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Post by yeti218 on Sept 9, 2020 9:48:32 GMT -8
Hey,
So i might be getting gerbils today. Ive been researching for a while, but other than knowledge i have nothing ready.
Someone in my area is getting rid of a pair of 1 year old male gerbils. Theyve been kept in a plastic enclosure with little bedding / toys so im looking forward to giving them a proper enclosure.
Im hopefully going to buy a 30 to 60 gallon used tank today. I may need to get the gerbils first, in which case ill have them in a temporary tank / carrier to transport them in and keep them in until i get the tank clean and ready.
I dont want to spend too much money on the temporary carrier, but want them to be safe as well. Are they okay in one of those plastic / wire hamster cages for a few hours? Or do i need to go with a glass tank? Other suggestions welcome?
Also, if i end up with the 60 gallon tank, is it going to be shocking for them to go from a poopy plastic bin to a new home and into a big tank? Should i set it up more sparsely at first so as to not overwhelm them?
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Post by Markpd on Sept 9, 2020 11:20:10 GMT -8
You don't need a glass tank for a carrier, if it's a 'decent' plastic cage then it should be fine. Can you post a photo of it? I have seen people suggest that it would be a good idea to gradually open up the full extent of the cage to Gerbils that are used to a smaller cage, from what I've read/heard (no personal experience) it seems that any change (especially significant ones) can cause de-clanning. I had meant to section off a part of my Gerbils cage before getting them, but forgot in the excitement , fortunately all's been fine so far (several weeks on), possibly helped by the fact that mine are young, and they hadn't figured out how to get up and down the ramps for a week or so, so they weren't using 1/4 of the tank anyway!
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Post by yeti218 on Sept 9, 2020 12:20:15 GMT -8
I got a 5 gallon plastic "critter tote" from the reptile section as a transportation cage.
I got a 55 gallon used tank. Working on getting that cleaned up for them.
So, from the photos i saw the gerbils were kept in a large shallow plastic bin, with a small scattering of bedding and no toys / wheels. So im thinking of keeping things pretty minimal in the tank at first. Wondering if i should put a bunch of bedding in it at first, or just put an inch or two across the bottom since its what they are used to? Still not sure if im going to partition off part of the tank. It seems like their old enclosure wasnt that much smaller with respect to floor space.
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Post by LilyandDaisy on Sept 9, 2020 12:38:07 GMT -8
As their old enclosure wasn't much smaller in terms of floor space I would personally put them straight in the new tank. However there's absolutely no harm in partitioning it to begin with if you prefer.
I would give them more than a couple of inches of bedding. You might not want to go really deep if they aren't tame yet, but 7-8 inches should be ok.
They will be fine in the transport cage for a couple of hours while you get the tank ready.
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Post by yeti218 on Sept 9, 2020 13:28:48 GMT -8
Gerbils acquired!!!
So the old owners gave us the big plastic tub theyd been using as a cage so i can transport them in that. Now im wondering if i should leave them in that tub for a few days while they adjust to the smells and sounds of a new house, or should i just put them in their new tank right away?
Trying to minimize stress to these guys.
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Post by catnut on Sept 9, 2020 13:51:46 GMT -8
i would leave them in what they came in if it's safe(they can't escape from it) for a day or two, then move them into the new one with some of their bedding so they can adjust. Glad you saved these gerbils and hope they will be happier with a new home and all you can give them. congrats. Take care, Tammy
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Post by yeti218 on Sept 9, 2020 15:45:56 GMT -8
I haven’t been able to figure out how to post a picture, but this is what I’ve got going on at the moment.
Their new tank was cleaned with vinegar and water. I’ve got half of it as a burrowing area with about 8 inches of bedding with some Timothy hay and aspen shavings. There’s a bendy bridge that I have on its side as a wall to keep the bedding on this side. I don’t want the bridge to fall on one of them, so my husband is going to attach a wooden base to it so it’s more sturdy. Open to other suggestions for securing the bridge in place.
