Best gerbil cage - advice please do I need to upgrade?

[Reluctantadult]

Hi, first time gerbil owner here, just got 2 females at the weekend. I've got one of the smaller savic gerbil cages, and I'm already thinking I might need to upgrade. It doesn't seem big enough, once the house is in there etc. And the girls keep chucking shavings out of the bars all over the floor. I'm wondering if a glass tank is better. Can anyone advise? The downside of a glass tank that I can think of might be that it's more difficult to have to take the whole lid off rather than open a small door sometimes. And you can't put your fingers to the bars for them to sniff or take a treat, which might be worse from my daughters perspective.

Bump

Hi I've had gerbils for many yrs always used old fish tanks with a home made wire lid
Less mess, more space for them you can put blocks of sawdust in and watch them create the most wonderful tunnels and nests
Just have to be careful and make sure water bottle is above sawdust level
I used a brick under it to give them something to stand on
They are still friendly and come onto my hands
Enjoy them they are such fun
They also enjoy a child created playground in the bath tub which is really entertaining for everyone
Keep all those inner tube loo rolls and get your daughters to make castles rockets etc for them to destroy
My fav smaller pet

Ah thanks for your lovely reply @user1471556818

@Reluctantadult

Hello - I volunteer in animal rescue and I specialise in Gerbils. Thank you finding out a bit more about Gerbil care and wanting the best for your new pets. I've written a Gerbil Care website as much of the information online is misleading or incorrect, so everything you need to know is here gerbilcare.co.uk/

There's a specific section on housing here gerbilcare.co.uk/housing-which-tank/

There's another section on how to set up a tank with all the enrichment Gerbils need gerbilcare.co.uk/cleaning-and-tank-setup/

I know you're new to Gerbils and learning, so please take this in the spirit it's intended, and you've likely been given bad advice, so thank you for asking, I wish more people did :) The Savic (small) or alternatively, what they call XL, are both far too small, they shouldn't be sold. The wire floor and ladders can trap and injure limbs and walking on them is horrible for rodents (like walking on a cattle grid) you can solve this temporarily by adding cardboard to the floor and using wooded bridges as ladders until you can upgrade. Please don't use woodshavings as they can irritate Gerbils and give them respiratory problems, a bit like if we slept in shavings or sawdust. Finacard mixed with dust extracted Timothy Hay is suitable and they can bind and dig tunnels then. www.finacard.co.uk/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=49 . Again this is all covered in the website.

With the right set up you and your daughter will get so much more from your Gerbils and vice versa, you will be able to see them burrow, and do more naturally what Gerbils do, which is a win for everyone.

Any questions at all, let me know :)

If pics don't show, try the website on mobile version.

Thank you very much @SilentHedges I will read everything! I've found a second hand glass gerbilarium that I'm picking up tomorrow. It's bigger than the savic cages. So that's an improvement for them! They are very sweet.

Ok great news! The tank will need to be divided into two sections (again covered in website), as they need at least 20cm of burrowing depth, and another section for their sand bath, water, wheel etc. You can do this either by adding a "topper" or splitting the tank in two with a wooden divide. Once you're all set up they are easy to care for, but I get that it's a minefield when you're starting out and trying to find good advice.

You're aiming for something like the attached in the biggest size you can manage.

I'll let you have a read!

@SilentHedges if you don't mind please can I check with you that it looks OK? Pic attached. I have been wondering too how to best rig up water in there?

This is my other option but I am not sure about the top.

We have these water bottles
www.petsathome.com/shop/en/pets/pets-at-home-glass-small-animal-water-bottle-355ml
You can hang them from the top of the tank, just make sure they have something to stand on.

@Reluctantadult This is a much better option (option 2). Option 1 is far too small and the glass shelves mean you can't add in a wheel or get enough depth for burrowing.

Go with the tank without shelves, but you do need to add a topper gerbilcare.co.uk/housing-toppers/

You can probably use and recycle the top wire part of your small Savic if the dimensions are right. In the meantime, you can separate the tank into two parts with some log roll so they have a burrowing section and another section for water, sandbath, wheel etc. This type of thing for a ladder to get to each section. shop.vivapets.com/uk/trixie-natural-wood-ladder-7-x-55-cm. This to separate tank in two (saw to size) shop.vivapets.com/uk/sales/trixie-natural-wood-bridge-22x10-cm-1

Industrial strength velcro will also attach water bottles to glass.

