getting gerbils

[amie]

Gracie and i might get gerbils soon if we move into this certain house. I was just wondering if anyone could suggest a type of gerbil? a type of cage? or anything helpful! we might get dwarf hamsters instead so could anyone suggest which one is better?
thnx in advance!
megan

[imnotagerbil]

Hi,
In all my gerbil experience i've had an aquarium except once...
Aquariums are nice since you can really see through, you can put alot of bedding so you can watch they dig tunnels which is always fun! You can put a bunch of stuff and organise... You can get some at a really good price( i bought my 24gallons for 2 gerbs at 40 dollars in france). The one time that i had a cage, the gerbils made a mess! And they bit alot on the metal.
There is also those plastic see through bins used for clothes or storage. They are really cheap and still good for keeping gerbils.
A type of gerbil you mean colour or species?
Dward hamsters may be cuter but that's you're preference, since i prefer gerbils since for me they seem much more smarter and funner to watch and to take care of.
Good luck on you're choice
Theo

[callimico]

I hope you get some gerbils soon, they're so cute!! Here's what I've found works best:

Cage: 20 gallon long aquarium, or larger with a mesh or locking lids for 2-4 gerbils.

Species: Mongolian Gerbils (very easy to take care of, desert breed doesn't drink much water so tanks only have to be cleaned once a month, long before they start to smell.)

Color: whatever you like, usually pairs of females do best, and 2-4 for males

Other supplies to consider:

Food- Premixed bag, Timothy hay, Monkey Chow. Veggies and fruits (no more then 2x a week)

Waterbottle- and holder (so gerbils can't chew holes in the waterbottle and make it leak). Empty and refill water bottle once its 2/3 empty. Check nozzle frequentley to be sure its not jammed

Litter- Corncob, or Aspen with some alfalfa hay. (Just no cedar, or pine- causes respiratory problems in some gerbils and especially pups, due to a genetic defect common in many gerbils in the US. I've heard of breeders using kiln dried without problems, or airing out the shavings first)

Bedding- Carefresh, shredded toilet paper, shredded unscented tissues (I like tissues the best)

Chew toys- Tree branches (maple, fruit tree, birch, beech, haze, willow), paper towel/toilet paper rolls, cardboard boxes (ie: kleenex boxes, ramen boxes, shoe boxes, food boxes- if no chemicals and paints), wood (nothing treated or finished), manilla folders, store sold wooden logs/treasure chests

Toys- Jars (empty coffee jars, pasta sauce jars- gerbils favorites), wheel, rolling ball, large marbles

Tubes- the plastic ones can be used to connect one tank to another

Cage decorations- Rocks, stones (after they've been cleaned), glazed figurines (nothing plastic)

Food dish- optional. keeps food together from getting lost, or gerbils can forage for food in their litter

Houses- clay/terecotta plant pots, cardboard, store bought wooden house, hollowed out coconut shells

Levels- gerbils love levels- ramps, mazes, tunnels, bridges, stairs are all great out of cardboard, or bird toys,

Bathing- Chinchilla bath sand in a fish bowl, or small cardboard container. Place in cage for 5-10 minutes and then remove before gerbils decide to use it as a bathroom. I've heard you can mix bird sand or play sand for cheaper baths, after it's sanatized.

let us know if you do decide to get a pair of gerbils ;D

[imnotagerbil]

hI
i heard males are less dominant and less territorial... IF you get females really make sure they are really females without considering the thought they might be pregnant( depends on age)
Callimico considered having a water bottle holder, but my gerbils still find a way to destory the water bottle... so i consider trying to find a glass made one so they can't break it
I need to change my pine better soon because babies are on the way and i don't want respitory problems! anyways my gerbils are french

genetic defect common in many gerbils in the US

anyone know how to say aspen in french???
Good climbing things are als o tree roots... you can find them for the aquarium i think....
good luck... again!

[amie]

thank you guys both SO much! your info will really come in handy when we get the gerbils. I think now it is almost definate that we are getting gerbils, not dwarf hamsters. I think we would get to females because we would want them to breed with Paw's gerbil Pheonix.

[callimico]

lol ImNotAGerbil, you must have very determined gerbils to get through a waterbottled holder! ;D I've heard of some other breeders who had that problem, let us know if you find a glass one. Some people do use bowls of water when waterbottles don't work out, as long as they don't have young pups in the tank.

