- What can I do to make my gerbils less afraid of people?
- What types of toys and bedding are good, and how long will it take a gerbil to comfortable in a new home?
- How do you show a gerbil you love him or her?
- What things can I do with my gerbil?
- Do gerbils take sandbaths?
- What are the best types of food and bedding for my gerbils?
- Will a pair of female gerbils get along?
- Why is my gerbil's nose missing fur?
- Are female or male gerbils better?
- Older letters to Pippi
Hi,
My cousin has made my gerbils afraid of people. Even me. What can I do to help calm them down again? -A.B.
Hello A.B.,
This is Pippi. Thanks for writing to me and Nellie. I'm sorry to hear that your cousin made your gerbils so scared of people. Sometimes a couple of days is all it takes for us to get over whatever scares us. Other times, you may need to help us feel safe and tame again.
Do you remember how you treated your gerbils when they first came home? You gave them a little bit of space to get used to having people around. And you were very patient with them as they learned to trust you. Try to do some of these things again. Give your gerbils treats from your hand. Spend some time with your hand in the tank. Don't do anything. Just let your hand lie on the floor of the tank, with your palm up. After a while, your gerbils should get curious and come walk across your hand. Don't try to pick them up. Just give them time to explore your hand and feel safe. Find more ideas in the Hand-Tame Your Gerbils tip.
Once that your gerbils aren't quite so jumpy anymore, you might also help them learn to trust you again by letting them play in a dry bathtub with you. (Only do this if your parents say it's okay!)
I think if you give your gerbils time to calm down, they will learn to trust you again. Just take your time and be patient.
Your gerbil buddy,
- Pippi
Hi Pippi & Nellie,
What kind of toys do gerbils like, and what bedding is safe for gerbils? Also, how long does it take for a gerbil to get comfortable in a new home? -M.W.
Hi M.W.!
Thanks for your letter! We gerbils like a lot of toys, and many of them don't even cost anything! Make sure you give us lots of toilet paper tubes. We love run through toilet paper tubes, but more than anything, we like to chew toilet paper tubes into shreds. (We use the soft pieces of shredded cardboard to build a fluffy nest.)
Another great toy is a plain glass jar. Make sure you clean it out well with hot water, and then let it completely dry before giving it to your gerbils. Then put it in the tank, and your gerbils will have a lot of fun. Gerbils like to dig inside the jar, eat snacks inside the jar, and sometimes even sleep inside the jar. I will warn you that your gerbils will probably also use the jar as a bathroom. Just take the jar out every day or two, rinse it out really well with hot water, let it dry, and then you can give it back to your gerbils again. If your gerbils use the jar as a bathroom, though, it keeps the rest of the tank clean longer!
All of the gerbils at Twin Squeaks also like plain brown paper lunch sacks. We can crawl inside them, dig inside in the corners, chew them up, hide in them, stash our favorite treats in them, and hop on them.
Most gerbils also like exercise wheels. You can read about some safe wheels in our old Gerbil-Safe Wheels tip. There are also newer wheels available now (like the one Hope's standing on in the photo to the left) that have a wire mesh running surface. The wire mesh wheels are safe. It's just the wheels that have rungs like ladders that aren't safe.
You can read more about safe types of bedding in our old gerbil bedding tip. Our favorite type of bedding here is corncob, but a lot of gerbils also like beddings such as Carefresh or aspen.
It shouldn't take your gerbil too long to get used to a new home. It's just a good idea not to disrupt or chase gerbils too much when you first bring them home. Give them a day or so to get settled. Then you can start taming them slowly. You'll find several taming tips on the Tip Of The Month page.
Thanks again for writing to us!
Your furry friends,
- Pippi & Nellie
Dear Pippi & Nellie,
How do you show a gerbil you love it? -G.
Hello G.,
This is Nellie writing. :)
I'm so glad that you asked us how to tell a gerbil that you love him or her. Your gerbil is lucky that you care so much!
