Housing issue/ new gerbil owner

[zet924]

Hello! I've searched the housing forums (and most of the Internet, actually!) and can't find anyone else with this problem. We got two male gerbils (littermates) for my daughters birthday and set them up in one of these:
www.petsmart.com/global/product_detail.jsp?PRODUCT%3C%3Eprd_id=845524441778956&FOLDER%3C%3Efolder_id=2534374302026354&ASSORTMENT%3C%3East_id=2534374302023695&bmUID=1095861627402

One of the little guys is very tame and friendly while the other is terrified of everything. I know we should leave them be for a couple days so they can get comfortable in their new home, but here's my problem.

If you look at the habitat there is a side tube that leads to a small enclosed area for "interaction" with your pet. The brave gerbil will run up the tube and stay in the area, we're pretty worried that he won't come down. We thought we should leave him there so he'd learn how to get himself back down but when I got home from work yesterday it was obvious he hadn't budged all day. I've very worried that he's not getting food or water!
When I take him out and put him back in the bottom of the cage (where the food and water are) he sniffs around for a minute, sniffs his brother for a minute and then hauls tail back up the tube. I put some bedding in there for him last night when it became obvious he was sleeping there but I can't get food or water up there too.

Should we let him figure it out or remove the tube? Thanks so much- I researched for weeks before we decided to get them and I can't stand the idea of not taking care of them properly.

[queenofthenile]

Are you absolutely *sure* that he isn't going down the tube for food and water when you're gone and crawling back up there? A good way to test if he is dehydrated is to get a drop of water on your finger and put it near his face. If he licks it, then he may not be drinking from the bottle. If not, then he is getting enough water. This may seem a bit drastic, but have you tried 'scaring' him back down the tube? I find that most petstore gerbils will run away if you move a bit too fast. At least that way you would know if he is capable of doing it or not.

I will let you know, however, that your cage isn't the best setup for gerbils. Gerbils really like to burrow and make tunnels and so it is best to have them in a 10 gallon aquarium or larger. That way you can put several inches of bedding in the bottom and they can dig to their hearts' content . Another problem with being in cages is that some gerbils will gnaw obsessively at the bars and give themselves sore noses (plus it can get annoying). Lastly, I have seen that particular cage in person, and it is a bit too small for two gerbils to live in happily. With the floor space, I would say it is equivalent to only 7-8 gallons in an aquarium. I would really consider getting them into a ten gallon tank or bigger.

[zet924]

Thanks for the advice. I'll try to startle him back down this afternoon and see what happens. We thought that having the platforms to run up and down to would give them enough room but they really don't seem to care about them.

I definately will look into relocating them if this doesn't work out. They haven't chewed on the bars but they also haven't used any of the platforms or other tubes, so the floorspace does seem to be cramped. Again, I do want them to be happy and healthy.

[andrea]

Hi

As queen of the nile said that crittertrail is not the best. However please do not feel you have to have an aquarium there is other ulternatives, We currently use "duna" style plastic tank, i much prefer these to tanks as they are enclosed so you can give them plenty of bedding like fish tanks, no mess on carpet as co smy other half is disabled he needs to be able to lift the tank and put it on his lap to handle the gerbils (of course with a tank that woul be impossible)..

Heres a pic

You can get several different makes and they vary slightly.

The main thing is to avoid tanks with bars, tubes and seperate compartments.

At the end of the day many of us have different set ups and each of us prefr our own types for many different reasons, you need to find whats best for you and your gerbils.. Don't forget if you need to try a different set up all is not lost you can sell the old on ebay !! ..

Good Luck
Andrea

[zet924]

I looked at those containers in the pet store and assumed (wrongly, apparently!) that they would be bored in it. Thanks so much for the advice, and I'll be sure to post this evening and let you all know what happens.

I did soooo much research before getting into this and I feel like a dolt because I choose what looked cool over what's best for the little guys. Other than the constant worry that I might accidently kill them I'm really enjoying them. We're slowly trying to win over the shy one and the bold one LOVES being held and played with.

Thanks again for the advice!

[birchmoon]

You might be able to pick up a few ideas here:

gerbilforum.proboards21.com/index.cgi?board=housing&action=display&thread=1090864989

It's a thread where people posted pics of their gerbil homes.

It's nice that you want to treat them right.

heather

[zet924]

What a difference a day makes!

Yesterday evening we tried the "water on the finger" method to see if the guy who wouldn't come down (Walnut, my daughter has named him) was dehydrated and he wasn't interested in the water. My husband tried to scare him down the tube and the results were really comical- nothing scared that gerbil. Not sudden lunging hand movements, scary noises... nothing. We left them alone while we ate dinner and when we came back the timid one, Peanut(whom we hadn't seen out of their house on the floor of the cage in two days) was in the top room with Walnut. Peanut startled when he saw us and scurried back down, then went up a smaller tube to another platform before making the loop again. We took both of them out and let them play in a box we've turned into a playground for them and then put them both back (on the ground floor of the cage) along with more paper for nesting.

