Choosing and Cleaning Your Gerbils Cage

Gerbils love to chew. They must do his to keep their constantly growing teeth worn down. If not kept in their cage, they will chew your furniture, carpet, and even through cords. These cords could electrocute them, or even start a fire. This is why letting your gerbils run free through the house is a bad idea.

Also, it is not a good idea to keep them in a plastic or wooden cage. They can chew right through and roam the house, making it difficult to find and catch them.

The best choices for a gerbil's cage would be a glass cage or aquarium, or a wire cage.

Wire cages are easy to clean and easy to carry, but also causes more mess. The bedding and seed can fall through the bars and scatter around the outside of the cage. This causes you to constantly clean and sweep around them. If you do choose a wire cage, you will want to pick one with small gaps between the bars so your gerbils can't sneak out. And if the bars get bent open wider, the gerbils could try to escape, or if you're breeding, little babies could fall out through the gaps.

Glass tanks, like aquariums (fish tanks), make viewing your gerbils more enjoyable, because of it's clear sides. Babies and litter can't squeeze through this type. However, when gerbils jump, they tend to jump high. If you choose this cage you will need to put a wire-mesh cover on the top as a lid. This will also plenty of air to enter the cage and to prevent them from jumping out. Just be sure to keep the lid secure and to keep other animals and children from getting into the tank. (As with any cage you choose)

There are a lot of cages with different features and accessories at your local pet shops. Just look for the ones that specifically say "gerbil" or "small animal" right on the box. Or if you're not sure, ask someone who works there for the best option.

Keep the cage out in the open so they get plenty of attention. You don't want to put them in a place that you might forget about them. Also making sure they are safe from other pets and children. Don't put your cage in direct sunlight, in a cold garage or basement, over a radiator, near a lit fireplace, or anywhere that may get too hot or too cold. Keep in mind, gerbils don't like cold and drafty areas. Careful if you put it on the floor, and isn't in a position where it could be knocked over or kicked.

CLEANING THE GERBIL CAGE

You will want to clean the cage every two weeks or more, depending on how many gerbils occupy the same cage. Or you could smell inside, if it stinks, it will need changed.

To clean the cage and accessories, be sure to use mild soap. Scrub everything, even the corners and sides, this helps to get the pet smells out. After scrubbing it clean, it needs to be rinsed well and dried completely. If it's still wet when you refill the bedding, it'll soak up the water and cause it to smell and be soggy.

Litter (bedding) must be placed on the bottom of the cage. A variety of bedding is available to choose from at any pet store. The best choice I have found so far, is wood chips. These wood chips give your pets not only something comfortable for them to lay on, but also plenty to chew on. They file down their teeth and chew the chips until it's dust, they're not destroying the bedding, it's only natural for them to chew on. It's safe and they enjoy it.

While cleaning the cage, you will need another place to hold your gerbils. Some suggestions are, another cage, a small animal exercise ball, a travel home, or any safe place that they can not escape from.

Gerbils rarely stink, unless the cage goes too long without being properly cleaned or too many gerbils occupy the cage, but in case the smell becomes a problem, contact your pet store. Ask them what gerbil safe product you can use to help control that problem.

Gerbils make great pets, they are very social, fun to play with, easy to take care of, and a great choice for anyone learning responsibility and needs an easy pet to start off with.