There are several ways to show your gerbils how you feel. One of the simplest is to give them fun things to do. For example, we love to chew up toilet paper tubes.
You can also hand-feed us treats. Gerbils love sunflower seeds, so you can pick the sunflower seeds out of your gerbil's food before you put it in the tank. Then, later, you can hand your gerbil one of the sunflower seeds as a snack! Just be careful not to feed your gerbil too many sunflower seeds. They are very fattening!
Some other treats that gerbils like are plain (not honey-flavored!!) Cheerios and Kashi 7 Whole Grain Puffs cereal. Pippi's favorite treats are Cheerios, but my favorite snack is Kashi cereal.
If your parents approve, you can let your gerbil play in a dry bathtub for some fun time outside the tank. You can read more about this in our Use Your Bathtub As A Gerbil Playground tip.
You'll also find a lot of great ideas for fun things to do with gerbils in our letter to R..
Finally, don't forget that one of the best ways to show your gerbil how you feel is to take good care of him or her. Clean the tank regularly, make sure there's always enough food and water, and make sure that he or she is healthy.
If you do these things, your gerbil should know how much you care. :)
Your pal,
- Nellie
Dear Pippi & Nellie,
I want to know what I can do with my gerbil in my spare time. I have nothing to do with him! All I do is hold him.
Your friend,
- V.D.
Hi R.,
Thanks for writing to us. :)
It's great that you want to find more ways to make your gerbil happy and have fun with him! We have some ideas for things that you can do with your gerbil.
First, you can build fun things for your gerbil to play with. For example, see our old Homemade Gerbil Furnishings tip, which shows how you can use plain Elmer's All-Purpose Non-Toxic Glue (the same type you use in school) to glue wooden gerbil toys together in fun ways so that your gerbil has an interesting place to climb and play. Just make sure that the glue is completely dry before you give the new toy to your gerbil.
You can also let your gerbil take a sandbath. This is fun for your gerbil, but it's also fun you watch your gerbil roll in the sand!
Your gerbil can also entertain you by making paper snowflakes. This is one of our favorite things to do. :)
If you have a chore that you don't want to do, you can make things much more fun for yourself and your gerbil. Just give your gerbil a toilet-paper tube and then have a race to see if he can finish shredding the tube before you finish your chore!
If you want more ways to play with your gerbil, if your parents say it's okay, you can let your gerbil have playtime in a dry bathtub. You can even sit in the tub with your gerbil and let him crawl over your feet and sit in your lap.
You can also consider building a gerbil playground for your gerbil. Just get a large, clean plastic storage tub and fill it with some type of bedding material. Then place cereal boxes, gerbil toys, cardboard tubes, and other fun (and safe) items in the tub for your gerbil to explore. While your gerbil's having fun exploring the plastic tub, you'll need to sit next to the tub and make sure he doesn't jump out. Your gerbil will really have fun playing for a while outside of his tank, though!
If you have more ideas for other ways to have fun and play with your gerbils, please let us know!
Your friends,
- Pippi & Nellie
Dear Pippi & Nellie,
Is it true that gerbils take sandbaths? Should I put a bowl of sand in there each week? -R.
Hello R.,
This is Nellie. Thanks for your letter. :)
Yes, gerbils love to take sandbaths! This is how we keep our fur clean. In the wild, gerbils live in the desert, where there isn't much water, so we can't take a bath in water. Instead, we roll in the sand, and this dusts off our fur and removes the oil from it. After a sandbath, we feel much better, and our fur is nice and soft and shiny.
Your pet gerbils can take a sandbath, too. Just get a small, shallow dish or bowl (cat bowls work great, and so do butter trays or small loaf pans). Then buy some Chinchilla sand, such as Super-Pet Chinchilla Bath Sand. Make sure you buy Chinchilla sand and not Chinchilla dust. The sand isn't as dusty, so your gerbils won't look powdery after their baths. Also, the Chinchilla dust is a little bit harder on your gerbils' lungs, because it's so fine and dusty.
