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Post by blackie on Jul 7, 2004 10:28:27 GMT -8
I know I'm putting my head out here, but just wondered your opinion on tanks. I s a ten US gallon aquarium/tank enough for a pairs of gerbils? The AGS seems to think so. Aquariums are quite expensive. I've read that cages are more expensive but I've had the opposite experience. For a 100 liter aquarium you may have to pay up to 1000 NOK. That would be about 125 Euro. I guess I could always get a second hand one. I do take my gerbils out for a run once in a while. They advanced from my bed to the floor i.e. they jump down and race around the floor. So now I have to put blankets beside my bed. And I'm always afraid I'll step on them...
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Post by Ritzie/Admin on Jul 8, 2004 5:55:21 GMT -8
Blacky, I personally use this: 10 US gallon for a pair is possible, but personally I like to give them more room. Large tanks can indeed be expensive. 125 euro (1000 NOK) for a 100 liter tank seems to me average, compared to Dutch prizes. But it depends on in which country you buy the tank. A solution is indeed second hand tanks or aquariums (that is what I do), And of course you also just buy glass, and make one yourself! Because here on this forum people use different ways to measure tank sizes, this website can help: www.maisel.de/~eva/cagesizes.html. It compares US gallons, UK gallons, Litres, Inches, Feet, centimeters, etc. for tank sizes.
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Post by queenofthenile on Jul 16, 2004 9:18:39 GMT -8
I think that 10 gallons is too small. One of my pairs is in a 10 gallon right now, but I am soon connecting it to another 10 gallon with a piece of vacuum cleaner hose. Once you put food and water in the tank, it seems like there is no room to run around.
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Post by j on Jul 18, 2004 4:37:27 GMT -8
Most people in the US do use 10 gallons. I do. ;D Actually right now I have 9boys with 2 10gallon tanks connected to eachother. Kind of a waste, since they mostly stay in one of them. It cost $7 for a 10 gallon tank. Cheap. You start going up and they get crazy. A 20 gallon costs like $35.. I also let my gerbils run around on my floor a lot, they get their excersie from that and the wheel. It's not like they run back and forth in the tanks much anyways. They sleep, eat, run, chew, and dig.
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Post by queenofthenile on Jul 18, 2004 7:44:32 GMT -8
I've got these *huge* cardboard rolls that don't fit in the 10 gallon tanks. That is one of the reasons I don't like them. My guys in the 10 gal have 2 houses, their food and water, and there's just no room to add cardboard. I find it's too small and that's why I'm adding the other tank. I hope they like it . I'm also going to join my two bagel bins (about 18 gallons each). My gerbs are going to have *so* much fun!
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Post by gerbilicious on Jul 20, 2004 13:37:05 GMT -8
I personally use a 10-gallon (which is larger than another 10-gallon I previously had for some strange reason). It seems fine for my pair. As long as you have a durable exercise wheel you should be fine. It's strange that your paper towel rolls don't fit, queenofthenile; mine fit.
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Post by queenofthenile on Jul 20, 2004 14:01:27 GMT -8
They're not paper towel rolls, gerbilicious. They come from floral wrapping paper that is used at grocery stores. They are about 3 feet long and 3 inches in diameter . Gosh, my gerbs have a blast with them!
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Post by blackie on Jul 27, 2004 5:18:19 GMT -8
If I only had two gerbils I would have given them a bigger tank from the beginning,but I had to buy cages for all my 8 gerbils last year, and finally I bought the ten gallon tank. I kind of regret that I didn't get a 20 gallon instead. I'm thinking of getting a bigger tank but what do I do with the old one then? The cages I use for my other gerbils are bigger,with two storeys so they can climb, but psychologically I think my tank-dwellers are better off because they can dig more and they don't chew the cage bars. So what is your favorite tank size ? 20 gallon? 100 liter? How big is too big and impractical?
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Post by blackie on Jul 27, 2004 5:20:02 GMT -8
If your paper rolls are too big,cut them in half! And then they get one each-
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Post by queenofthenile on Jul 27, 2004 6:31:37 GMT -8
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Post by queenofthenile on Jul 27, 2004 6:33:13 GMT -8
Oh, and about chopping the rolls in half. They don't really chew them, and it takes them about a month to destroy one (they are fairly thick). So they really just use them as housing/burrows. Then they customize their own doorways and windows .
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Post by j on Jul 28, 2004 20:42:59 GMT -8
So what is your favorite tank size ? 20 gallon? 100 liter? How big is too big and impractical? lol I would get a 500 gallon tank if I could afford it, lift it and had the room. ;D I think the 53gallon tanks are the best size. I've been trying to find one used/cheap somewhere. Doesn't look like it's going to happen then unless I want to pay like $100 for the stupid thing.
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Post by sweetie on Aug 2, 2004 13:09:42 GMT -8
I actually have 2 hartz "play cities" and they are about 25$US. I also got extra tubes both long and circular 10$ US. they love the tunnel effect. I am now finding it hard to find accessories so now (after reading everything about housing) looking into buying the aquariums and incorporating their current housing. I have looked in stores (pet shops and retail stores). I have also looked in the classified ads in the paper. I saw that Queenie had a bagel set up and am looking into possibliy recycling as an alternative method of housing. Perhaps if you use the 10 gallon and add to it, then that will be adequate. Did you look at the pictures in the other posting about houses??? There are some really great set ups and some are very cost effective. I think that they may have a better quality of life and be less stressed ( which may prevent other negative issues i.e. fighting). Just a thought
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Post by crazycritter on Aug 11, 2004 16:05:53 GMT -8
Most people in the US do use 10 gallons. I do. ;D Actually right now I have 9boys with 2 10gallon tanks connected to eachother. Kind of a waste, since they mostly stay in one of them. It cost $7 for a 10 gallon tank. Cheap. You start going up and they get crazy. A 20 gallon costs like $35.. I also let my gerbils run around on my floor a lot, they get their excersie from that and the wheel. It's not like they run back and forth in the tanks much anyways. They sleep, eat, run, chew, and dig. J, Don't you think that nine gerbils in two ten gallons is FAR to small? i think a ten gallon for Two gerbils is to small...that's why I put bar cages on top of my ten gallons to make them two leveled.
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Post by j on Aug 12, 2004 21:37:32 GMT -8
J, Don't you think that nine gerbils in two ten gallons is FAR to small? i think a ten gallon for Two gerbils is to small...that's why I put bar cages on top of my ten gallons to make them two leveled. Honestly, no. Not the way I had the 10 gallons set up. They were more like 20 gallons each since they did have levels. Most people don't use the height in the tanks, I do. Plus I let them run around most of the day ..like 12hrs at a time..or on and off all day long. so they pretty much did nothing but chew cardboard and sleep in the tanks. 7 are now in a 30 gallon tank though. Which is more like a 60 gallon tank because I use all the height up in that one too. ;D
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