Smart gerbils!

[RW]

I recently moved my boy trio from a 20L (30"x12") tank to a 40-gallon breeder tank (36"x18"). Since they have more room now, I added two permanent sandbowls. Two because when I gave them a sandbowl in the old tank, Pogo got very territorial and threw a hissy fit every time either of the other boys tried to use "his" sand.

I placed the sandbowls in opposite corners, one in the right front, the other in the left front under the shelf where their food and water are, hoping that Pogo wouldn't try to defend them if they were separated that far. It worked and I haven't seen any more scuffles over the sandbowl.

But here's the thing--they've been in their new tank for over two weeks and I've noticed something interesting. At first I thought it was just coincidence, but I've been paying close attention and, nope, they're doing exactly what I thought they were--they're using one sandbowl (the right front one) exclusively for rolling, digging, snoozing, snacking, etc., but they're using the left one as a toilet, only the left one. I change the sandbowls every evening and there's never one bit of waste in the right sandbowl, but the left one is definitely the latrine. ;D

RW

[sweetie]

Sounds like you have an ideal situation. They are potty trained. They potty train themselves!! There is another post regarding potty training!! It is pretty interesting. Congratulations!

[RyanF]

I wish my gerbils were potty trained. They kind of are except they go right under the water bottle up on a platform with no bedding on it. Here is a pic of where they "go".

[RyanF]

BTW, that is an older picture because there is now a wire screen top and the plastic container.

[RW]

Well, I can't honestly say that they are potty trained. They still go in their wheels and a little bit on their shelf, like Ryan's do. But I did think it was interesting that they picked one sandbowl for a potty and don't go at all in the other.

RW

[RyanF]

I think I will try an actual bowl of sand now. I had this little bathroom kit for gerbils which isnt working. Do you use chinchilla dust or just sand from a bag you get in a hardware store?

[RW]

Is your bathroom kit one of those plastic outhouse things? I got one of those for my first pair and they chewed it to pieces the first night I put it in their tank.

I use triple-washed play sand from Lowe's in a glass bread-baking pan.

RW

[RyanF]

Yeah it is plastic. They haven't seemed to have chewed it much, but it isn't working. I think I will try your idea.

[RW]

Ryan, I went back and re-read the thread on potty training you started and didn't see any mention of a potty jar. That's just a spagetti sauce jar or something similar (well-washed, of course) that you leave in the tank. A lot of gerbils seem to like to go on something smooth, like your plastic platform or my glass shelf. If the sandbowl thing doesn't work, you might try that. If your gerbils do decide to use the jar, you'll have to clean it a lot, since they can get pretty smelly.

RW