You don't need to put much sand in the dish. Just a small layer is enough. Then place the dish in your gerbils' tank and wait for the fun to begin!
Sometimes, it takes a little while for gerbils to figure out what to do if it's their first time in the sand. Don't be surprised if they spend some time digging in the sand or even munching on the sand. (Don't worry. It won't hurt them if they eat a little bit of it.) Eventually, though, they figure out to flop onto their backs and roll in the sand.
You can read more about sandbaths in our Sandbaths For Gerbils tip. There is also a movie clip there of Suzie taking a sandbath. :)
If you read this letter before July 20th, 2006, take a minute to vote in this weeks' Gerbil Poll, because this week's question is about sandbaths!
I'm so glad that you took the time to write. Pippi and I were so happy to get your letter. :)
Your buddy,
- Nellie
Dear Pippi & Nellie,
What is the best food and bedding material that you can buy for gerbils? -M.
Hi M.,,
It was great to hear from you! Thanks for writing. :)
Gerbils who live in the wild eat a lot of seeds as well as some plant leaves. Wild gerbils also like to eat insects.
Because your gerbils are pets, they don't have to search the desert for seeds, plants, and insects. They're lucky, because you can make sure that they have food available whenever they need it and that they have the right balance of foods.
Most gerbil/hamster mixes in pet stores are very good, because they have the right mix of seeds, vegetables, and protein.. The bag of food should list the nutrient content. The American Gerbil Society suggests that you feed your gerbils a food mix that is approximately 12% protein and 7% fat. If your gerbils are more than 2 years old, they need a special diet. The American Gerbil Society suggests that these older gerbils get about 10.5% protein and only about 4% fat. To the right, you can see a photo of Tidy Tuft Gerbils' Spike eating from a gerbil food mix.
Here at Twin Squeaks, we get just a little bit of uncooked Kashi Pilaf or uncooked Red River Cereal mixed in with the store-bought gerbil food our owners buy.
Sunflower seeds are very fattening, but we gerbils love them. Almost all gerbil foods include sunflower seeds. It's a great idea to pick the sunflower seeds out of the food before you give it to your gerbils. Place the sunflower seeds in a small cup next to your gerbils' tank, and you can hand them a couple of sunflower seeds each day as a special treat. :)
Other great treats to feed your gerbils by hand include Cheerios (plain not Honey Nut), Kashi 7 Whole Grain Puffs Cereal (formerly called Puffed Kashi), pumpkin seeds, and unsweetened raisins.
You can find more information about gerbil foods in Twin Squeaks' Gerbil Food tip.
We also have a link with some information about types of gerbil bedding. In case you're curious, all of us here at Twin Squeaks live on corncob bedding. None of us are allergic to it, and we all have a lot of fun digging in it and kicking it around. We get lots of toilet paper tubes and plain white toilet paper to shred into soft fluff for nests. In the past, some gerbils at Twin Squeaks have lived on aspen, Carefresh, and Carefresh Ultra beddings.
Your pet pals,
- Pippi & Nellie
Dear Pippi,
What if you are looking for a breeder, and you can't find one? Will gerbils from pet stores be just as good and healthy?
Also, I was wondering if it would be better to get a pair of male or female gerbils? I love gerbils so I don't want them to fight. Will two females fight over spots if they are overprotective? My cousin has two males, and they get along great, so I'm wondering if females are OK or not. All the pet stores only have females for some odd reason!!
Your friend,
- C.N.B.
Hi C.N.B.!,
Thanks for writing to me! I'll try to help you choose a great pair of gerbils. :)
First, if you still want to adopt from a breeder, you might be able to find one through the American Gerbil Society's breeder listings.
If you can't find a breeder in your area, you could also check for gerbils at a shelter. You can find shelter gerbils in your area at PetFinder.com or the Open Directory Project's list of shelters.
