gerbil tank size

[steve]

hi guys

im just about to get a 15gallon tank (60cmx32cmx30cm) for a single male gerbil. Is this enough room for him?

thanks

s

[david]

Yes, that's fine. The usual recommendation is 10gallons for the first gerbil, and 5gallons for each other gerbil in the same tank.

But gerbils are best kept in pairs.

[steve]

thankyou!

I got him from a friend who was moving abroad. apparently he has been kept alone all his life?

thanks

s

[SilverGerbil]

Hey Steve,

How old is he?

Gerbils do actuially quite well in pairs. If he is quite a young/middle aged man then it might be worth getting him 2 pups for friends and split caging them.

But gerbils can cope on there own, they just need a little more outside time and more interaction from yourself.

x

[steve]

he is a bit over a year old i think. he seems pretty happy by himself, running around, eating and chewing anything he can get his mouth around.

i would like to get him a friend, but since i would need a bigger tank (the one im getting is only 15g) i dont think it would be fair on him. plus he seems pretty happy and gets about an hour a day out of his cage - usually to run on the couch, and on me.

you said to get him two baby gerbils. why? is it harder to introduce two older male gerbils? im assuming because of dominance issues.

he is in a cage at the moment - the one he has lived in his whole life. its a fair bit larger than the tank is, will this be a problem, moving him into a smaller tank?

thanks s

[SilverGerbil]

Hey Steve,

He should be fine on his own then. It sounds like you are giving him the dedicated care he needs. Which is fantastic!

The reason we suggest 2 young gerbils (6weeks +) is because they are as you said young enough not to be dominant. So the older gerbil will accept them under his/her wing as his/her children. It also helps to get 2 just incase your split cage introduction fails. So you will have your single gerbil and the 2 young pups as a pair. So 1 single, 1 pair. Rather than getting 1 gerbil to introduce and ending up with either a death and ending up in the same boat or a rejected split and having 2 single gerbils.

Moving him from the cage to the tank shouldn't be a problem. He is on his own so he wont be declanning with his cage mate. If you want to make it an easier transition then you can always put some of his old bedding into the new tank so it smells the same to him.

x

[steve]

thanks for the advice.

he has been put in his new tank, with about half his old bedding (mixed of woodshavings and shredded paper). i made some artifical burrows for him out of old cardoard boxes. he seems to be loving it! he's digging a lot as well as running around. i have also done away with the food bowl and sprinkled his food in a couple corners so he has to work a bit for his food.

i should become a member and post some pics.

thanks

s