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Post by squee on Mar 29, 2005 15:54:00 GMT -8
I was originally going to get a hamster but I read up on gerbils and realized they are more active. But I have a few questions.
1. Can you list me the bare necessities they need? Just so I can think up the prices for it all?
2. Are they nocturnal?
3. Must they be kept in groups of two? (This may be an issue with my parents.)
4. Can they live in wire cages if cardboard is threaded through the floor to protect feet and if there is sufficient bedding? I cannot afford a tank and a tub is too inconvienent.
5. Is Carefresh bedding okay?
6. Do gerbils need sand baths?
7. I can't use hamster balls for them, can I?
8. Is there any way I can bring them outside for a run and still keep them within reach such as a home-made leash (the storebough ones hurt animals) or a hamster ball?
Thanks,
Squee/ Skylar.
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Post by piffthegerbl on Mar 29, 2005 17:14:41 GMT -8
1. Gerbils need a good food, water, a cage, bedding, and chew toys.
2. Gerbils aren't really nocturnal but they take short naps throughtout the day and night. Mine are awake during the day because they know Ill play with them at that time.
3. Gerbils are happier when in a group of two, but they don't have to be. They can be solo if you play with them alot!
4.They can live in wire cages with the cardboard but an aquarium is much cheaper than a cage, at petsmart, a ten gallon tank only costs seven dollars! And the cages can cost up to forty dollars.
5. Carefresh bedding is good but it is a little expensive. The cheapest is probably Aspen. but your gerbil can be allergic to either of these, then you can shred newspaper which is what I do.
6. Gerbils don't need sand baths but they like them alot. they will roll around in them and it cleans their fur of oils, always get the dust free bath sand.
7. Some gerbils will run in balls but it depends on what the gerbil likes to do. Some will run in wheels but not in balls others will run in balls but not in wheels, it depends on their personality.
8. I bought three small animal fences from petsmart for about thirty dollars and you connect them all together to make a big playpen I set it up on the grass with a waterbottle attached to the side. They can run in hamster balls if they like to but before I got the fences, i just let my gerbil Piff, run around in the grass, usually he didn't go far.
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Post by squee on Mar 29, 2005 17:21:00 GMT -8
I don't have a local petsmart, petco or any of those stores. All I have is a local Mum and Pop shop.  The 10 gallons there cost about $50 because you can't buy them without a filter, heater and gravel and such for fish. The cages however, cost very little. I think I will only keep one gerbil..two is too many for me to handle at first. if i see she gets lonely, i will get another. |
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Post by RyanF on Mar 29, 2005 17:39:52 GMT -8
One gerbil is unacceptable. All gerbils NEED a buddy, and I if you want your gerbil to be happy, please get him a friend.  |
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Post by AndreaS15 on Mar 29, 2005 19:49:21 GMT -8
I don't have a local petsmart, petco or any of those stores. All I have is a local Mum and Pop shop. The 10 gallons there cost about $50 because you can't buy them without a filter, heater and gravel and such for fish. The cages however, cost very little. I think I will only keep one gerbil..two is too many for me to handle at first. if i see she gets lonely, i will get another. Buy a Plastic Bin, the kind you can see through and have lids, there like $10 and can be bought at wall mart. You just have to get some mesh and cut a hole in teh lid and attach the mesh. #1 gerbil rule - Gerbils MUST live in pairs. There are social creatures and cannot live happily without a friend. Taking care of 2 gerbils is no more that taking care of one (it cost the same too!). taking care of 4 is no more work then 2.... I have 11 now and well yes that is a bit more work but enjoyable! |
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Post by squee on Mar 30, 2005 6:32:28 GMT -8
Okay, I will get 2 gerbils then. I have to majorly talk this over with my folks and explain that gerbils will die of loneliness.
I have to get a cage. I'm not allowed to get a tub because my mum is into this whole cleanliness thing and she says it will stink like crazy even though I know it won't. So no tub, just cage.