You can always upgrade again if you can pick up another tank second hand cheaply, but in the meantime, they are out of the savic which is great and your Gerbils will love you for it.

Here's an example of a Skyline Marrakesh (available online but more expensive than your DIY option) and this shows how it's been separated into two areas. Glass bowl for the sand. 28cm Trixie Wooden Wheel. Finacard, Timothy Hay, brown paper, old cardboard rolls in burrow area. You can do that with the Option 2 tank for now, until you can fashion a topper which is the best setup.

gerbilcare.co.uk/cleaning-and-tank-setup/

Meant to add, re the top of Tank 2, yes it needs to be ventilated so for an immediate temporary fix you can use some mouse wire over the top held down with some books. You can then construct a lid fairly easily from mousewire and wood strips, either on it's own or at the same time as adding a topper. gerbilcare.co.uk/housing-toppers/

sorry to hijack this thread. I got two rescue gerbils in october. they live in a 150 cm by 60 cm cage which used to be lived in by my hamster. They haven't chewed at it (not even nibbles) even though it is made of wood, i give them a lot of cardboard and wooden chews to keep them busy. The rescue Oked the cage and said they probably wouldn't chew out.

In theory i would like to upgrade them to a glass tank but at the same time, it is difficult to find them a glass tank with same square footage and comes with a mesh lid ( hopeless at DIY). Even Detolf has smaller square footage at 163 cm by 43 cm vs 150 cm by 60 cm. And I don't want them to live in a smaller space now that they are used to such a big cage, plus they haven't even chewed out of it. Could you recommend any custom solutions?

I have looked at jungle pets but they said that they wouldn't bring the tank up to my second floor flat (1930s so no lift). Which is why i bought this wooden cage in the first place as it was flat pack. Plus its a lot bigger.

they have lower bedding as i am still taming them and a gerbil breeder i know advised this. the plastic wheel i monitor daily for signs of chewing and i remove immediately if there are signs. They are doing well with taming, i can scoop them up and one of my gerbils, Tofu, likes climbing on my arms and head during playpen time. The other one, Trixie puts her paws on my hand.

They are very underrated pets, awake all day and very personable. They are fast but handleable. Syrian hamsters are easier to handle but they aren't awake many times of the day and you feel guilty about playing with them too much when they should be sleeping.

It's never a hi-jack for Gerbil chat :) Thanks for rescuing.

I know what you mean about lack of available off the shelf suitable sized Gerbil Housing. Mine are in a Detolf which is cheap hack at around £70 plus lids, and one of our Rescue recommendations. Personally, I prefer glass as it's easier to keep clean than wood, unless you line the bottom of the cage and the levels with cardboard it's going to get soiled beyond repair. Other than that, you're looking at either Jungle Pets (noted they won't deliver to you) or trawling through Aquariums that can be adapted or can be picked up cheap second hand. Diversa (on Ebay) do aquariums that are good to adapt but the largest off the shelf is 120 x 50 x 50.

Kirstys Tank Tops has good feedback for custom made lids www.facebook.com/kirstystanktops/

We'd never advise in Rescue to give Gerbils any less bedding than 20cm in depth. I know it's easier to see them and handle them, but their basic natural instinct is to be able to burrow and construct an underground nest, to feel secure. You can easily do that with all the great space in your tank, same as I've done with my Detolf (pic below)

Trixie do a great 28cm wooden wheel (no plastic, and very quiet) www.zooplus.co.uk/shop/small_pets/accessories/exercise_wheels/609617

Log Divide can be cut to size www.amazon.co.uk/Trixie-62153-Natural-Living-Willow/dp/B000V6HG9G/ref=sr_1_9?crid=6YQM8G46QXJZ&keywords=trixie+natural+living+log&qid=1667921913&sprefix=trixie+natural+living+log%2Caps%2C81&sr=8-9

This is a good stand to keep food, sand bath etc away from substrate www.amazon.co.uk/Trixie-62262-Natural-Living-Shelter/dp/B000WFFZ94/ref=sr_1_2_mod_primary_new?crid=2LW6CRYHINVFQ&keywords=trixie+natural+living&qid=1667921822&sbo=RZvfv%2F%2FHxDF%2BO5021pAnSA%3D%3D&sprefix=trixie+natural+living%2Caps%2C115&sr=8-2

We recommend x 2 water bottles in case one fails.

