How do I keep my gerbils warmer

[taelwolf]

It’s pretty cold where I live and I’m just trying to find a way to keep them warm through the night, I’ve been wrapping a blanket around their cage to trap any heat inside but they always chew it and it’s gonna get expensive to have to replace it every few weeks. I have a white gerbil with red eyes named snow and a all black gerbil named venom. They like to cuddle to keep warm which is cute but I just wanna make sure they’re not cold through the night

[tuftsnfluff]

Hey there!

One of the things you can do is, if you can, get an electric throw.

Place it halfway under the cage bottom on LOW SETTING.   This will slowly warm up that that half and the heat will radiate up through the bedding making things cozy.

Nowadays, these have an automatic shut off and do so after a few hours.

If it gets to warm, then they have the other half of the cage to retreat to in order to cool off.

If an electric throw is too expensive, you can also use a heating pad.

Hope this helps!

[catnut]

I just give my girls' extra paper towels, that I rip up and let them shred it and they make a great nest, I just replace some each week so it doesn't get smelly. I put a towel on the back and just cover the top and they can't chew it (I have a wire screen so they can't chew it) and also make sure my room is warm enough before bed and I sleep in the basement. I also have an oil heater as it's been cold and have to use it but don't leave it on for too long as it can be a fire hazard.

[Rockstar Gerbil Clan]

This is a bit of an older thread but I wanted to chime in here: If your gerbils like nestboxes (I have one that likes to make his own nest so he just gets extra bedding) I find that ceramic or glass type pots work well. I have a couple of gerbils that have honey pots as a hide, they're easy to clean and sanitize and they retain warmth like woah. Every time I pick it up i'm surprised to find the pot is warm on the outside, and super cozy on the inside.

I'm Canadian, so very used to cold weather. It's so much easier to warm up than to cool off, so as long as they have a lot of things to snuggle into they should be ok.

Edit: Also make sure they are off the ground, in a place with no drafts, etc etc. Insulate your enclosure from cold floors, cold walls and cold drafts.