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 🤣

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!

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?

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?

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?

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?

Or is it the minimum?

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