You're doing a lot of great socialising at play time anyway. I had two Rescue Gerbils a few years ago that had had zero interaction for 18 months, they spent 6 months ignoring me, and then suddenly gained my trust and were super tame. It takes time, but you're doing great by the sound of it :)

I agree, Gerbils are diurnal, so a much more social able pet than Hamsters.

gerbilcare.co.uk/

i have that wheel, you can see it under my cage. My hamster hated it and my DH thought it didn't turn properly. and my gerbils are much better runners than my hamster.

I could try it though, need to really clean it!

@socialmedia23 hello to a fellow gerbil newbie! I'm picking up the second hand tank tomorrow. Slightly concerned about the lid but the lady kept 4 gerbils in there with no issues so I think it'll be OK while I get materials in to make something. The last time I sawed something was in CDT class in about 1997...

@socialmedia23 Yes, I see the wheel now. Do you remember the name of your flat packed wood Gerbil tank?

@Reluctantadult I know what you mean, the last construction I did was during woodwork classes in the 80s! Below are some pics of some very simple lids, mousewire, wood strips , handles, tacs to hold wire in place, and some brackets to hold them together. No angles to cut, no complicated geometry!

Good luck and it is fun to design and create your own unique Gerbil accomodation.

www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B07GVLD4FD/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

It was meant for guinea pigs. i asked the seller to use smaller rodent mesh for the lid.

I have two girl gerbils, they are my second pair, the first i had as a child, and the tank i had then makes me cringe now as it wasn’t anywhere near big enough! I found an aquarium tank on Amazon that’s 120x40x50. Which is 240l or 63G (recommended minimum size for a pair is 40G) like many others I purchased a custom lid from Kirsty’s tank tops.
bedding wise i tend to use a mixture of aspen shavings and paper bedding, usually from Small Pet Select, plus timothy hay. With rising costs of everything i am considering megazorb however.

has anyone mentioned sandbaths? I use a glass jar i found in tkmax with about an inch of sand in, sand gets sifted every other day and generally replaced once a week.
for the water bottle issue I found cute ceramic bottle holder, i do have to regularly unbury it etc but it does the job.

note their tank isn’t usually this ‘neat’, but they had their 6wkly full tank clean out this evening, and so haven’t rearranged it again to their standards!

I've upgraded to the tank, and they've trashed the joint already 😂 It started off with a deep side and a shallow side with food, water and 'toys'.

Your tank looks like one of the Diversa ones, do you know the make? It's good to share housing tips.

With rising costs, I use Finacard, £20 for a 15kg bale. With 6 weekly cleanouts, it will last absolutely ages, dust extracted and great for binding tunnels with a Timothy Hay mix. www.finacard.co.uk/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=49

The jars for sand baths are great for messy Gerbils. I use an old kitchen pyrex dish (about 15cm long) and put it on a stand in a separate section to their burrowing area, and like you, use a small kitchen sieve to sieve any crud daily.

gerbilcare.co.uk/

@Reluctantadult Brilliant, such an improvement. They will be so much happier out of the Savic. Yes, never try and make the tank look "nice" it will trashed to their Gerbil-liking instantly 😆

It's all trial and error, but I'll share a couple of tips I've learned along the way.

If you put a wooden stand under the water bottle, they can always reach it. Also put the sand bath on the stand too, so it's kept mess free.

Gerbils love making their own nests, it keeps them stimulated, so I never buy shop bought bedding, chuck in sheets of plain white unscented toilet paper and they will use it to fashion their own nesting material. Bury the nest box under the substrate.

A Finacard/Timonthy Hay substrate mix will help them bind tunnels really well and it's dust extracted and a non-irritant.

A wooden divide like the examples above will help keep one area free of mess (in theory!)

Have fun!

gerbilcare.co.uk/