Weighing all
factors, I feel the best gerbil home by far is a simple
glass aquarium with a wire-mesh lid. It is inexpensive; many pet stores
sell tanks for $8 or less. Or you might find a old one at a yard sale
or even curb-side on trash day. The tank does not have to be
water-proof but do check a used tank for sharp edges, and never use one
with broken or cracked glass unless you fix it with aquarium cement (available in a pet store).
New or used, clean it thoroughly with
soap and water before use.
Because gerbils dig and chew so much, they will quickly destroy all
the plastic parts of a Habitrail or similar plastic housing. A
wire-mesh cage with a plastic bottom can work, but gerbils’
enthusiastic digging means litter will be flying out of the cage and
onto the floor. You may have heard aquariums are not good housing for
rodents. Larger rodents with stronger and more copious urine (like
rabbits and guinea pigs) can suffer
if an excess of ammonia gas builds up an aquarium (unless it is kept
very clean). But it is not true for gerbils, whose efficient
desert-born metabolism lets them use every drop of water from their
food, thereby producing very little urine.
The size of the aquarium to buy depends on how many gerbils you will
keep. 2 or 3 gerbils can live happily in a 10-gallon tank. (If you have
three in there, expect to clean it more often.) Four or more would need
more spacious accomodations. Very large clans are not generally
recommended for other reasons, so a 10 to 20 gallon tank should do for
most gerbil housing.
For a few extra dollars, a stick-on aquarium thermometer is a good
investment. While it is not as accurate as a standard room thermometer,
it will help you stay on top of very important temperature regulation,
described below.
Put a Lid on It!
A lid is a good investment, whether or not you have other pets or
children in the house. Gerbils can easily jump out of tanks, especially
when they’ve raised the litter level with the remains of the tubes and
boxes they’ve chewed up for you. If your gerbil makes a get-away during
the day while you’re at work, it may be very hard to find him, and he
may find a way out of the house. You may pay more for the lid than the
tank, but get a lid!
Wire mesh lids are usually available in the reptile section of most
pet stores or on the Internet. These can be very simple (a metal
rectangle with wire mesh) or more elaborate, with hinges, a door in the
middle, etc. My advice is to buy the simplest lid available. The little
doors, for instance, are cute, but getting a gerbil out of a tank
through any opening smaller than the lid itself is hard. Far better to
simply lift the lid off! (The one exception is if you are introducing
two gerbils using a Split Cage. In that case, a hinged, two-part lid is
valuable.)
Clips are useful if you have animals or small children in the house.
Secure clips may keep the lid on even if the tank gets pushed off its
perch, so if you have a dog or cat who might be hunting the gerbils,
definitely consider clips. We discuss clips and children more below.
Where in Your Home?
People tend to spend far less time choosing the location of the tank
in their homes than they do shopping for the tank in the store.
Actually, the decision of where to put the tank in your home is far
more difficult, and more important for the gerbils’ safety and health,
than what you house them in.
Choose the location of your gerbils’ tank with care. The key safety
issues are
temperature control,
daily contact,
safe removal, and
supervision of children. You may also want to consider the fact that
the gerbils will have as a side-effect some mess - seeds and hay will
spill, for instance. Also, you’ll need at least some storage for their
food, a wheel, boxes and tubes awaiting "chew-cycling", etc. So pick a
spot where clean-up is easy, and you don’t mind (or can hide) their
equipment.
Temperature Control
Even though gerbils are descended from desert animals, they cannot
endure extremes of heat or cold. In the wild, they would have deep
burrows to escape the elements, but in a tank, they have only a few
inches of litter. As a rule of thumb, consider your own comfort. If the
temperature range is
comfortable for you, it will be okay for gerbils: 65-80°F is
comfortable
and safe for
all.
The day before your gerbils come home, check the spot you’ve chosen
every two hours or so for climate-control issues. You’ve purchased a
tank with an attached aquarium thermometer, put it in the spot and
check its temperature gauge. Or
put a regular room thermometer there.
Be especially careful of the following:
Do not put the tank where sun will shine into it. A glass
aquarium becomes a greenhouse! If the sun shines into the
tank at all, pick a different spot.
Do not put the tank right next to a big radiator. A position
above a baseboard may be okay if it does not get too hot, but you will
have to check with a thermometer.
Avoid placing gerbils directly in front of a drafty window, or
one where direct
sun will shine into the tank.
