Sand bedding maintenance

[ishido]

For anyone who has a large permanent area set aside for sand:
What kind of maintenance do you have? and how frequent do you perform maintenance?

I have used a large glass jar as their "sand pit." It stinks superfast, just w/i a couple days. I can't imagine how you can have a large area set aside in the tank w/o it stinking fast. I've mixed in aspen pellets to help but I can't imagine having such a large area w/ having to clean it every week

Any details will be super helpful, thanks a bunch

[doomgerbiluk]

I have a playpen to excercise gerbils
I have a large plastic box with a lid that cheese biscuits came in
I put the box (minus lid) in the play pen and the gerbils in the playpen
when I've finished with the box it comes out tnd the lid goes on
Of course it gets 'pooey', I have a largish holed flour sieve and clean ir regularly.
when it gets smelly I have two options. If I'm lazy I throw it away
If I have time I put it in a tank or bowl and run very hot water through it, stirring it regularly. then let it settle, pour of the water trying not to lose too much sand and repeat
Once it;s been drained I line a baking tin with foil and spread the sand out in it and place in an oven about 150C till it's thrououghly dry .
let it cool, break it up and seive it again and it's readyorro reuse

hope this helps

[Ritzie/Admin]

I have it now this way:


Some years ago I had in some cages this:

Great to watch, be indeed not so great to clean! ;D

[ishido]

that's a great sand bathing picture My guys have yet to have taken a real sand bath. I'm probably needing a larger container. I've seen them roll on their backs if they happen to get wet, but they'll do it on the bathroom floor or their bedding, but not in the sand bath, go figure...