Information

Gerbil Care:


Food and Water:

I recommend Small World Hamster & Gerbil (that's what I feed my gerbils). Make sure the food you buy for your gerbil doesn't have too many sunflower seeds in it. Sunflower seeds are a good treat but too many may lead to obesity. Fresh water every day is good but if you are not home or on vacation then your gerbil should be fine without it fresh.

Housing:

For one or two gerbils I recommend a ten gallon aquarium. I do not encourage wired cages (unless it's a tank topper). I think aquariums are the best for gerbils. I sometimes use rubber made boxes and cover the top with wire mesh.

Bedding:

DO NOT use Pine or Cedar! It causes respiratory infections! I use Aspen and I think it works really well. Carefresh is good also but it's dusty. If you are planning to breed then I think Aspen is the best.

Toys:

Try to avoid plastic houses, go for the wooden ones so your gerbils can safely chew on them. Chew sticks are required because gerbils teeth never stop growing. Wire mesh wheels are not the best because if the gerbil is running and it's tail gets caught in one of the little squares then it's tail may need to be amputated, however, you can prevent this by ductaping the little squares on the wheel. You could also get a silent wheel.

Split Cage Method:

If you have a lone gerbil or its cage mate passed away then you might have to get a new gerbil and introduce them. Gerbils are very territorial and will fight to the death. To build a split cage you are going to need wire mesh. The wire mesh should have very small squares. You are also going to need rectangular wooden sticks (about the height of your aquarium, box, etc.). To make the divider, cut the wire mesh with tin snips, so that the wire mesh will fit inside the cage, then, if the wooden sticks are not at the height of your aquarium, box, etc, saw them to the height of it. Use wood glue or a staple gun to glue/staple the wire mesh to the wood. The divider should look something like this:

Mine doesn't look that well, but at least it works! Switch the two gerbils sides every few hours so they get used to eachothers scent. I would keep the divider in for about a week or two. Some signs that they are ready to be introduces are:
1. They are trying to groom eachother through the mesh.
2. They are sleeping in eachothers nests.
3. THey sleep next to eachother through the divider (Not all gerbils do this).
4. They are calm and relaxed while switching sides (Not marking eachothers scent everywhere).