Advice of the Gerbil kind!

picklepick

wow gemma thats lovely. i wad gonna say it looks very full!! you could probably cope with half the amount next time you change it cos what with all the cardboard tubes they shred it soons gets full!

very good job though, i like it a lot. i wish my fishtank was that big. i do have one thats 3 foot long but its got fish in it and id feel bad moving them into a smaller tank so the gerbils can have more digging space! lol

jimbugalee

Keep checking Freecycle as glass fish tanks come up all the time! You don't have to spend a penny

picklepick

yes i got the large one ive got already off freecycle! i might try for another but i dont want to be greedy!

roxalana

Thanks Jim - that makes me feel more like making one - I couldn't bear the thought of cleaning it each week!

Have my eye on a tank currently at 99p collection only on ebay...

roxalana

Ok I made my tank for my hamster - it isn't attached to her cage but is an extra 'toy'. I have filled it with hay, dust free sawdust and cardboard tubes. Unfortunately hammy isn't interested! Any ideas?!

jimbugalee

Is this a hamster or gerbil? I'm confused now! Gerbils don't really do anything unless they have a good few inchesof sawdust to tunnel in. They chew cardboard tubes really quickly but love it! Make sure the hay isn't too spikey because it can !!!!! their eyes. Not sure of other people's opinions on this but I don't give my gerbils any hay.

roxalana

jimbugalee wrote: »

Is this a hamster or gerbil? I'm confused now! Gerbils don't really do anything unless they have a good few inchesof sawdust to tunnel in. They chew cardboard tubes really quickly but love it! Make sure the hay isn't too spikey because it can !!!!! their eyes. Not sure of other people's opinions on this but I don't give my gerbils any hay.

She is a hamster and she finally got the point of it and had a great time digging! She always shuts her eyes when she is digging so hopefully it will be ok!

dattasatta

Hi!!
I am about to reward my daughters excellent school report with a Gerbil:A.
From what I have read they are preferable to Hamsters.
My daughter will be in charge of feeding, cleaning etc.....:eek:
My question is what is the best stuff to feed, and to use for bedding.??
Also, are there any toy's that we should buy to keep it happy?
Also, do we need to take it to vets for immunisation etc..???
Thanks
Sarah

UKTigerlily

Gerbils make great pets, unlike Hamsters they're very active! You will only need to take it to the Vet's if it gets ill or injured as there is no routine care that i'm aware of such as worming or vaccinations to be done. I used to keep them, never keep one alone! I had three males together. Obviously don't get a mix of males & females as they will breed like mad!

I kept mine in a 5ft glass aquarium with their water bottles attached to the roof & they need nice deep bedding, half or more of our tank was full so they could make tunnels, we used woodchip but you can get cardboard squares like Bedxcel which may well be better for them or even soil & so on.

They will make tunnels & you can see them digging! They like all sorts. I'd suggest a good gerbil book or two & joining any forums you can find first, it's great you're asking here! It's nice to give them lots of room & company though!

Well done to your Daughter!

foreign_correspondent

I agree with tigerlily - I had two male gerbils when I was a teenager - they are much more fun than hamsters, but they do like to have a pal!

Also - they are active in the daytime and sleep at night, so they don't keep you awake, and they are not particularly smelly either!