Gerbils - Housing Requirements?

How many gerbils?

For a 35 gallon tank, I'd say a maximum of 4. Please keep in mind the larger the clan, the more likely they'll fight. Four males could get along wonderfully, though. Males are less territorial and do better in larger groups. As long as the tank is large enough, which it is, and there aren't resources they feel the need to fight over, they'll be fine.

How often should I clean?

Gerbils are desert animals. They drink less water, therefore produce less urine. Less urine = less smell. You could easily go 2 weeks without changing the bedding with still very minimal smell. Since the tank is so large, you may even be able to go 3 weeks. I have a 10 gallon tank. Every 2 or so weeks, I change the bedding. Every 4 weeks, I wash the tank out in the tub. It works out well.

Do they have a strong odor?

Gerbils, themselves, do not have a strong odor. It's really just their waste that smells. I keep my gerbils in my room, and there's rarely, if ever, a gerbil smell in here. No one notices. The gerbils may have a wood shaving smell if you have them housed in wood shavings, but it's only noticeable when you stick your nose in their fur.

What's an eye-catching set up?

This is your chance to get creative! I've seen people use the sheets of background for fish tanks. It's very eye-catching. You may even be able to find a desert one. You could also try putting pretty wrapping paper on the back. You can try using different kinds of wooden toys to make a fun home for your gerbils. The tunnels they make, I find, are really interesting. I love seeing the tunnels they dig out.

If you have any specific questions, feel free to e-mail me. I'm not sure what to say about gerbils. I could go on and on, and this answer would be much longer. Good luck with your new gerbils! They're wonderful pets for the right people.

Congrats on your new Gerbil!!

*5 gallons each is the minimum...but, starting out I would stick to two.

Gerbils need mates as they can become very lonely.

I would head back to the store and get another Gerbil from the same litter ASAP!!

*The change of bedding and cleaning of the tank should be done every week, or if it starts to smell before then. Using a bleach solution will get rid of any smells of urine, and make sure to rinse thoroughly after wards. Carefresh is a good bedding as they also come in a variety of colors like blue, pink, yellow, and green. Odors can build up a lot faster in tanks compared to wire cages due to poor ventilation. Make sure you get a wire lid to cover the top.

*Use of different colors is eye catching, like my 10 gallon tank consists of a green wheel, blue food dish, red water bottle, and some white bedding by Carefresh that looks like snow!

You can also get a background for the back of the tank to give the Gerbilarium more color, too!

If you have any questions on Gerbils, feel free to email me!

Wow, really immature whoever postes the first answer. Obviously shes not putting water in the tank with the gerbils. Don't be on this website if you don't have common sense.

Anyways, do not get a cage with bars, you should get a tank. This is because their sensitive tails mihgt 'rip' off if they get tangled. Also, have a wire cover on the top, because a lot of the time they will strech all the way up to get to the top, and can get out.

Congrats on getting a new pet! Will you read and answer my question?

I will give a thumbs up and best answer...

http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index;_ylt=AkEPU...

you could probably get 2 or 3 (you need at least two, just make sure you get them from the same place at the same time because then the will have already known each other and wont fight)

those plastic cages aren't great because they will be really hard to clean, and they gerbils could chew through them if he tried. I also don't suggest getting plastic tubes because it's not worth the risk of letting your gerbils escape and replacing is a drag. a tank sounds good but a metal wire cage would work too (their tails are not going to get tangled with out some help...), but a tank sounds good. =)Gerbils jump, so lids are a must. just make sure the lid isnt glass, it can be that wire meshy stuff though, because your gerbil will need ventilation.

just make sure you have plenty of bedding i suggest Carefresh because you hear bad things about the wood bedding and plus it's a little easier on their feet and fun to dig in.

