Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I am new to gerbils. Well will be new to gerbils. I am planning on getting a pair of these guys and wanted to ask a few questions.

I have kept and bred rodents before like rabbits and guinea pigs so I pretty much know my way around, but as with every knew species its best to ask questions to be prepared.

I plan on getting a male and female and wish to let them breed and have kids. My purpose of keeping gerbils are for pure enjoyment and to have some new models for the camera. I love taking photos of animals and its time to get to the small gute fuzzies.

My questions are:

-Will they utilize and eat (is it good for them) Hay?

-I live in Southern NJ, Atlantic County to zoom in a little, and was wondering if there are any breeders around my area, (Atlantic city, Berlin) that I can contact. My last resort to getting my new gerbils will be a petshop. I DO NOT LIKE BUYING ANIMALS FROM PETSHOPS!

-I make crafts myself out of wood and I want to know if pine or any other types of wood are gerbil safe?

Thanks alot everyone! I hope to frequent this forum once I get my new gerbils in their home wether they be little tykes or adults. I will post photos once I get them and they settle in.

Thanks in advance,

Lu

I can answer onew of your questions.. What I feed my gerbils is just regulare gerbil or hampster food, I'm not sure if hay is good for them but I'm not sure. Hope I helped!

i know how you feel about pet shops thought i had two bobs and two bettys but i got 4 bettys there wont be no babby factory here lol

as for hay mine Love it thay make a mess with it thought / it mixes in with the beding/ give it to them as a treat not as a food sorse

as for the toy pine is all right try not to use it as a bedding thought something about the dust and lung problems aspen ,yesterdays news, care fresh, corn cob are all good. NO cidar chips!!!!

I breed pied and mottled mongolian gerbils and have some rarer species of gerbil. If you are thinking of breeding look up some color genetics so you don't get just one color. Agouti is the easiest color to get and all over in petstores. The best cage for a pair of gerbils is a 10-20gallon tank or rubbermaid container as you can get lots more space for 1/10th the price. Pine isn't the best for gerbils to chew on but generally well dried and untreated pine boards make ok nesting boxes and toys. Gerbils benefit alot from a sand bath with either fine grain sand or you can use baking soda. Put it in a small fish bowl or something similar with a narrower top and wider base that way they can't kick out all over the cage. They eat any hamster/gerbil mix sometimes a hamster and gerbil food mix is better than just gerbil and rarely is it any worse for them. They also eat nuts like walnut pieces (unsalted) and enjoy some fresh fruits and vegetables on occasion. If they get too fat limit the amount of nuts and take sunflower seeds out of their food. If they are too skinny or for pregnant females cat food is good protein. They'll also eat meal worms or crickets and any type of cereal. It's funny to watch a little baby try to eat a cheerio or chase down a live cricket. They will eat some hay the rest they will chew up into bedding. Give them papertowls or ink free paper for nesting material especially pregnant gerbils. That's all I can think of at the moment.