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Post by angelbearpuppy on Mar 12, 2024 15:36:51 GMT -8
Yea good work reading up on it months beforehand Re our cage guide and 20 gallon, as mentioned in the guide that is a minimum size (perhaps I should add bare minimum, or absolute minimum), some months ago I added the line "A more optimal size for a pair of gerbils would be at least a 40 gallon tank (or larger), plus 20 gallons for each additional gerbil." Which pretty much covers it. 20 plus a topper is better of course, although for some gerbils toppers can cause declanning issues. I linked a couple of examples of that in our cage guide. Re after my 1st pair, ooo good question! I don't think I've been asked that before! Lol, err pay closer attention to body language between them (they declanned at about 1yr old), although I did note it from time to time (e.g my tail swishing thread) and I did catch them before a serious declan 1st time round, the 2nd time seemed to come out of the blue and it was nasty (luckily they fought to a stalemate from exhaustion and their were no serious injuries!). But maybe I was missing signs for that 2nd declan? Good to know. Yeah I have read some reported problems with toppers. Unfortunately I don't have the floor space for a 40. So a topper is the best I can do in a classroom/small apartment if I want to try gerbials and they really seem like intresting little guys. Especially since I would need to complete set ups. A classroom set up and a home set up. Because lugging it back and forth is a lot of heavy work and results in more chances for something breaking. Of course. I plan on reaching out to my current parents at the end of the year and see if any of them have spare aquariums laying around. I might get lucky and score something decent that I can make work with a little effort and rearranging. I plan on getting a pet camera to keep an electronic eye on them on weekends and over night so hopefully I can catch things early. I have a spare 10 I can set up in an emergency situation as well. What about routines. So far I gathered Daily: Empty and rinse water bowl or bottle Feed a pellet for and or fresh fruit/veggies Socialize/ check on gerbils Sift sand bath Enrichment <chew toy ect> Scatter feed seed mixture/forage <afternoon/evening> Treats and playpen time Weekly Clean all dishes Replace sand bath Spot clean Wipe down hard surfaces Monthly/every other month Completely clean and disinfect keeping some of the old bedding to mixing with the new for sent. Check all furnishings for ware and tear. Weight check. Yeary Vet check
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Post by Markpd on Mar 15, 2024 18:22:52 GMT -8
Looks good to me! I want to get a camera too, to see what they get up to at night! I must admit I don't do a yearly vet check for mine, does anyone else?
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Post by angelbearpuppy on Mar 16, 2024 11:21:26 GMT -8
Looks good to me! I want to get a camera too, to see what they get up to at night! I must admit I don't do a yearly vet check for mine, does anyone else? That I am unsure of. I am leaning towards doing so simply because they will be in a classroom setting, which might expose them to more things than a typical pet would be in your house. No matter how careful you are small things are bound to happen or pop up over the course of the year. Whether that be exposure to all sorts of kid stuff, or despite best efforts and good husbandry a accidental fall. Also just to make sure they stay in the best of health as it would be a injustice to them to keep them in that environment without seeing to their care. I know the feeling. If I wasn't leaving them at the school on regular weekends I wouldn't bother but it seems the least I can do safety wise. Here is a question dies anyone know if Gerbils are overly sensitive to certain smells especially essential oils? My private school has us yous a humidifier with a few drops of am essential oil in it in our classroom. One is On Guard: Ingredients : Wild Orange Peel, Clove Bud, Cinnamon Bark/Leaf, Eucalyptus Leaf, and Rosemary Leaf/Flower essential oils. One is Breathe In: Proprietary blend includes Laurel Leaf, Cardamom, Peppermint, Eucalyptus, Melaleuca, Lemon, and Ravensara I also personally use lysol and lysol wipes Fabuloso Dawn dish soap Microband I am also looking into an air purifier. There was and is very little sickness in our school. Mostly occasional fevers. And one case of flu all year long. I consider myself very lucky and blessed. But I want to make sure none of these things would be irritants. I am unsure what the janitors use.
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Post by conniew on Mar 16, 2024 12:02:53 GMT -8
I know Fabuloso has a chemical in it that some people have trouble breathing when they smell it. I didn't know that and I mopped my floors with it and my husband had to go outside because he couldn't breathe with that smell in the house. I looked it up and sure enough....Fabuloso some people cannot tolerate. I don't know if I would take that chance around gerbils.
