Getting my gerbil a NEW cage:)

by olimarthemouse Fri 02 Sep 2016, 9:18 pm

My gerbil is currently living alone in a huge bin cage. Problem is, she has a huge cage and not enough toys. So...I want to get her a 10 gallon and tank topper. Anyone know of any good tank toppers out there?

by AnonymousMouseOwner Fri 02 Sep 2016, 9:22 pm

I've never seen a gerbil before, and don't know much about them. Not sure how big a gerbil is, for bar spacing and all that, but here is a nice tank topper at PetCo: http://www.petco.com/shop/en/petcostore/you-and-me-small-animal-high-rise-tank-topper?mr:trackingCode=E3CFE770-03F8-E511-80FD-0050569403C8&mr:referralID=NA&mr:device=c&mr:adType=plaonline&mr:ad=97071756493&mr:keyword=&mr:match=&mr:tid=pla-196654306573&mr:ploc=9031842&mr:iloc=&mr:store=&mr:filter=196654306573&cm_mmc=PLA-GG-_-PTC_P_CA_PLA-GG_FY16_NB_SML_HABITATS_GEN_PLA-_-Small-Animal_Cages-And-Habitats-_-92700013613587331&gclid=CI-i3sWR8s4CFYF-fgod98cAuA&gclsrc=aw.ds Smile

by MesaMouse Fri 02 Sep 2016, 9:27 pm

Tank-toppers are more hassle than they're worth: hard to securely attach, hard to clean and not used as much by the critters as you'd hope. Frankly, you're better off with a nice sturdy lid from which you can hang various toys via paperclips. The easiest to get is the type of screen lid that drops over the edges of the tank. These are sold in the reptile section of most pet stores. The screen itself is very sturdy, not a thin mesh. It's a good idea to get a set of screen clips to secure the lid to the tank (or just sit a heavy book on each end).

by Peachy Fri 02 Sep 2016, 10:36 pm

I never tried any store bought 10 gallon toppers with gerbils, but I hated it with the mice, for the same reasons MesaMouse said. It was also hard to get to the bottom if I needed to, there was only a top door so I couldn't reach the mice even if they did come to the topper, the thing was so heavy to take off and on, and those darn ramps were a pain to get in and out.

Maybe try to build your own? I built a topper for my gerbils' bin cage (there's a very easy tutorial out there somewhere) and they really enjoyed it. They loved having their food dish, wheel, and even a hammock sort of thing in the topper, and I was able to make sure it had everything I needed it to have, like a door on the front for easy/quick access.

by olimarthemouse Sat 03 Sep 2016, 2:10 pm

Thank you everyone for the advice! In that case, I may buy a 20 gallon long and a screen:)

by olimarthemouse Sat 03 Sep 2016, 3:11 pm

Sorry to double-post. But after her being in a large cage (with nothing to do) for so long, do you guys think it'd be ok to transition her to a 10 gallon? Or should I go with a 20? The standard size for a gerbil is 5 gallons per gerbil...

by Peachy Sat 03 Sep 2016, 6:01 pm

I think a 10 gallon is kinda small for a gerbil, but I know plenty of people used them on the gerbil forum I lurked. Razz

I guess it depends on how you keep them too. I always gave mine tons and tons of bedding do dig and tunnel in, so a 10 gallon wouldn't have been nearly enough space.

by AnonymousMouseOwner Sat 03 Sep 2016, 6:03 pm

Bedding for gerbils must cost a fortune! They really like burrowing don't they?

by River Sat 03 Sep 2016, 6:20 pm

Actually, the minimum size for a gerbil is 10 gallons. And that seems too small to me as it is. I personally would only keep gerbils in a 20L because it seems more humane to me.

by Peachy Sat 03 Sep 2016, 8:30 pm

AnonymousMouseOwner wrote:Bedding for gerbils must cost a fortune! They really like burrowing don't they?

I usually used two bags of aspen for about 8 inches of bedding, but you only have to change them every three to four weeks!

by Rodents rock! Sat 03 Sep 2016, 8:31 pm

My gerbils, Pip & Pup, were in a 20 gallon long tank, which was a good size but I wanted to give them more room. So I made them a bin cage which is a little wider and a little longer than the 20 gallon long tank. They seem to like the extra room. Mouse30

Gerbils are very active so I think a 10 gallon is too small even for one gerbil, so I wouldn't go any smaller than a 20 gallon long tank.

by olimarthemouse Sat 03 Sep 2016, 8:38 pm

Oreo is in a bin cage right now. But it's just far too big, and because she's by herself, I think all the space is just a bit much for her. She hardly ever plays. I heard that lone gerbils do better with less room. Also, I've read that 10 gallons is the minimum for 2 gerbils. And I think it's far too small, as well. But I've seen lots of people use them for one gerbil and the gerbils actually seem really happy. I'm not sure what I'm going to get, because I'm not even sure that they will have the tanks I'm wanting in stock (it's a $1 per gallon sale).

by olimarthemouse Sat 03 Sep 2016, 8:39 pm

AnonymousMouseOwner wrote:Bedding for gerbils must cost a fortune! They really like burrowing don't they?

Actually, if you buy the BIG bags, they'll last for a LONG time, and they're only like $15.00 or something.

by Rodents rock! Sat 03 Sep 2016, 8:40 pm

abeona wrote:
AnonymousMouseOwner wrote:Bedding for gerbils must cost a fortune! They really like burrowing don't they?
I usually used two bags of aspen for about 8 inches of bedding, but you only have to change them every three to four weeks!

Yes, you don't have to change out gerbil tanks every week like you do for mice. So you get a longer life out of the bedding. Very Happy

by AnonymousMouseOwner Sat 03 Sep 2016, 9:41 pm

Rodents rock! wrote:
abeona wrote:
AnonymousMouseOwner wrote:Bedding for gerbils must cost a fortune! They really like burrowing don't they?
I usually used two bags of aspen for about 8 inches of bedding, but you only have to change them every three to four weeks!

Yes, you don't have to change out gerbil tanks every week like you do for mice. So you get a longer life out of the bedding.

I see, that must be nice! Sorry for getting off topic of the original post lol, but I'm curious to know, are gerbils really friendly? I know almost nothing about gerbils as pets lol.

by Sponsored content

Getting my gerbil a NEW cage:)

Getting my gerbil a NEW cage:)

Re: Getting my gerbil a NEW cage:)

Re: Getting my gerbil a NEW cage:)

Re: Getting my gerbil a NEW cage:)

Re: Getting my gerbil a NEW cage:)

Re: Getting my gerbil a NEW cage:)

Re: Getting my gerbil a NEW cage:)

Re: Getting my gerbil a NEW cage:)

Re: Getting my gerbil a NEW cage:)

Re: Getting my gerbil a NEW cage:)

Re: Getting my gerbil a NEW cage:)

Re: Getting my gerbil a NEW cage:)

Re: Getting my gerbil a NEW cage:)

Re: Getting my gerbil a NEW cage:)

Re: Getting my gerbil a NEW cage:)

Re: Getting my gerbil a NEW cage:)