The play side is pretty empty right now. I just put 2 inches of bedding down on that half. But that’s where the water, dust bath, hide, wheel and whatever else will go.
I’ve got them in their plastic bin still right now. I’ve been giving them random things to play with though, so I put some cardboard, an alfalfa tube/chew and some more bedding in there and they’ve been chewing and digging and climbing. Whenever I’ve put new things in their enclosure they’ve run over to greet my hand and check out the new offering.
One of them is clawing constantly at the walls of the enclosure.
The old owner had a glass full of water in their cage, but I’ve replaced it with a glass water dispenser, I haven’t seen them drink yet though, but I’ve taken the cup of water out.
Will probably keep them in the plastic bin tonight and put them in the new tank in the morning.
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Pim
Member
Posts: 346
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Post by Pim on Sept 9, 2020 16:08:31 GMT -8
make sure to put a hide for them to sleep in in their bin!
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Post by Markpd on Sept 9, 2020 22:30:55 GMT -8
Unless you've since seen them drink from the bottle, I'd leave the cup in there for now (or put a bowl in), it could take them some time to work out what the bottle's for . The bendy bridge (30x50cm) I used to hold back the bedding stayed up by itself, although I had a couple of rocks and the wheel to stop it moving, I also curved it so it could stay upright.
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Post by yeti218 on Sept 10, 2020 6:44:45 GMT -8
I left the water dish in along with water dispenser.
So, i haven’t been able to find a hide with 2 doors, is this essential? I could cut an extra door if I get one made our of that straw-like material, or just get one with a big door?
The old owner had been using a small ceramic teapot (it’s cute, but only fits one gerbil). I put an alfalfa tube in their enclosure which has 2 entrances, and a cardboard box with 2 doors cut into it, which they played in, and on, and then destroyed, as you may expect. When I checked on them this morning they were sleeping together nestled into the extra bedding I’d put in for them.
They didn’t interact much with each other yesterday, there was no chasing, but just each did their own thing and ignored each other. This morning I’ve seen them sniff faces a few times, groom each other once, and they are napping together in their bedding now. One of them has been staring at me thumping occasionally this morning. He didn’t do this yesterday. I’ve just been sitting quietly a few feet away from them and enjoying my coffee / iPad time. My husband came in and started talking loudly about his interior design plans for their new tank (24 hours ago he wanted nothing to do with them lol) and he didn’t get thumped at!
I’d like to put them in their new enclosure today. Any thoughts as to whether they are “ready”? Their bin enclosure isn’t as secure as the new tank. One of them scratches constantly at the sides. I’m hoping this will change when they have a more enriching environment and have space to burrow properly.
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Post by LilyandDaisy on Sept 10, 2020 7:08:12 GMT -8
If the hide is bottomless the gerbils will chew their own extra doors and windows so don't worry about that. Soon it will be more door than house.
If your tank is ready the gerbils sound ready too. Now that you've seen how they interact normally you can keep an eye out for any changes.
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Post by Markpd on Sept 10, 2020 9:49:12 GMT -8
Lol, more door than house! I like it! yeti218 I'm sometimes baffled as to what causes my Gerbils to thump (although thinking about it, they don't do it so much now), one particular occasion made me laugh though. I'm not very far from RAF Odiham here, quite often Chinooks fly overhead a few miles away. If you're not familiar with them, they make a thumping noise as their bigger rotors turn, so apparently a distant Chinook's thumping sounds like a large Gerbil's warning thumping!
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Post by yeti218 on Sept 10, 2020 18:35:12 GMT -8
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Post by Markpd on Sept 10, 2020 22:29:16 GMT -8
Very nice improvement in their cage , and plenty of scope to increase width and depth of digging area , have they started digging burrows yet?
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Post by yeti218 on Sept 11, 2020 6:07:08 GMT -8
Theyve been swimming through the bedding, but i dont think its the right consistency to support actual tunnels. I think if i just keep adding hay and giving them cardboard daily we should get there?
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