In my experience with birds, I know you cannot burn scented candles in your house or use hair spray or perfume close to them. My daughter was getting ready for a party one day and she didn't realize the bathroom door was open and it killed our love bird that night. You also cannot cook with teflon pans with birds in the house because if they get too hot they emit something that kills birds too.
I personally don't know how sensitive gerbils are to those things, but why take the chance. You are good to ask about all this.
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Post by angelbearpuppy on Mar 16, 2024 13:13:07 GMT -8
I know Fabuloso has a chemical in it that some people have trouble breathing when they smell it. I didn't know that and I mopped my floors with it and my husband had to go outside because he couldn't breathe with that smell in the house. I looked it up and sure enough....Fabuloso some people cannot tolerate. I don't know if I would take that chance around gerbils. In my experience with birds, I know you cannot burn scented candles in your house or use hair spray or perfume close to them. My daughter was getting ready for a party one day and she didn't realize the bathroom door was open and it killed our love bird that night. You also cannot cook with teflon pans with birds in the house because if they get too hot they emit something that kills birds too. I personally don't know how sensitive gerbils are to those things, but why take the chance. You are good to ask about all this. I am trying to consider all basis. I remember reading somewhere that they can be prone to respiratory problems. So trying to think ahead. One thing I could do is position the enclosure closer to the air purifier. I do know that birds are extremely sensitive to certain things. But had not found any must not on scents for gerbils. Now of course I wouldn't be using chemicals in the cage itself other than soap and water or pet friendly cleaners. But it doesn't mean it won't linger in the air. Just like it would at your house. Why I was curious and hoping to hear some good advice or experiences from others.
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Post by conniew on Mar 16, 2024 13:25:40 GMT -8
I know Fabuloso has a chemical in it that some people have trouble breathing when they smell it. I didn't know that and I mopped my floors with it and my husband had to go outside because he couldn't breathe with that smell in the house. I looked it up and sure enough....Fabuloso some people cannot tolerate. I don't know if I would take that chance around gerbils. In my experience with birds, I know you cannot burn scented candles in your house or use hair spray or perfume close to them. My daughter was getting ready for a party one day and she didn't realize the bathroom door was open and it killed our love bird that night. You also cannot cook with teflon pans with birds in the house because if they get too hot they emit something that kills birds too. I personally don't know how sensitive gerbils are to those things, but why take the chance. You are good to ask about all this. I am trying to consider all basis. I remember reading somewhere that they can be prone to respiratory problems. So trying to think ahead. One thing I could do is position the enclosure closer to the air purifier. I do know that birds are extremely sensitive to certain things. But had not found any must not on scents for gerbils. Now of course I wouldn't be using chemicals in the cage itself other than soap and water or pet friendly cleaners. But it doesn't mean it won't linger in the air. Just like it would at your house. Why I was curious and hoping to hear some good advice or experiences from others. You are doing your homework before getting gerbils, that is great. To clean my cage I use unscented baby wipes and then spray with plain water and wipe with a microfiber cloth. Maybe some other will chime in about what they use to clean their cages.
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Post by LilyandDaisy on Mar 16, 2024 13:28:03 GMT -8
Essential oils are not ideal to use around gerbils. You certainly wouldn't want there to be a noticeable (to humans) odour from the oils as gerbils have a more sensitive sense of smell than us. Anything that's noticeable to us would be even stronger to them.
Air purifiers are safe to use around gerbils and I use one myself in the same room as my gerbils.
In terms of cleaning products, I always try not to use bleach or similar strong products in the same room as the gerbils because the fumes are so strong. There is a disinfectant called Virkon which is animal safe and almost as effective as bleach, and I believe it's available in the US. I use it for cleaning enclosures etc between animals.
For everyday cleaning of gerbil enclosures, there's usually no need to use anything more than hot water and dish soap. And sometimes diluted white vinegar for polishing tank glass.
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Post by LilyandDaisy on Mar 16, 2024 13:35:33 GMT -8
Looks good to me! I want to get a camera too, to see what they get up to at night! I must admit I don't do a yearly vet check for mine, does anyone else? Routine vet visits are not something I've ever thought effective for preventative healthcare personally as there's really very little a vet can do aside from weigh them, feel them for masses, and assess how they look visually (i.e is their clean and shiny, are their eyes bright etc), which is all stuff that can be done at home. Also I think you'd be hard pressed to find a vet who will tell you, "this gerbil is healthy" because there's no way they can possibly know that without very extensive tests. The best you'll ever get from a vet is, "this gerbil displays no outward signs of illness". Now there is a an argument that since many vets see very few gerbils, and when they do see them, they're often very ill and beyond treatment, it may be beneficial for vets to see healthy gerbils and chat to their owners more often. So I'd never fault anyone else for taking their gerbils to the vet for a routine health check every now and then, and would say it might even be in the common good if more people did that, but we all have limited finances and time of course.
