10 gallon glass aquarium tank (for 2-3 gerbils; 20 gallon long
style for 4 -5 gerbils)
Lid (often in reptile section)
Clips
Water bottle
Water bottle holder
Gerbil food (14% protein minimum)
Bedding - Paper-based (Carefresh, Eco-bedding),
aspen or corncob (check bird aisle!). No pine or cedar!
Chinchilla dust or sand
Timothy hay
Wheel - 8" - solid plastic or metal mesh
Optional but very useful:
stick-on
aquarium thermometer
medium or larger Kritter-Keeper
Any of these solid plastic or metal mesh wheels are fine for gerbils. The
ideal size is 8", like the ones in the middle and on the right. A 4" wheel is too small.
Plastic wheels are easy to ruin with chewing. Do not
let your gerbil use a wheel in which he has chewed large holes. Gerbils can and have
gotten stuck and killed. The trade-offs are: metal mesh is cheaper and holds up to chewing, but it
is squeakier and wires can come loose, putting your gerbil at risk for a foot injury. Plastic will most likely
be destroyed. A Wodent Wheel at least has replaceable parts. You may have to try a few wheels to see how
much your gerbils will chew their wheel.
Avoid metal slatted wheels like this one! These are for tailless hamsters.
Your gerbil can easily catch his tail in this sort of wheel and lose it, leading to
a painful injury and a $100 vet bill for tail amputation!
From the Household
Cardboard boxes that contained food; no plastic on them whatsoever
Sprinkle in 2-3 tablespoons of food into their bedding
Add some toilet paper for nest-making
If you are transporting gerbils in their new tank, remove water
bottle for car ride and give them a carrot.
Discuss safe gerbil handling and supervision rules with children (more...)
The best water bottle will depend on the tenacity of your gerbils’ chewing.
On the left, the Oasis bottle is made from very strong plastic and metal. However, the metal tank hanger is
brittle and breaks easily when resized. Second from left, the Quick Quench from Petco is very hard for gerbils
to “hang” on and virtually unchewable except for the thin metal hanger, which can be easily replaced
with a bent paper clip. A clear plastic bottle (center) is attractive and easy to see the fill level, but without
a protective metal hood, it is easily destroyed by chewing. A standard metal holder (second from right) will protect it,
but the metal tank hanger can be chewed through.
For the most incorrigible chewers, a glass water bottle (Internet order) in a
galvanized metal holder is virtually indestructible - but most holders don’t fit this heavy bottle well,
making it a danger should it fall from its stand. To fix this, use a metal band from the hardware store to secure it
to its holder.
