Should I??

[ChinnyMom]

hey folks,

was cruising the local online classifieds today. came across an ad for two female gerbils, cage, and accessories for free. turns out they are juts one floor above me in my apartment building!

my kiddo has been hankering for a gerbil for quite a while here. i did go up to see these cute lil gerbil girls tonight (mostly to confirm they are both female), they are both about a year old and they are very social and didn't even nibble at all when i put my hand down to them, just came to say hi to me and scampered on their merry little way. the person giving them away said i could let him know tomorrow evening if i'd be taking them or not.

i know that i would be the one doing the cage cleaning and such for them, even though they 'technically' would be my kiddo's gerbils. i have no problem with that at all. with all the stuff i have for Rhino, i'm pretty much set up already to add another rodent cage into the household. the current cage for these gerbils is actually a large plastic tub that looks to be about 8 gallon capacity. if they came here, they'd be upgraded to a 20 gallon 'long' aquarium with a mesh top (spare tank i have sitting around, and the mesh would be the old floor from Rhino's smaller cage).

should i get them???

and for all the people here on CnH that keep gerbils, any tips or tricks? i have had gerbils as a kid that lived pretty long and healthy lives. i also did a bit of additional reading on some gerbil forums tonight, and i am very confident in my rodent husbandry, but would like to hear what the current trends are with these furry lil cuties.

one thing i was wondering is if they would get enough nutrition from Oxbow chinchilla pellets? if need be, i would buy them a different food, but if i can feed them oxbow it would be easiest for me. i know they don't eat hay in quite the same quantity as a chin does, but i would give them a little hay to eat/nest in.

would they appreciate a small hammock made of fleece? i know they are burrowers for the most part, but a low slung hammock might be cosy for them?

thanks for 'listening' and for any tips/tricks y'all might have to share. i'm still on the fence about getting them, but i think i'm leaning towards yes already, lol!

 

[Pikaia]

I don't have any tips or tricks for gerbils, since I have never owned one!!! However, if you feel you can handle the gerbils in addition to your other pets- I say go for it!! I have always wanted dwarf hamsters. Whenever I venture to Petsmart, I always look at them- they are just toooo cute!! This is after I look at the chins tho

You really love your pets and take care of Rhino so well, I have no doubt these would be the most spoiled little gerbils around. LOL! If you do get them, make sure to post some pics for us

 

[minrex]

I wouldn't use a chin feed for gerbils. Scientific studies have shown that non-breeding adult gerbils, such as the ones you're considering, only need about 12% protein, and require 6-8% fat in their diet. Oxbow chin feed has something like 2.5% fat; not nearly enough. Go with a good gerbil-specific feed.

 

[Andrea]

My first pet was a gerbil and I absolutely adored her! She was a great little critter and it was an awesome learning experience for me as a young child learning the responsibility of pet ownership and care. I spoiled her rotten because she was my first baby.

Don't feed them chin pellets...each species requires a different formulation of nutrition. Mazuri makes a decent feed for gerbils/hamsters: http://www.petsmart.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2754062

Not sure about the fleece, my guess is that they would chew it to shreds. Gerbils are MAJOR chewers...way more so than chins in my experience and they build nests out of different materials...so they might want to rip up the fleece but I don't think it would be a danger to them.

Good luck!

 

[Jenn]

I have 2 male gerbils now, in a 55 gallon fishtank, with a mesh wire top, with a wooden area 1/2 way up that holds their food bowl, and wheel, and gives them access to their water bottle. Then I have totally filled it halfway with bedding. There are a ton of tunnels and toys in there for them, but they have been buried! They have dug all kinds of tunnels and open areas under the bedding, which I can view easily through the glass. They are such playful little critters, and they amuse me so much! I give them paper bags, toilet paper and paper towel rolls to destroy. They eat a gerbil/hamster mixture, plus the occasional fruit and veggie. I can't hold them like I could my hammie...they just have too much energy and with cats and dogs, I don't want them to get lost in the house. They are definitely my pets, very easy to care for, and a lot of fun!

 

[Ratchilla]

Did you end up getting them?

 

[ChinnyMom]

Did you end up getting them?

no, i didn't. my kiddo decided to throw a couple pretty big hissyfits that evening and the next day, so bad behaviour meant no new pets for her!