You'll need a wheel, either plastic or metal is fine, but solid wheels are best because he could get his foot stuck in the holes. I suggest 2 wheels, 1 for each gerbil. You'll need a water bottle, one that works with a tank though, plastic isn't good for water bottles. Food dish, glass is good. A little hut, plastic is bad, because gerbils will chew everything. Salt licks to help him digest, cardboard or GERBIL SAFE wood to gnaw on to keep their teeth to a normal size. you'll also need an exercise ball for extra exercise, gerbils need lots of it.

You'll need to clean it maybe once or twice a week depending on how smelly your gerbils get. Just put them in a different safe place dump out the bedding and wash (NO SOAP) their toys, change their water and food whenever needed.

for a fun looking tank put in colorful wheels, food dishes, huts, ramps etc. Make fun things out of cardboard for them to chew. maybe make a hammock for them to sleep in if they dont like the hut... color is good! Have fun with it!! =)

I wouldn't take the wheel out while you're sleeping though, because let's remember that gerbils are nocturnal and will want to get most of their exercise done at night.

hope i helped! =)

It has to do with assertion of healthy activity ranges for the animals, how vast and how in a well timed fashion they are going to boost, what varieties of issues ought to in nice condition into the cage/tank, and how in a well timed fashion our surroundings gets grimy. contained concerning dissimilar animals residing at the same time consisting of gerbils, yet another ingredient is that if the cage is purely too small, the stress of constantly being in such close quarters would reason the animals to combat.

GERBILS!! I had some gerbils when i was younger. they are fun little pets but they require a little more maintenance than one would expect. you have to clean their housing unit about once every 7-10 day to keep it from smelling up your room and to keep them living in a healthy clean environment. its not to hard and takes about half hour or so. just take em out. put em somewhere safe, i had a smaller carrier made of plastic for them. dump all the little wood chips that you would use the line their tank.replace it with fresh wood chips. clean their little toys and tubes that they play in because they will probably pee and poop in them.

for a fun stimulating environment get some of the interlocking tubes that you would see at the pet store for them. i would suggest plastic, because its easy to clean but my gerbils chewed everything that was chewable! So be prepared that you might have to replace em everyone in a while. I would suggest a wheel for them, but be mindful of their tails. like hamsters they do enjoy running, but unlike hamsters they have long tails that could get caught if the wheel has gaps, like the metal wheels.

A glass tank is the best for them because they would probably chew through the plastic and get out, causing all sorts of problems. Especially in your closet, where they tend to chew little unsuspecting holes in your clothes!

I would suggest that you get more than one gerbil because they are pack/social animals and survive better in groups. You will see at night that they will cuddle up together in little balls on top of each other for warmth and comfort. Oh yea, get all one sex! Males tend to survive the longest and best together.

LAST, gerbils love to chew chew chew and they must chew to keep their teeth filed down. Some cheap safe chew toys for them are: the cardboard at the end of he toilet paper roll. my gerbils LOVED THAT ****! It was like Christmas every time i gave em one. Stock pile those babies and don't let your parents or siblings throw them away. Woodblocks are also good. they last longer than the cardboard, but it can get loud as hell at night if they start gnawing away at those things while you're sleeping. Trust me, they are chewing, not eating!

good luck, fun pets to watch when your bored.

p.s you might want to take the wheel out of the cage at night, because it can get very annoying if they're running while your sleeping, or you can just house them in a safe place with a steady temperature that's not your room

There are many different cages you can choose from. They dont smell alot so you can clean out their cage once or twice every two weeks. Make sure you get more than 1.

http://www.petsmart.com/product/index.jsp?productI...

http://www.petsmart.com/product/index.jsp?productI...

http://www.petsmart.com/product/index.jsp?productI...

those are some cages if you change your mind about the gallon tank.

http://www.petsmart.com/product/index.jsp?productI...

but i like this for a 10 gallon tank. it gives them space to run around and play in. so its half cage and half tank.

you can put several in a tank that sizes...when it comes to cleaning the tank, what i do is just clean it when it starts smelling... and if you don't clean it, yes it will stink....They sell little tunnels you can put in there, they like to sleep in there...

wtf a tank??

with water??

your trying to kill theem??