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Post by sandy on Mar 30, 2005 11:39:14 GMT -8
Hey kiddo, I AM a mom, and let me tell you, gerbils in a cage are much more messy than gerbils in a tank OR a bin because they kick their bedding out of the cage bars! Go for the plastic bin idea, its cheap and clean, much easier to clean than a tank, too. I get one that has a hinged lid that is removable. Maybe a grownup can help you make it. I drill a lot of holes in the lid so it aerates and also one hole on the side, low down, for the water bottle spout to stick into. I tape the water bottle on the outside, with the spout sticking inside. It works great.
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Post by squee on Mar 30, 2005 13:08:06 GMT -8
I'll have to show my mum your message then. =) I seem to be making so many mistakes. :/ Oh well, thats a part of learning. I am not sure where I could put the tub in my house though.
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Post by squee on Mar 31, 2005 12:27:30 GMT -8
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Post by AndreaS15 on Mar 31, 2005 20:16:25 GMT -8
Yup to small. I can buy a 10G tank around here for $15, where abouts do you live? Maybe you could call fish shops too and see if they have any used they would sell cheap. |
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RW
Member
When someone you love becomes a memory, the memory becomes a treasure. Puppy 6/6/07
Posts: 530
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Post by RW on Apr 1, 2005 5:24:28 GMT -8
I agree that this cage is too small. It has floor space of 148.5 square inches, whereas a 10-gallon tank has 200 square inches. A 10-gallon tank is the absolute minimum for two gerbils. Depending on where you live, you should be able to find a 10-gallon, plus all the accessories (waterbottle and holder, wheel, etc.) for the about the same amount of money you'd pay for the cage.
Another downside is that those type cages have too many plastic parts, which most gerbils would chew to pieces, not only ruining your cage, but posing a health risk to your gerbils.
About Question #8, leashes--not a good idea. If you could somehow manage to get a leash on a gerbil, I think there would be too much risk of injury while the gerbil was on the leash. I'd stick with the runaround ball.
RW
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Post by squee on Apr 1, 2005 7:18:40 GMT -8
I live in a town based on their oil-sand industry. The only places where I can buy rodent cages and such is a local Mum and Pop shop called Northstar Pet Centre. You cannot buy empty or cracked aquariums there or at Wal-mart. Aquariums come with the filter, heater, gravel, plants and everything. A aquarium would be about..$60. Thats what I paid for my 10 gallon (Im using it for fish). I only have one pet shop in town, if you don't count Wal-mart's limited pet section and Superstore's limited pet section. Neither Wal-mart or Superstore sells used tanks.
Thats why I have to get a cage. Oh yeah, I can't check the newspaper either because people sell their aquariums with fish.
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Post by AndreaS15 on Apr 2, 2005 17:37:46 GMT -8
Oh yeah, I can't check the newspaper either because people sell their aquariums with fish. That's a great place to look anyways... you never know. Wouldn't walmart even sell 'just' a tank? maybe you could ask them to order one for you, they are a big company based on 'customer satisfaction', i would bug them till they got me one If you lived closer I could give you one of mine.  Maybe you can make one? I've seen soem pretty sweet looking tanks people have made with some wood, floor tiles (the plastic kind) and a peice of plexiglass then some wire for the top. I actually have an idea for one I'm going to try and build. Building it yourself you could make it as big as you want and make it fit where you want ti to go  |
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Post by squee on Apr 3, 2005 5:55:29 GMT -8
Wal-mart in my town (Fort McMurray) is all about the money, they don't care about their customers. You might stand in line for an hour at the only till open and the cashier will chat to his/her friends and flip you the finger if you say anything. I phoned them yesterday to ask and they said they do not order specific items from customers. I was going to try to make a wooden one with a mesh but I am not so sure about it now, since hamsters like to gnaw.
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Post by gerbilsrgreat on Apr 5, 2005 21:55:19 GMT -8
One gerbil is unacceptable. All gerbils NEED a buddy, and I if you want your gerbil to be happy, please get him a friend. Well, I agree that they are happier with 2, but if you just get 1 and play with it a lot, then he'll be alright. You do not HAVE to get 2. A 10 gallon is definitely the absolute minimum for 2 gerbies, and in fact I have a 20 gallon long for EACH one of my gerbils. The MY First Home kit on Petco's website is definitely too small. -Jeremiah |
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