They both ran straight to the room at the top and we left them alone for the night. This morning they'd managed to haul ALL of the paper in the cage up the long tube and made a nest in the "petting box" area up top. The good news is that they both ran down the tube when we came in!

Yaaaaaaaay! I guess it just took a bit longer than I anticipated for them to acclimate to their new home, but they seem to be doing fine now.

Edit: I linked to the CritterTrail 2 habitat in my first post but we actually bought the CritterTrail 3. The floor space is about the same but it's got another level of platforms above. I'm currently browsing through the thread about different set up's and shamelessly swiping ideas for their next home. ;D

Thanks again for the advice, I appreciate all of you taking time out to help me.

[RyanF]

zet924: I have the exact same house and the EXACT same problem! My gerbil was scared of the tube, but then she got used to it.

[lydia]

Glad that Walnut and Peanut are settling in.I did lol when I read about trying to scare walnut,could just picture him bobbing up and down thinking......'these peeps are barmy'.


Lydia

[sweetie]

Hi there,

I am glad things are getting better for all of you. It is almost comical reading the whole thread after the fact!! It must have been a harrowing experience while you were going through it. I can definitely tell that Penut and Walnut are going to be 2 very spoiled gerbils . It sounds like you care deeply for them and try everything to ensure thier health and happiness.

Now going forward, every thing you encounter will be hands on experience. Reading and experiencing are 2 very different worlds. I thought I read and understood a lot about gerbils.
Every day I learn more just by having them than by anything I could read!! Please pass on your experiences, questions, and feedback. Your experiences may help a lot of members!

[ishido]

I had similar worries when I first got my gerbils 3 months ago. I bought a Critter Trail X-Treme, which is essentially a Critter Trail One w/ a spiral staircase and an elaborate wheel on top. I also had some extra tubes connecting other stuff. They were afraid of anything vertical, especially when it came to coming down from the wheel area or "petting zone." I coaxed them by getting them to climb up and down a lil w/ some nudging. Eventually one of them would show the other how to do it. I expanded their Critter Trail to connect w/ a few vertical tubes going into lil compartments and a 30 gallon terrarium. Their quite skilled at shooting up and down the tubes now.

I have noticed that they prefer smoother tubes now, probably cuz they have gotten bigger and faster. They will eventually gnaw at the ridges in the Critter Trail cage. I also have some SAM Habitrail tubes which have less ridges and bigger inner diameter... they prefer these.

[zet924]

Thanks so much for the advice and kind words! They've settled in fine, although we did have several days of drama this week when one escaped. The top closure apparently only closes tightly when "slammed"- we figured this out after coming home and finding the top door wide open and one gerbil missing. After three very tense days we found him holed up in the subwoofer for our stereo system in the living room. We brought his brother's cage in and placed it next to the speaker and he BOLTED back in. Thank goodness he survived (despite our two cats) and they both seem very very happy in their Crittertrail.

I have also made a playground for them in a Rubbermaid type 20 gallon plastic storage container. I've got five or so inches of bedding, paper towel tubes, scattered seeds and shreds of paper toweling. They seem to enjoy being able to tunnel and we're gradually working on taming the skittish one. I'm really enjoying our new family members and this website and forum have been an amazing resource for us.
Thanks everyone!!! ;D

[j]

zet924 said:

After three very tense days we found him holed up in the subwoofer for our stereo system in the living room. We brought his brother's cage in and placed it next to the speaker and he BOLTED back in. Thank goodness he survived (despite our two cats) and they both seem very very happy in their Crittertrail.

lol wow. Especially living in a subwoofer for 3 days without food or water. The other day one of my gerbils was gone for about 12 hours and I have 3 cats. After looking in all the obvious places I thought for sure he was dead. My cat was in my room the whole time too... sleeping. Smart gerbil. Stupid cat.

I have also made a playground for them in a Rubbermaid type 20 gallon plastic storage container. I've got five or so inches of bedding, paper towel tubes, scattered seeds and shreds of paper toweling.

Just an idea ..

You could punch some air holes in the rubber maid container or cover it with screen/mesh. Then buy an extra plastic tube for the Critter Trail and connect the 2 'cages't. Just got to cut a hole in the top of the Rubbermaid and tape it on the outside really good. Then they'll have more room and can go back and forth. They can have the wheel, food and water in one....and dig and tunnel in the other.

[zet924]

That's a really good idea.- I think I'll play around with that this weekend.

As my husband and I frantically tried to trap Peanut when he ventured out of his hidey-hole both of our cats came over and just flopped on the carpet to enjoy the "stupid human" show. They showed no interest in the yummy rodent at all. I don't think they know they're cats.....