping to get some gerbils tomorrow, and I've found the Ecoshiv is lovely and soft (mine came yesterday). Thank you so much for recommending, I'll be ordering again if my new guys/girls like it
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Post by michaeljack on Feb 5, 2021 8:56:48 GMT -8
michaeljack - It's good that it works for you. I'm intrigued though, how well does the bedding retain odour? I wouldn't have thought a hay base would be very absorbant. How often do you have to change it? And aren't the nut shells a bit... hard? Or scratchy? Thanks, gerbilord, for responding. I have experimented with substrate and bedding with rodents for several decades (I'm 68 and started at age 12). Of the groups, the gerbils are less odoriferous. Based on that observation, I have experimented with many, many types of substrates, commercialized, hyper-advertised, and otherwise, and the choice has been timothy grassland hay. I add enough to create a 3-5-inch layer. As they do in the wild, the gerbils chew it into a softer, more absorbent foundation. Typically, I add another two inches in 5-7-day intervals until cleaning at four weeks. The softer hay maintains excellent absorbency and fragrance while providing a digging medium. Rarely, paper towel and tissue rolls are added, as well as cardboard insets from packaging, (due, I suspect, to the gerbilized entertainment effect for my family), although I have noticed a sooner-than-wanted urine odor will occur (the same reason I don't use straw or other field grasses). Nut shells, organic. Since they are woody and poison-free, I use them fragmented for gnawing. Hardness is the purpose. In nearly 100% of the cases, the larger pieces are gathered by the adult gerbils and placed in a corner for observable "half-asleep-looking-casual-gnawing" sessions. Walnuts and hazelnuts (filberts), if added whole, are generally "played with" as toys along with the oftentimes noisiness of banging the nuts against the walls. I have observed emerging, soon-to-be-weaned babies chewing on the whole walnuts…or trying to. If cracked open, the shells gnawed on. Pecan and almond shells are softer and gnawed more readily. If rarely added unshelled, raw unsalted peanuts are added, the soft shell is simply ruminated into the finer substrate. There seems to be less gnawing benefit. I don't use any other added nut shells. Scratchiness has never been observed as problematic.
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Post by michaeljack on Feb 5, 2021 9:00:52 GMT -8
Hi again, pipsqueak, I have experimented with substrate and bedding with rodents for several decades (I'm 68 and started at age 12). Of the groups, the gerbils are less odoriferous. Based on that observation, I have experimented with many, many types of substrates, commercialized, hyper-advertised, and otherwise, and the choice has been timothy grassland hay. I add enough to create a 3-5-inch layer. As they do in the wild, the gerbils chew it into a softer, more absorbent foundation. Typically, I add another two inches in 5-7-day intervals until cleaning at four weeks. The softer hay maintains excellent absorbency and fragrance while providing a digging medium. Rarely, paper towel and tissue rolls are added, as well as cardboard insets from packaging, (due, I suspect, to the gerbilized entertainment effect for my family), although I have noticed a sooner-than-wanted urine odor will occur (the same reason I don't use straw or other field grasses). Nut shells, organic. Since they are woody and poison-free, I use them fragmented for gnawing. Hardness is the purpose. In nearly 100% of the cases, the larger pieces are gathered by the adult gerbils and placed in a corner for observable "half-asleep-looking-casual-gnawing" sessions. Walnuts and hazelnuts (filberts), if added whole, are generally "played with" as toys along with the oftentimes noisiness of banging the nuts against the walls. I have observed emerging, soon-to-be-weaned babies chewing on the whole walnuts…or trying to. If cracked open, the shells gnawed on. Pecan and almond shells are softer and gnawed more readily. If rarely added unshelled, raw unsalted peanuts are added, the soft shell is simply ruminated into the finer substrate. There seems to be less gnawing benefit. I don't use any other added nut shells. Scratchiness and scraping has never been observed as problematic.
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Post by LilyandDaisy on Feb 5, 2021 9:08:00 GMT -8
pipsqueak Limb strangulation is more of a concern with synthetic, stretchy fabrics and fabrics with very fine threads. Burlap is probably fairly safe due to its thick threads. They use fabrics including burlap a lot in degu groups without any issues, and degus chew as much if not more than gerbils. I am curious though michaeljack, why you settled on burlap rather than something like kitchen roll or tissues? Is there an advantage to burlap?
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Post by michaeljack on Feb 5, 2021 9:33:03 GMT -8
Thanks, LilyandDaisy, for asking!
I use burlap because it's natural (hessian and jute), second to cotton in softness and practicality world-wide. Secondly, I simply like how remarkably fluffy the nesters make it, and it's easy to pick up and add with young to a newly cleaned cage.
