Tank topper for 75 gallon? + other questions (new owner)

[szamora]

Hi!

I adopted a pair of 3-month-old gerbil brothers on December 26th. They live in a 75 gallon tank that I got from a Petco sale back when I planned to adopt a dwarf hamster, but that didn't work out, and upon doing research I decided to get gerbils instead. Lucky me, there were a few gerbils at the SPCA and I got to bring a pair home! They eat Robin's fortified mix for young gerbils, have an 11-inch Niteangel Super Silent wheel (with the center removed so their tails don't get caught), use a Reptisand bath, have a ton of chews and bridges, hides, and bedding in layers of aspen and Kaytee Clean&Cozy. 

Now that I've given you some background, let's get into the reason I created this thread! I'm considering a tank topper for them, but I can't find anything that fits a 75 gallon tank. I've been thinking of simply getting a similarly-sized barred cage and fitting it onto some pieces of wood that will go over the enclosure, but the only ones that will fit my tank are cages meant for larger animals and thus have more space between the bars. A possible solution would be to put mesh over the bars, but I can't think of anything that would make it lie flush against the bars other than zip ties, and I really don't want Zym and Dino chewing on zip ties. 😅 If any of you keep gerbils in 75 gallons or know anyone who does, what's your experience making a tank topper that fits?

And for my other question! Here goes: The Kaytee Clean&Cozy bedding holds up burrows wonderfully, but I must have gotten a bad batch or something, because it's awfully dusty. I'm wondering if it won't be too stressful for the gerbils if I do a bedding replacement so recently after they moved in? They only just got used to their new home and I don't want to undo that. Would it be okay if I simply left the aspen in there so they've got some familiar scents to calm them? Also, can I have them running around in a storage bin with some things to chew while I replace the bedding?

Thank you so much!

Here's Dino:
ibb.co/YW47W9y
ibb.co/SXDGLJ1
And here's Zym:
imgbb.com/ZmP0BYX
imgbb.com/k8V4x37

[barryozzy]

You might be able to use a birdcage. I don't know the dimensions of 75 gallon tanks, but I once found a birdcage large enough for a 20 gallon long, I used aquarium clips to secure it.

Instead of zip ties you could use wire cutters to take apart the squares of the mesh (so instead of a flat edge on the mesh, you have spikes), then wrap it into itself and crimp it with pliers. That is how I repaired my small birdcage when I was trying to do a split and my aggressive gerbil broke it.

[Markpd]

Welcome to the forum!
Yea I doubt you'll find ready made topper for a tank that size (nice size btw ). I guess you're in the US? (NC = North Carolina?), so you could get a custom topper made by a seller on etsy..... although I just tried to look for them, and I can't find them now . Maybe you could make a topper out of thick/heavy duty mesh?

As for attaching mesh to bars, another method is you could use some thin steel wire to attach it with, but it'll be fiddly and time consuming to do!

They should be fine in a bin cage, as long as you have some kind of lid (vented or meshed) to stop them getting out. And just keep 1/2 an eye open for them trying to chew their way out (in case they can grip a step or ledge).

About your bedding, I'm confused by your post, have they got clean and cosy or aspen in atm?

Btw, I think you meant to attach photos to your post? But there aren't any links or photos showing.
Oh, and lol at your avatar!

[szamora]

Jan 15, 2022 9:15:36 GMT -8 Markpd said:

Welcome to the forum!
Yea I doubt you'll find ready made topper for a tank that size (nice size btw ). I guess you're in the US? (NC = North Carolina?), so you could get a custom topper made by a seller on etsy..... although I just tried to look for them, and I can't find them now . Maybe you could make a topper out of thick/heavy duty mesh?

As for attaching mesh to bars, another method is you could use some thin steel wire to attach it with, but it'll be fiddly and time consuming to do!

They should be fine in a bin cage, as long as you have some kind of lid (vented or meshed) to stop them getting out. And just keep 1/2 an eye open for them trying to chew their way out (in case they can grip a step or ledge).

About your bedding, I'm confused by your post, have they got clean and cosy or aspen in atm?

Btw, I think you meant to attach photos to your post? But there aren't any links or photos showing.
Oh, and lol at your avatar!

Yes, I'm in the US. They've got both Clean&Cozy and aspen in: I put it in layers so there's a few inches of Clean&Cozy, a few inches of aspen, a few inches of Clean&Cozy on top of that, and so on. 

I edited my post and put links in place of the images, it should work now! Thanks for your reply!

[szamora]

Jan 15, 2022 8:35:20 GMT -8 barryozzy said:

You might be able to use a birdcage. I don't know the dimensions of 75 gallon tanks, but I once found a birdcage large enough for a 20 gallon long, I used aquarium clips to secure it.

Instead of zip ties you could use wire cutters to take apart the squares of the mesh (so instead of a flat edge on the mesh, you have spikes), then wrap it into itself and crimp it with pliers. That is how I repaired my small birdcage when I was trying to do a split and my aggressive gerbil broke it.

That's a good idea, I'll look into birdcages. To attach the mesh to the bars, are you saying I should cut the mesh and wrap it around the bars with pliers? That could work, although it might take a long time, but it would be more secure that way. Thank you!

[szamora]

I found two cages that could work as toppers. They're a little smaller than my tank dimensions, but I can make do with that.

www.petco.com/shop/en/petcostore/product/you-and-me-finch-rectangle-flight-cage-2430872?cm_mmc=PSH%7CGGL%7CSPP%7CSBU04%7C0%7C0%7CgNYZ1ppy8L5DmTETbxfVvE%7C58700007477544198%7CPRODUCT_GROUP%7C0%7C0&gbraid=0AAAAAD97F16dIlegWNtjgzA9-lRU_53YK&gbraid=0AAAAAD97F16dIlegWNtjgzA9-lRU_53YK&gclid=EAIaIQobChMI9Pj2nfO09QIVkQiICR2xfQHuEAQYBCABEgKnkPD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds

www.chewy.com/ware-chew-proof-rabbit-cage/dp/261955?utm_source=google-product&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=hg&utm_content=Ware&utm_term=&gclid=EAIaIQobChMI9dH7vfO09QIVCYrICh2p3QToEAQYESABEgJ7F_D_BwE

Which one would be better? I'm not sure about the bar spacing of each-- the first one is said to be around 1/2 an inch, at least according to a reviewer. I would definitely put mesh on the second one.

[Markpd]

1/2" mesh will be fine for the sides (you will need to put something solid on the floor of any barred/meshed cage).
I can't believe that 2nd cage is meant for rabbits! Hopefully only as a transport cage for them?

Cute gerbils, and good photos

And for any bedding change it's a good idea to keep some of the old behind (so they can still smell their scent), so yea you could separate the 2 beddings (as much as you can anyway), and then put the aspen back in. And yea they'll have to rebuild their tunnels, which will disrupt them somewhat, but they'll soon build new tunnels .