Heavy chewing killed pup

[wendybird]

I feel horrible. One of the males is the worst chewer I've ever had. He destroys items that all the other gerbils only nibble on if anything. He chewed on a box I had as a hide, I think it was maybe compressed wood. Well a 2 week old baby climbed out where he had chewed and out was sharp enough to completely shred the poor little thing. It was awful. So now I'm unsure of what to keep in with him as a hide.

Should I look for a metal box? Ceramic worries me since of he chips it those will be sharp pieces. Has anyone tried reptile houses? They seem very hard and solid.

[LilyandDaisy]

Oh no, I'm so sorry. That must have been horrible to see. It does sound like a completely unpredictable freak accident.

Reptile things tend to be made of resin which the vast majority of gerbils wouldn't chew but this one sounds like a serious chewer and resin could be sharp once chewed.

I haven't seen any metal gerbil houses unfortunately but any metal box could stand in for one.

You could also look for houses made from a thicker solid wood, that will be less likely to form sharp edges when chewed. Plywood can be quite sharp.

Another option would be to cover one corner of the tank with card on the outside and a blanket or towel on top, so it's dark and cosy. Plus deep bedding so they can burrow down to make their nest, and lots of cardboard and hay for shredding.

[wendybird]

Thank you for these suggestions! Has anyone had a gerbil chew tile? I saw the instructions to make a tile nest box on here.

[LilyandDaisy]

I've never heard of a gerbil chewing ceramic or tile and doubt that they could.

[Markpd]

Agreed, I think they'll be quite safe with ceramics.