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Post by angelbearpuppy on Mar 17, 2024 15:22:48 GMT -8
Looks good to me! I want to get a camera too, to see what they get up to at night! I must admit I don't do a yearly vet check for mine, does anyone else? Routine vet visits are not something I've ever thought effective for preventative healthcare personally as there's really very little a vet can do aside from weigh them, feel them for masses, and assess how they look visually (i.e is their clean and shiny, are their eyes bright etc), which is all stuff that can be done at home. Also I think you'd be hard pressed to find a vet who will tell you, "this gerbil is healthy" because there's no way they can possibly know that without very extensive tests. The best you'll ever get from a vet is, "this gerbil displays no outward signs of illness". Now there is a an argument that since many vets see very few gerbils, and when they do see them, they're often very ill and beyond treatment, it may be beneficial for vets to see healthy gerbils and chat to their owners more often. So I'd never fault anyone else for taking their gerbils to the vet for a routine health check every now and then, and would say it might even be in the common good if more people did that, but we all have limited finances and time of course. I guess that makes sense too. I can definitely see your point and will keep that in mind when considering the vet visits.
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Post by mygerbilprince on Mar 30, 2024 12:19:28 GMT -8
I'll also just add in here that I wouldn't put a pair in a 20 gallon with a topper. I know how much happier the gerbils would be with larger, like around a 40gal. I had my gerbils in a 20gal setup, and if you have no other options it is fine. Keeping gerbils in this size tank is by no means inhumane. However, if you can, you should definitely upgrade. Maybe you could find some sort of tall tank that isn't any wider than a 20 gallon long. I'm picturing two 20gal longs stacked on top of each other? It probably doesn't exist though! If you have floorspace in your room you could get a large tank to put on the ground. Gerbils are fine on the floor, and there are many DIY and premade tanks out there. Some have wheels on the bottom or some sort of small stand to take the tank a little bit off the ground. If this isn't an option and you really have your heart set on gerbils, a 20gal isn't ideal but it will work just fine.
You seem to have a lot worked out here and it all looks good to me. I suggest you do some more research into gerbil diet, because pelleted diets aren't recommended. You're much better off buying a commercial seed mix or making your own.
I think animals can teach children very important empathy skills, but I personally wouldn't feel comfortable allowing 4 year olds to handle them. I think if you want to go through with this idea, they should be a view-only pet. Maybe the kids could assist with feeding, water refills, or giving them the occasional treat. Gerbils are pretty hardy for being so little, so I doubt a child under your supervision would be able to severely hurt them, but physical injuries would still be on my mind. I'll never forget the time I let a 12 year old handle my gerbil but the feeling of the claws freaked the kid out and she threw the gerbil. THANK GOD he was okay but if a 12 year old who is very responsible gets freaked out by them, I can see how a 4 year old might.
Mostly, I'm worried about the stress of being handled by little kids. You could try to keep the kids voices down, but little kids can be hard to control and one might make a scary noise that could stress out a gerbil. When a gerbil is taken from its enclosure it is already a bit on edge and adding unpredictable loud noises to the equation might be an issue. But then again, unpredictable loud noises can be problem anywhere.
Also, gerbils are very fast and pretty hard to handle even as an adult; they can really get away from you! Most gerbils won't just sit still in a person's hand, they'll be all over the place. These factors could cause a gerbil to bite out of stress-- which obviously would not be good for either party. Also, not all gerbils enjoy being held, especially if they come from pet stores. If you're looking for exceptionally friendly gerbils you should find a local, ethical breeder. Still, this isn't a guarantee. If you take my suggestion this shouldn't be a problem though, since you would be the only one handling them. I've had very friendly gerbils who loved taking treats from my hand and were really fun to watch but hated being held. As I mentioned, the students can interact with the gerbils in other ways that don't involve handling.
I think it's really good that you're researching these little guys before buying them, and I wish it was something I saw more. Anyway, good on you for doing your research and good luck!
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