I think it's mainly gerbils in the US who have problems with pine (none of mine do), but most of hte gerbils I took in from petstores or rescue centers do. Its less common in Europe, but like you said better safe then sorry, sticking with aspen or corncob, lol but not sure what it's called their.

I hope you find a nice pair of girls Amie, just in case remember not to pair both females with Phoenix as females are the dominant gender in gerbils and will attack him. If you succeed in the intro (because both are very young) you may have problems once the litters are born, wtih the "alpha" female destroying her sisters litter. If you are going to breed, it's probably best to get one female, pair her with the male, and once pups are born seperate father and sons (at 5 weeks of age) and leave a daughter to help mom raise the second litter.

[paws]

I'm so happy you might get the house Meg! Well, I think the best that we could pair with is PHoenix (a DEH) and Paws (slate and white). Maybe someone could suggest the colours for Amie and Gracie to get? I really don't have a clue on gerbil colour genetics! ;D We have finally figured out that when Phoenix got sick, it was because he had Hypthermia. It will be good for phoenix to have a friend if I adopt a pup.

[lizzy]

yes Europe has different pine than the US, or something. its not as harmful. I dont think its a genetic defect in the gerbils because rats/hamsters have the same problem, unless all rodents in the US have the same defect!

I'm still a fan of peat for bedding

I use a metal water bottle holder (well I think its metal, not plastic anyway!!) so they can't touch it (=

[callimico]

yes, some other rodents have a similar genetic problem that makes them suseptible to pine allergies.

Here's a link to a color palette, maybe certain colors you like will stand out?
ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/e_ehr/gerbils/colors.htm

If their were certain color pups you were looking forward to having, you'll either need parents with double recessive coloring, or know what hidden recessives your gerbil carries.

ie: agouti gerbil could carry all recessives or none, if you pair a nutmeg gerbil wtih Phoenix you WILL get DEH, and if Phoenix has a black or self (belly same color as the rest of them), aa, colored parent, you'll also get nutmeg pups.

If you pair a spotted gerbil to Phoenix around 1/2 the pups will also be spotted. If you pair Phoenix and Paws you will get agouti pups, with a chance of black, nutmeg, DEH, gray agotui and slate depending on the recessives each carries.

[maxthegerbil]

Hello everyone. I`m new on the board and I just wanted to say that Callimico gave such great advice on gerbil husbandry! I would like to add too that gerbils are FAR more fun than hamsters in general. Hamsters are lovely little creatures, but you would`nt get the same interaction from a hamster. they get very grumpy if you awaken them and I still have the scars to prove it! (I was badly bitten by a hamster as a child). I always say that the three H words come to mind when considering owning a gerbil. Habitat, Husbandry & Health. Not necessarily in this order! Gerbils are easy to keep and if you follow these simple rules, you won`t go wrong. A glass aquarium is definately the best housing. The gerbils can burrow better and the shavings stay in the tank! I use alfalfa hay a few times a week and the boys adore it. They chew it up redily and drag it into their nest. I use bird sand for bathing and they just love this. They also pick out the tiny pieces of shell and eat it! This is fine as it contains calcium and does them no harm. Good luck and you won`t regret choosing gerbils over hamsters! I get so much pleasure from just watching them interact with each other. Having four playful youngsters is hillarious to watch, I can assure you!

[imnotagerbil]

Hey,
Yep the gerbils actually jump onto the flat on top and rip it!!!
Yell maybe not but they just bite a small hole enough to let air in so water keeps on going, they don't go for the holder bu the bottle itself!.... I'll have to keep the look out for a metal or glass one which i haven't found yet.
Glad to here european pine is less toxic!

[RitzieAnn]

I had a Siamese with a black and white. THey had really nice looking pups.

There were lots of black and whites in this litter, but the 1st litter had 1 black, one Burmese, 3 pied siamese, and 1 spotted burmese. You could even get a burmese female.

[pixytwinkle]

hey can i add too that callimico always seems to give the best advise. She has really helped me alot over the weeks my gerbs have been breeding so any info you get from her will probably be the best you find .so thanx callimico ;D

[amie]

so do you redomend that I don't get two females?

[RitzieAnn]

If you really want to breed, and you either have places for the pups to do, or you can handle them all on your own, then you can get 2 females if you've already got males to breed with. Just keep in mind that for at least her very first litter, the dad should be there to help. Mom might have too hard of a time to do it on her own, and if both females are having pups about the same time, then they might not be that willing to take on and help her fellow mom friend out.