Don’t put the gerbils directly in the draft of an
air-conditioner: in front of a window unit, below a ceiling vent or
above a floor vent.
Do not put the gerbils directly below an air-return vent. Dust
and allergens will be sucked up into the system and blown all over the
house. This is especially important in buildings with shared cooling
systems (apartments, commercial buildings, schools) where there may be
people with allergies.
Daily Contact
The old expression “out of sight, out of mind” can have very bad
consequences for your gerbils. They cannot bark, meow, or squawk for
your attention, so put them where you will see them every day!
Certainly, when they are new and exciting, everyone in the house will
check them frequently. But as you grow accustomed to them, it can be
too easy to forget to feed them and check their litter and water bottle
every day. Daily contact will make you and your gerbils enjoy a better
relationship.
Supervision of Children
Children
are often the driving force behind a gerbil acquisition,
and children’s bedrooms are a frequent destination for the gerbil tank.
They have the advantages of daily contact and usually good temperature
control, and you can close the door to take gerbils out safe from other
pets. However, before you agree to put the gerbils in your child’s
room, consider a few things carefully.
First, is your child is
mature
enough not to play with your
gerbil in inappropriate ways when she is quietly out of your
sight in her room? Children younger than 10 or so often think of
gerbils as living toys. They give them rides in doll carriages or on
Barbie’s carousel. They take them out for a “run”, then forget them.
They challenge them to walk across ledges, or climb the cage screen, or
place them inside boxes or bags, or toss them in the air. They put them
inside their clothing
(which can also lead to a nasty bite). Without meaning harm, your
child’s play can be terrifying or deadly for a small animal.
Even if your child is mature enough, or you feel he understands how
delicate his new pets are, consider that your child may entertain
friends in his room. Not all of these friends will be as trustworthy as
your child. Even if your child understands the risks, he or she will
find it hard to say “no” to a persuasive friend’s bad idea. And even if
two children are handling gerbils as gently as possible, children
sometimes flinch or shy away from the tiny scrambling feet and claws
and drop the gerbil. A gerbil loose underfoot with a couple of
shrieking,
giggling children can easily be stepped on and killed.
Public spaces are often a better choice for gerbils in a family with
young children. If you do place gerbils in the bedrooms of children
under
age 10, establish a rule that gerbils can be handled only
with an adult around, or at least that an adult must be present when
friends handle gerbils. (Keep in mind there is some risk to the
friends, too! A gerbil bite can be painful, and you’ll feel badly if a
child gets bitten at your house.) Use clips to enforce the rule and if
it is not
followed, move the gerbils to the family room or kitchen where they are
in plain view.
Safe Removal
Hopefully, you will want to handle your gerbils every day or so.
Gerbils that get a lot of contact will run up your arm, sit on your
shoulder, sniff your ear, and crawl happily all over you, their human
jungle gym. But if you have cats, dogs or other hunting animals in the
house, you may want to choose a room with a door so that you can safely
lock other pets out while you enjoy your gerbil time.
Perhaps you don’t have a room with a door that fits the other
criteria described above, or you just prefer to keep your gerbils in
the living room or kitchen in the center of things. In that case, take
the gerbils into the bathroom occasionally, lock the door, and let them
have a fun run in the (dry) tub. You can add toys or boxes for them to
enjoy, or you can climb in yourself - you make a very interesting play
structure! You may notice them roll on the cool porcelain. If so,
sprinkle a little chinchilla dust in the corner and let them take a
dust bath. (After the gerbils are out, you can wash it away or sweep it
out with a hand broom).
There’s No Place Like Home
If you did your homework, your gerbils will be safe from many common
accidental injuries and illnesses, and you’ll be set for years of fun
with your new friends. Enjoy!
Weighing all
factors, I feel the best gerbil home by far is a simple
glass aquarium with a wire-mesh lid. It is inexpensive; many pet stores
sell tanks for $8 or less. Or you might find a old one at a yard sale
or even curb-side on trash day. The tank does not have to be
water-proof but do check a used tank for sharp edges, and never use one
with broken or cracked glass unless you fix it with aquarium cement (available in a pet store).
New or used, clean it thoroughly with
soap and water before use.
Children
are often the driving force behind a gerbil acquisition,
and children’s bedrooms are a frequent destination for the gerbil tank.
They have the advantages of daily contact and usually good temperature
control, and you can close the door to take gerbils out safe from other
pets. However, before you agree to put the gerbils in your child’s
room, consider a few things carefully.