I've had my gerbils since February, well one of them. The other one I bought it in March =) Anyways, since I'm a new mom ^.^ I'm still getting the hang of it. Gerbils are a new thing here in PR. I've never heard of anyone else who's had one so the only one I can learn from is the internet. I just want to make sure everything I'm doing is alright and hopefully some of you can help me with little problems that I'm having. BTW their names are Speedy and Pepper %26lt;3
Things I believe I'm doing right
1. They live in a 10 gallon tank with a tank expander. They have enough space.
2. I use aspen bedding, before I used pine bedding and then I saw that Speedy was bleeding from his nose so I google it and found out it was the bedding. They say aspen bedding is the best.
3. Most of the time I'm taking classes and I'm always running late so I don't have time to give them food, let the bowl in the tank for a few minutes and then take it out. I just leave it there all day. I don't think that's such a big deal. I make sure they eat every little drop of the food I gave them so they have a good nutrition because they love sunflower seeds. That way I don't worry that they don't like the other seeds because they have to eat it or else I won't give them more food again.
4. I clean their tank weekly, sometimes earlier with dish soap
5. I recently bought them sand so they can take a dust bath. Although I'm not sure how much time it has to pass for them to take another...
6. Oh and they LOVE toilet paper tubes. I give them one daily, maybe even two. Depends how many I have.
Things I'm worried about:
1. They don't like carrots, apple, grapes, cheerios, strawberries, bread, cheese, raisins, egg andddd I don't remember what else I've tried that they don't like. I leave it there for two hours and then I take it out but they just smell it , maybe taste it, but they never take a bite. Is it because I didn't take out the food bowl? Oh they do love almonds but that's once a week -_-
2. They don't exercise at all! I tried the exercise ball! They hate it, plus they don't even move in it. When I fist bought Pepper and I had them separated, so they could get to know each other, he loved using the exercise wheel. Now, it's just a decoration! Speedy's never used it. Sometimes I let them out of the cage and they run all around my apartment (No worries, I make sure all doors are closed and that there's nothing they can't eat on the floor) but I'm getting new roommates. They're probably not going to like that. What should I do then?
3. Speedy is biting me. He never used to do that to me before. Is there something I can do to stop it?
4. I stay on my apartment for the week and then on weekends I go to my mom's house(1-1%26amp;1/2 hour away from my apartment) or my dad's house (2-2%26amp;1/2 hours away). I can't leave them alone in my apartment! They'll die so I have no other choice than to take them with me everywhere even to my dad's house because my mom's never wanted "rats" so she doesn't take care of them. I bought them and take care of them all by my own =) I keep the air conditioner in a cool temperature. Not so hot, but not freezing. Plus I put a blanket in top of their tank and I secure it with a seat belt. I always drive with music on, so I keep it at a low level. But is it wrong of me to do this? Could they become sick because of so much car traveling? I swear, there aren't any other gerbils that could have traveled more than mine.
Wow, this is long. meh, i'm just worried for them. Am I doing a good job so far?|||Try flavored wood blocks. You can also try soaking the blocks in boiled juice and then let the sit in the fridge for a few days. There is also something called hamsteroids which is grounded up sea shells in the shape of a block, there are different kinds of flavors and my gerbils love them! Make sure to use wood blocks from a pet store, that way you know there are no harmful chemicals or bugs on them.
1) Take your tank expander off and upgrade there cage to a 20 gallon tank or more. Gerbils will chew up your expander or even fall and die. Not to mention getting there little feet in the bars and breaking them.
2) Do not use wood shavings. They could contains mites. Wood shavings can also cause respiratory issues. I have two gerbils (Pancake and Waffle) and I use Refresh for their bedding.
3) It is fine to leave the bowl in, I do this with my gerbils too. Just make sure they get plenty of excesses!
4) Cleaning out the cage weekly is perfect. So is using a mild dish soap.
5) Dust baths are great for gerbils, they really enjoy it and it's great for their fur!
6) My gerbils go bonkers for toilet paper tubes! You can also put cerial boxes, tissue boxes etc. Just make sure to take the plastic out or off the boxes before you give it to them!
Things your worried about:
1) My gerbils can be pretty picky and do eat much fruits or veggies. You can try offering some melons, yogurt, other veggies etc in a separate dish. Just make sure you are feeding them a good diet.
2) Try building an obstacle course out of cardboard boxes and let them play with it in your bathtub. Hide some treats in the obstacle course for them to find! I went out a bought a bird playground for my gerbils and they love to play on it in the bath tub!
3) Try to handle Speedy more. Offer treats to him. Swish your hands in their bedding to get your scent on it. Make sure to wash your hands before you pick him up.
4) I lived in an apartment and it seemed like they were always spraying for bugs so I had to take my little friends with me! It is fine to travel with them and putting a blanket over the cage is perfectly fine but if possible try to cut some small holes in the blanket so the get fresh air or if you are going to put them in a tank just wrap the blanket around the tank don't put it over the lid. Make sure they are not sitting in direct sunlight either. Good job for buckling up your little buddies!
I think you are doing a great job especially asking questions, it's always nice to get advice from other gerbil owners and I hope that I answered all of your questions! Oh one thing I forgot to mention is to put some chew blocks from the pet store in there. Gerbils love to chew!!!|||you could add an extra layer into their cage and maybe half fill their food bowl and bury the rest along with some treats apart from that you are doing a great job and keep doing what you are doing|||u are doing great n u just being on here proves it that you care and r worried enough to check. gerbils are great animals and i really hope u enjoy them :) i have 2 gerbil females Maci and Angel
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