There are both healthy and unhealthy gerbils who come from pet shops. For example, there was a gerbil here at Twin Squeaks named Lindsay who came from a pet shop, and she was sick and didn't live long at all. On the other hand, I came from a pet shop, and I'm over 3 1/2 years old now. That's a very good age for a gerbil, so as you can see, you can find a healthy gerbil at a pet shop if there aren't breeders in your area!
Nellie wrote a letter in May about how to tell if a gerbil is healthy. Here is a link to the letter about choosing a healthy gerbil.
You also asked about whether a pair of female gerbils will get along. You can never be sure that a pair of gerbils, either male or female, will get along forever. But if you adopt a pair of females who are already living together, they will probably get along just fine. Here at Twin Squeaks, Audrey and Ramona were sisters who lived their entire lives together and never fought. We included a photo of them with this letter. They were curled up, sleeping together. You can see how well they got along. :)
I lived with my sister Annika. And Hope and her sister Faith always got along, too.
Make sure that you only adopt two gerbils, because groups of three or more females often eventually fight.
You can help your pair of gerbils get along by always washing your hands before you put your hands in the tank and by using soap that doesn't smell. (Strange smells sometimes make gerbils fight.) If you do those things, there's a really good chance that a pair of females will get along great.
Your furry friend,
- Pippi
Hi Pippi!!! Hi Nellie!!!
I really like your Web site. O.K. Here it is!! My gerbil keeps peeling the hairs off her nose. I wonder why she's doing that? -N.
Hello N.!,
Thanks for writing to us! We're sorry that we couldn't write back sooner. We were home with a gerbil-sitter while the humans here were on vacation. We couldn't use the computer while they were away! We're very happy to have a chance to write to you now, though!
There are a couple of things that could cause your gerbil to lose the fur from her nose. First, does she live in a wire cage? If so, when she chews on the bars of the cage, the bars might be rubbing the fur off her nose. If you think this is what's happening, you can move her from a wire cage to a glass tank (a 10-gallon fish tank makes a great gerbil home).
Second, what type of bedding does your gerbil live on? If she's allergic to the bedding, she may get a sore nose (just like you do if you have a bad cold) and rub the fur off her nose. We knew a gerbil named Peek who used to have a sore nose whenever she lived on aspen bedding. After she switched to Carefresh (a paper-based bedding), her nose wasn't sore anymore!
Some bedding types to try are corncob (which you can find in the bird aisle of your pet shop), Carefresh, or Carefresh Ultra. Most gerbils aren't allergic to these bedding types, but you might have to experiment to find one that works for your gerbil. You can also use plain white shredded paper, but it will get stinky faster, so you'll have to clean the tank much more often if you use plain white paper.
We hope one of these suggestions will help your gerbil grow the fur back on her nose! Thanks again for writing to us. Tell your gerbil hi for us!
Your pals,
- Pippi & Nellie
Dear Pippi & Nellie,
In your own opinion, are female gerbils better than male, or are male gerbils better than female?? - C.N.
Hi C.N.,
Thanks for writing. Sorry that it took me a few days to get back to you. Things have been very busy at Twin Squeaks lately!
Both male and female gerbils are friendly and make nice pets, but there are some differences between them. Some people find that males are a little bit more mellow compared to females, who are very curious and always very active. However, there are plenty of calm females, and there are also plenty of very busy, active males.
Really, you should like either males or females. Both are a lot of fun to have as pets. The only really important difference is that if something ever happens to one of your gerbils, and you want to find a new friend for the other gerbil, it is easier to help a male gerbil make a new friend. Female gerbils are a little bit trickier to introduce.
Whether you decide to adopt male or female gerbils, though, I'm sure you'll love your pets! Thanks again for writing!
Your buddy,
- Pippi
Click the Ask A Question button below to send Pippi & Nellie your own gerbil question. Or click the Read Letters button to read older letters from Pippi & Nellie.
