Gerbil Ownership Experiences + Lessons Learned
For my gerbils, they LOVE to chew, and they chew through things fast. You need to be prepared to be constantly replacing or repairing their houses and chew toys.
To save money, I would buy popsicle sticks and glue them to the worn away edges of their house. I would repair their house once or twice a month and replace them maybe every 6 months or so. I had at least two houses on rotation so that they could have one while I repaired the last one. I had fun with it. Side note - if you like arts and crafts, I think gerbils are a great pet because they will love all of the wooden crafts that they have.
If you choose to do repairs glue is the easiest method because nails and staples can be dangerous if they are uncovered. With gerbils it’s more of a case of WHEN they’re uncovered. Make sure to use gerbil safe glue. I used Elmers, but I think that there are faster drying alternatives out there. Please do research.
Speaking of safe materials. Not all plastic is equal and not all wood is equal. Avoid plastic when you can, but there are hard plastics that are harder for them to chew and thus safer. I believe their wheel was acrylic, and I never had any issues with them chewing it. Their water bottle was a plastic too (a softer plastic unfortunately) but they didn’t chew it too much so I kept it in there. Overall the standard plastics aren’t so bad if they don’t chew it but make sure to watch them. There was someone on Facebook who’s gerbil chewed through they water bottle and died afterwards.
Not all wood is gerbil safe. Look up any new type of wood before you purchase. The ones that I used the most were kiln dried pine, birch, and oak. Popsicle sticks are usually birch. Most small wooden houses at the pet store are pine. Also make sure that there is no paint or staining on the wood as it’s toxic. I once accidentally bought stained wood. Fortunately they were fine, but it’s something I’m much more careful about now.
Softer woods will be chewed up faster. A tip for the houses - make them out of a harder wood. Once I switched their house from pine to oak, I stopped needing to replace them. It’s hard to find an oak gerbil house for market though. I bought a plank from home depot and built it myself.
For chew toys, cardboard is your best friend. Save your toilet paper rolls, paper towel rolls, shipping boxes. Arguably better than the chew toys you can get in stores. Although there are lots of fun and safe chew toys on the market as well. If they lose interest in a toy, you can often take the toy out for a couple days and then pop it back in. BOOM - good as brand new.
*Mistakes that I’ve made:
OMG invest in a quiet wheel. It is so worth it. I did not at first and it was so loud I couldn’t sleep. It is worth it believe me. Niteangel is a good brand.
Don’t use metal unless you’re okay with the gerbils doing band practice in the middle of the night. It’s gerbil safe, sturdy, and interesting, but soooooo loud. Maybe keep the metal for out of cage time 😅
I also wouldn’t put the enclosure in a bedroom if you can. I did for a year or so because I didn’t have the room. Even with a quiet wheel, the chewing is rather noisy as well.
They can get into smaller places than you expect. During free roam one day, one of my girls got under my closet door and hid behind the dresser in there. I spent upwards of an hour trying to get her out! I got a playpen after that. No true free roam ever again.
Gerbils can have allergies - keep dust levels low. One of mine started sneezing after I had used a cheaper brand of aspen shavings and I was freaking out about a potential URI. Switching the bedding resolved any issues
*Favorite memories:
Watching the gerbabies cuddling together ❤️
Watching them steal the wheel from each other 🤣
Watching them break open nuts and seeds 🤯
Admiring the gerbil-engineering 😮
Feeding them by hand 🥰
Having my own arts and crafts connoisseurs 👌🏽
Gerbils are very active. They are constantly digging, chewing, and rearranging their home. They’re a lot of fun to watch. They made my home office less lonely, and I miss them dearly.
*Being prepared:
Yes! Having a vet lined up is important! Rodents hide their illnesses until it is nearly too late, so you really don’t have the time to search for one when you need it.
Most vets do not see exotics and even exotic vets generally focus more on reptiles and birds. Have one lined up, so that you’re not calling 5 exotic vets asking if they have experience with gerbils on the day that your gerbil is sick.
*Many thanks to Miss Catherine Croft for sharing this thoughtful and helpful piece with WPL about her own experience in the lovable worlds of Gerbils and Guinea Pigs! And for her adorable picture of her furbabies too!
