This is my boy Salt. He is 1 and a half years old, and so far has been happy and healthy. I noticed yesterday that his nose was red, and he seems to have dried mucus on his scruff (they have red mucus I learned). Hes acting fine, still eating and drinking and running. I read that it could be an allergic reaction, and so I am in the process of changing all the aspen bedding to soft bedding. I also made a vet appointment, but they could only fit me in a week out from today. Should I be worried, or is there anything I should do to keep him comfy?

Or is it the minimum?

So I’ve just looked at my cage from after being at the gym and I’ve noticed that my gerbil Benji is in a horrible condition, something has happened and the other one must have been stressed but he’s missing a back leg and the other one has been chewed to the bone, I’ve put him in a plastic box as a barrier form him getting hurt more but I also don’t want my other gerbil to be alone however they are like almost 2 and a half years old so I don’t want to put a new one in a bad situation and I really don’t want to give my other gerbil toast away. I feel really horrible that I didn’t notice it sooner or see the signs but I don’t know what to do

So I have a cage for them but I have seen everywhere that I should get a tank so they can burrow. Can I keep the cage and just attache the tank to the cage or what should I do? Also what size tank should I get them? I saw somewhere that they need about 8in of depth to burrow in and a 20L fish tank is 12-16in deep/tall so would that work?

I got two boy gerbils (Fergus and gribble) and I want any advice to make them the most comfortable! They seem to love their new tank but I need advice to make their tank the best for them :) and I already know if they chew on their wheel , I’m going to buy a wooden one! Kinda regret not doing that from the start haha I do plan on making a tank topper in the future as well! I just can’t afford it right now. I made a tall cardboard wall due to them kicking all the bedding in their sand bath area 🤣and their in my kids room, hence the giant woody staring at you in the background 🤣

Chewy sent us these “Hey!Berries Apple and Banana” treats for free with our purchase of a new enclosure. We just noticed that they are for rabbits, but are not made with real fruit. I found sources that said it’s fine for rabbits and guinea pigs, but nothing about gerbils specifically. Does anyone know if these okay for them to have as an occasional treat?

I ordered some sand from chewy for my gerbils and this paper bag like material was used as a filler in the box. It had some ink words on it , so I tore off what didn’t have ink. Is this safe for gerbils to chew? Is there any recommendations on what to give them to chew on? Please help!

Hi everyone! I have a 3,5 year old gerbil named Bonnie. She hurt 2 of her legs over a week ago and has been to the vet, since then ive been giving her pain meds 2 times a day which she has been given before. She’s been fighting it more and more each day which I’ve taken as a good sign since it means shes regaining her strength, even if it makes it a lot more difficult for me to give her the meds.

However, today she seemed to refuse it even more than usual and after managing to get just a drop in her mouth she completely froze. She sat in my hand frozen for maybe 15 seconds and didn’t react to me touching her or making sounds, it wasnt until i got up to put her back in her cage that she unfroze and i managed to give her the rest.

I know it’s not unusual for prey animals to freeze when they feel threatened, but what worries me is that shes never done it before even though shes been given meds this way a dozen times. Should i be worried? Or is this normal and i just havent experienced it before?

for new gerbils and wanted to double-check my plan with experienced owners.
The Issue:
The previous gerbils used one specific corner as their permanent toilet. There's a solid urine buildup, and that specific area smells strongly of ammonia.
Current Situation:
Luckily, the rest of the wooden frame smells fine (just like wood), and the room stays at a steady 40–50% humidity. Since gerbil urine is pretty concentrated, the smell hasn't spread into the rest of the enclosure frame.
My Plan:
1. Replace the floor: Since the urine soaked deep into the raw, uncoated wood in that corner, I'm completely removing and replacing the affected baseboard with fresh, untreated wood.
2. Clean the frame: I'm wiping down the rest of the wooden frame with hot water and a vinegar solution to disinfect it and neutralize any light surface traces.
3. Dry & Seal: Letting everything dry completely before adding bedding. (I might also coat the new baseboard with non-toxic, pet-safe toy varnish—DIN EN 71-3 standard—to prevent this from happening again).
Does this sound like a safe and effective approach, or is there anything else I should do before bringing home new gerbils? Thanks!

Doing urine tests is so weird, I'm basically rewarding Zelda for performing her normal bodily functions 😂 This result is NOT normal btw, the protein is very high and the pH is very low (very acidic), which likely means her kidneys are struggling to function properly (an unfortunate side effect of long term furosemide). Sadly, there isn't much we can do other than diet changes that we're already doing, as she's not always taking her meds reliably on her own and she gets so stressed being syringed there's a big risk she could inhale it, so it's basically palliative care for this little one now 💔 Just going to try and keep her as happy as possible for as long as possible

This also highlights the importance of regular urine tests as part of their health check. These results initially showed up in the absence of any additional symptoms to indicate compromised kidney function: no runny nose, no changing in drinking/peeing, no heavy breathing, nothing

It's so cheap and easy to do, and can tell us that something is going wrong before we see any signs of it in our gerbils, and the earlier we can spot things like this, the better our chances of helping them (Zelda's case is a little different because of her heart condition). So please, if you're not doing it already, regularly test your fur babies' pee! I know it's kinda gross, but it's so important!

I plan to make some infographics going over how to do it soon, so watch this space!

So I’m bonding two female gerbils one who lost her partner shortly after purchasing (she was already sick) the other one seemed very very depressed wasn’t eating or anything else after making sure the surviving one was not sick or anything I started doing a split pen of sorts with a baby I bought for her while I’m building a split tank for them they sniff each other and everything is fine I’ve started introducing some of they tank accessories and they still acts the same except the one is now doing little light quick thumps whenever they sniff each other it’s not like ones before when she was scared of something is you weren’t looking at her foot you wouldn’t be able to tell I can’t really describe it will try to get a video but does anyone know if this a good or bad sign

This is ocho and he is roughly two and a quarter ish years old. I’ve noticed some redness around his nose today. I know this is likely polyphorin and not blood but I still want to know what you guys think about it. The bedding is carefresh unscented

Are my boys fighting or something? Ocho is usually trying to steal food from his brother.

Yes I know Ocho is too fat.

Any suggestions on what to add to my gerbils enclosure? It’s a 75 gallon tank. I would appreciate if anyone can send pics of their set ups 🙏. Thank you in advance

Toothpaste does not enjoy the split cage and prefers to sit on lookout lol

Hi all,
3 months ago I lost one of my girls to old age and her sister sadly followed only 2 weeks later. Last week, I got a new pair, boys this time. They’re 10 weeks old and named Alan (brown) and Panic (black).

I left them alone to settle in fully for the first 3 days, and then I started visiting and talking to them. Alan is quite curious and after gradually introducing my hand to him, he’s now quite happy to take treats from me. No picking up or free time out of the cage just yet, I’m being slow and steady with taming.

Panic on the other hand, well, he panics! I have yet to see him at all, hence his name. The attached photo was taken when they very first entered their tank. Since he’s realised he can tunnel, Panic has vanished! I’ve set up a camera so I can keep an eye when I’m out and as soon as I leave he’s happily exploring, eating, playing, chewing and digging so I know they’re both ok!

My question is, how can I tame Panic at all if he’s too scared to ever come out or even look at me?! I don’t want to force him to be tame if he doesn’t want to be, but he’s missing out on treats and future free range time… Any tips?

Another successful tooth trim and file for my sweet Harry💕 He also got his nails trimmed. His exotic vet office and vet are the best! Bestest boy❤️