New Tank for my Gerbils- Advice?

[Thea]

Hi!
I'm just making this thread because somebody living near me was giving away a fish tank, and I've been looking for a new cage for my gerbils for a while. I took the fish tank home and I'm currently figuring out the mesh (I had some in the shed). Does anybody have any advice on fish tanks/ aquariums etc. for gerbils? I've always used a gerbilarium (but not one of those tiny ones!) so I'm used to the idea of bars to put water bottles on and shelves for food bowls, but where do I put the food bowls so that the gerbils can't kick bedding into it, and what do I attach the water bottle to? Any additional advice would be very much appreciated!

[Pim]

For the water bottle I use industrial Velcro. I personally like to scatter feed so that solves the problem of bedding being kicked into the bowl but otherwise you could build a shelf with legs.

[gerbilord]

I have a water bottle holder and a food bowl both on top of one of the rodipet chamber houses that I bought with the cage - www.rodipet.co.uk/houses/rodipet-granit-house-madina-duoporta-for-pet-rodents.html

and that's worked great for me so far, so anything like that would do I think. I also scatter feed mainly and only use food bowls for fresh food, foraging for their food encourages more natural behaviours than eating from a bowl.

[Thea]

Great ideas both, thanks! I actually didn't think of scatter feeding- I did it a couple of years ago with my first gerbils. I'll do that instead! I'll try out a few things with the water bottle and see what works, so thanks for the ideas

[Thelodar]

I've never used a food bowl, always scatter fed. I used to use velcro for water bottles but I prefer being able to move it in case they decide they just must pile up the bedding in the spot where I want the bottle to be. So I use Oasis bottles that have a metal piece which hooks over the edge of the tank but is flat so as to not interfere with the lid.

[LilyandDaisy]

The food bowl and sand bath can go on wooden platforms. I have this one in one of my tanks. Gerbils will always bury the food bowl, however high it is. Even in a topper, they'll carry bedding up to it. Scatter feeding is a lot easier.

I sit the water bottles on top of the lid, with the spout poking through the mesh. I find this easier as I don't have to open the tank to change the water, it doesn't get buried and they can't chew the bottle.

[Thea]

They're in the tank now, and I'm currently scatter feeding them. Those are great ideas - I've had a look at both. I've actually ordered something off Ebay, it's a suction thing which attaches to the water bottle and you can move it where you like. This is it www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Drinking-Water-Bottle-with-Suction-Cup-For-Hamster-Small-Rodents-In-Plastic-Cage/283689333273?hash=item420d33b219:g:-MoAAOSwEP5d3Ubh but unfortunately it won't arrive until Thursday.

Until then I'm actually using Duct Tape, it sounds odd but it's held well so far and I'm going to replace it once a day when I give them new water. Just figuring things out for now!!

[Markpd]

I used some spare welded mesh to make a bracket to hang one water bottle, see the 6th photo here

The 2nd bottle on top of the lid was only meant as stop gap measure, as originally they had to go down some ramps to get to the hung one, but it took them a week or so to figure that out , anyway, they got used to the one on the lid too, so I left it there (or at least above where the house is).

Btw, have you seen the DIY wiremesh lid in the FAQ section?

[Thea]

Ooh thanks, that's really creative! I think my thing is arriving tomorrow, but if it doesn't I could try something like that. I made something similar to hold the water bottle with the leftover wire mesh, but it didn't really work. It was probably the way I made it.

Btw, your gerbils are gorgeous!I live their colours:)

I actually haven't seen the DIY wiremesh lid thing, I'll have a look now, thank you
I watched a video to make mine and it's done the job for the last 2 days, but any adjusting that can be done to make it better!

[Markpd]

Thanks (afraid I can't remember what colour Gerbils you have ).

Theirs a couple of details missing from the mesh FAQ tbh (like why he only cuts 2 'wings' for the lid), bit it's enough to make a reasonable lid. But if you're already made one then it's redundant for you I guess .

Re the suction cup water bottle, a few things I wonder about that. My dash cam is held on with a sucker (with a lever) and that occasionally falls off (usually when it's very hot in the car, my father's one does the same), I wonder if that will be an issue with your bottle? (possible not as the cage will never get as hot as the inside of a car in the sun! And it has 2 suckers).
Being in the tank and it's plastic (at least in part), will they chew it?
And will they bury it or make it out of reach as the bedding height changes? (unless it's going to sit over a platform?)

[Thea]

No Problem!
My gerbils are golden agouti (Rolo, on my previous profile picture) and Storme, silver agouti (my profile picture now! she's sleeping in the picture )

I have already made the mesh topper but the information is always helpful if I needed to make another!

Yes, I wondered that too. But better than the duct tape I'm currently using... lol. Their cage isn't really near my window so I don't think the cage will get hot.
My girls don't chew plastic much, they more chew their wooden toys, but if they did chew it, it comes with two so that might work? Not sure. I'll see how it works! Meant to be arriving tomorrow but it could today.

You can move it around so if I notice it being too high or buried, I'll move it around. Hopefully that won't happen though.

[Thea]

just some advice for anyone with tanks who needs it - I've struggled for the past couple of weeks with what to do with a water bottle, tried a couple of things but they didn't work. But this has! It's a DIY waterbottle holder with leftover wire mesh, and works perfectly www.egerbil.com/bottleholder.html

[Markpd]

That's a good way to do it too, my version makes use of the hooks that came with the bottle.

Forgot to say, your Gerbil pic is cute , have you got a full size pic I can see?

[Thea]

Yes, I've done that too!

Thanks! I actually cropped it and didn't save the original, but I can post a few pics of Rolo and Storme if there's an area where you can put in pictures of your gerbils? I was planning on doing that anyway!

[gerbilord]

you can post pictures in the members photos board. - gerbilforum.proboards.com/thread/33078/post-photos-2018 (how to post photos)

I love a sleepy gerbil, so peaceful and relaxed despite their chaotic personality! :)