As I suggested previously, paper products seem to produce a sooner-than-wanted urine odor.
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Post by Markpd on Feb 5, 2021 12:14:40 GMT -8
Have you ordered any bedding yet Mark? Yes, ordered Ecoshiv yesterday . Thea and gerbilord Sounds promising!
Michaeljack Interesting to hear of an unconventional substrate and nesting material. Just 1 thing, you could have replied to both people in 1 post
Btw, I'm trying to gather data on clan stability, would you be able to add any clan examples to my thread? (and anyone else who hasn't read it yet).
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Thea
Member
Posts: 1,012
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Post by Thea on Feb 5, 2021 13:29:42 GMT -8
Have you ordered any bedding yet Mark? Yes, ordered Ecoshiv yesterday . Thea and gerbilord Sounds promising!
Michaeljack Interesting to hear of an unconventional substrate and nesting material. Just 1 thing, you could have replied to both people in 1 post
Btw, I'm trying to gather data on clan stability, would you be able to add any clan examples to my thread? (and anyone else who hasn't read it yet). Great! It is good from what I can see but can't say anything about what gerbils think, but gerbilord's likes it which is good I did think it felt a tiny bit damp when it first arrived yesterday (I think it was just cold - there wasn't any wetness), but feels absolutely fine now.
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xjvd
Member
Posts: 100
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Substrate
Feb 13, 2021 6:17:44 GMT -8
via mobile
Post by xjvd on Feb 13, 2021 6:17:44 GMT -8
Anyone has tried Birch bedding? Is it a safe wood and how is it different to Aspen?
I'm thinking of getting some to give my gerbils a little change in environment.
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Thea
Member
Posts: 1,012
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Post by Thea on Feb 13, 2021 7:08:43 GMT -8
I haven't heard of using it before, but I did some searching and found this from hamster hideout: "Actually birch is also a hardwood, so it is safe for the same reasons aspen is safe. The woods you want to avoid are softwoods, like pine and cedar"
Sounds like it's ok? But I think you'll need someone else to comment on that too as I really don't know anything about it!
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Post by Markpd on Feb 13, 2021 9:30:43 GMT -8
Interesting question xjvd, not heard of anyone using that. I don't see any harm in trying it.
Btw, my boys have had a few days in the Ecoshiv now, and it certainly seems to hold tunnels better than the Aubiose, and possibly better than the hempbed (although it's harder for me to remember there). Additionally it doesn't sound as dry as the Aubiose when they kick it out, when they dug the Aubiose out it made a tinkling sound when it landed, the sound reminded me of another sound which I can't quite remember, but perhaps a little like, err pieces of glass but softer??
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Post by conniew on Jan 29, 2024 23:18:54 GMT -8
Hello, I am new to gerbil keeping and I wanted to know what you all recommend to put down as the first layer in a gerbil tank? I currently am using Uber paper bedding and hay. I find the Uber paper bedding is not dusty at all. I wanted to add something else to their bedding like aspen or hemp, but I don't know which would be best. But should hay go down first or the soft paper bedding? Thanks for any input.
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Post by Markpd on Jan 30, 2024 12:31:17 GMT -8
I don't think it matters which goes down first, as the gerbils will mix it up anyway sooner or later, but I stand to be corrected. Hemp has an advantage in one respect that I know of, it's hypoallergenic, whereas Aspen can cause allergic reactions to a small number of gerbils. Other than that, I've not tried Aspen.
As for hemp, it can vary quite markedly between brands, as I noted above, Aubiose is quite dry and wasn't very good at holding tunnels. I'm still using Ecoshiv which is more moist and has finely shredded parts of the plant in it, which makes it quite good at holding tunnels (even without hay), and it smells quite nice too . I'm in the UK though, so I don't know what brands are available in the US.
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Post by conniew on Jan 30, 2024 20:12:45 GMT -8
I don't think it matters which goes down first, as the gerbils will mix it up anyway sooner or later, but I stand to be corrected. Hemp has an advantage in one respect that I know of, it's hypoallergenic, whereas Aspen can cause allergic reactions to a small number of gerbils. Other than that, I've not tried Aspen.
As for hemp, it can vary quite markedly between brands, as I noted above, Aubiose is quite dry and wasn't very good at holding tunnels. I'm still using Ecoshiv which is more moist and has finely shredded parts of the plant in it, which makes it quite good at holding tunnels (even without hay), and it smells quite nice too . I'm in the UK though, so I don't know what brands are available in the US. Thanks for this input. I know nothing about hemp here in the US. Or Aspen for that matter. Kaytee has an Aspen for small animals. Hemp I find so far is marketed more for farm animals here. But I am still looking. So far I am just using the paper and hay combo which seems to work well. Thanks again.
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