Beding quetion.

[Vixen]

Hi all,

I just joind today, and thinking of getting 2 or 3 gerbils, I have a 20 high for them to go in. My quetion is I not shore how I should set up there home how much substate they need for digging in.

Also I am elergic to sawdust, is there anything else I can use like sand or peat that will be safe for them.

Thanks

[ashgerbil]

hi and welcome to the forum! ;D
you can use corn cob bedding too, which is dust free and the gerbs love it you can use sand but gerbils seem to like to use it as a toilet! lol gerbils aren't meant to be on sawdust anyways, but they do like woodshavings, pine (providing that you don't live in the US) or aspen types. Carefresh is also good, but is both expensive and a bit dusty (not good if you're asthmatic). you can also use paper bedding (safebed is a good one) and you can put in uncolured toilet paper too you should put about 2-4 inches of bedding in if you want them to dig a bit, but with peat, i think that you can fill the tank if you want! ;D
i'm not entirely sure about peat though, i think that you hae to mix it with woodshavings and possibly freeze treat it someone else who has more knowledge will probably advise on that! and you shouldn't use 'fluffy' bedding (looks like cotton wool) as it can hurt gerbils,
eek, my hand aches from writing all that!! ;D lol

[RitzieAnn]

I use corncob, and I love it. I find it's the best for oder control, and it's pretty cheep. (at least here in the U.S. it is... I get a 40 pound bag from a local feed store, and only spend$15) I just give them lots of cardobard.... and I give them 1 handful of carefresh, and some toilet tissue so they can make a nest.

[lizzy]

As you live in the UK, normal woodshavings *should* be okay.. but I live in the UK too and have had gerbils allergic to it.

You can use peat, but bear in mind once it dries it is VERY dusty and dirty and spreads across the room! One of my gerbils was allergic to this as well

I tried carefresh but found it too dusty and i'm not even asthmatic! It is also expensive and not widely available in the UK and I don't believe you can get large bags in the shops, but there might possibly be some websites that do it.

Currently I use aspen, its not the cheapest, but I order mine from www.everythingforpets.com and it costs me around £20 (including delivery) for a 14kg bag. I've found its not as dusty as woodshavings or peat combined and lasts longer plus, its a hit with my gerbils!

[shrimply]

How much do you get for £20? How big is the bag pictured? Is it only 1kg?

If you have a reptile shop near you they will always be able to get you aspen and probably cheaper than online. I use pine and although i would prefer to use aspen it is much more expensive and i haven't had any problems with pine ( touch wood )

[mice]

shrimply said:

How much do you get for £20? How big is the bag pictured? Is it only 1kg?

If you have a reptile shop near you they will always be able to get you aspen and probably cheaper than online. I use pine and although i would prefer to use aspen it is much more expensive and i haven't had any problems with pine ( touch wood )

As Lizzy said in her post she gets a 14kg bag for £20, I don't know if that's cheaper than reptile shops as I can't say I've looked. .

With regards to bedding I think trial and error will probably be the best way forward. I find that carefresh did flare up my asthma more than pine shavings did so I don't use it. I understand that you can also use hemp based beddings as well but I haven't tried it myself so I can't comment on how good it is. I always start off with at least 3 inches of bedding which is built up fairly quickly with the addition of cardboard and kitchen roll.

[Vixen]

Thanks, I going to my local pet shop tomorra, so will have a look at what beding they sell. I not shore how my skin will be wood shavings. Another quetion, my tank hood has a light in it, will this be needed are living rooms not well lit, or will the light stess them out to much.

[RitzieAnn]

I had a lighted hood over my tank with mom and pups. They never seemed bothered by it. I didn't have it on all day, or all night, only when I was around. My set up is completely different now, but I put the light between the two cages, and have it on before I go to bed. (maybe an hour before) and they play, then it goes off, and I'm in bed... it's sort of "trained" them to go to bed when I do!

[shrimply]

It really depends what kind of light it is if it is a strip light which I imajine it is because it is in a fish tank then I think it willl be fine. They give off very little heat and will show your tank off well.
However I would not suggest using spot lights, normal bulbs, or halogens which give of much more heat.

I have to make do with a lamp beside the tank.

[RitzieAnn]

GOOD POINT Shrimply! Also, I should mention, when I had that aquarium on my tank, I used some hardware cloth under it. I had to cut it down to size to fit on the lip inside the tank because there was a spot for the filter, and a spot for an aquarium heater. Puls I took the little door off (the one to feed the fish through) because it allowed more airflow. If you get moisture on the inside of your tank, then there's not enough air flow.

[Vixen]

I got some apsen today, I have also fitted a wire mesh lid inside the hood, so stop exscapes, we will being leaving the feeding sections of the hood off, to alow more venterlation, it's a strip light so should be ok. Will take pics soon as I can, hoping to get my gerbils tuesday.

[RitzieAnn]

YAY! I remeber when I got Keebler (my first gerbil) I'm excited for you!

[Vixen]

This is my gerbils home, suggestions on toys ect would be great, I do have a fake wood thing that for a fish tank, wondered if it would be safe to use in there as I thought it would make a great sleeping area and lookout post.

[doomgerbiluk]

cardboard tubes and boxes, wooden houses, playthings, branches (freeze these first), ceramic or terracotta pots etc, glass jars,
stones, bricks
all suitable gerbil toys
no plastic but if the toy is resin you could try it
a deeper layer of substrate would be good and soem plain white tissue

[RitzieAnn]

Any wooden bird toys are good too! We just got the gerbil chew sticks, and drilled little holes in them. Some fencing wire works great to string the wood, but make sure the tips aren't sharp!