Pet Gerbil: Types of Habitats

Wire cages

There is a wide variety of models on the market for your pet gerbil. Almost all of them come prepared with a plastic bottom deck for easy cleaning and to prevent sawdust from falling out. However, it is always possible that digging will lift them high enough to throw them out of the cage.

There are those with several stories in height and others with levels inside that do not cover the entire surface and that are connected by ramps or tunnels. This makes it easy for them to exercise and have fun. But it is always important to remember that there should be room for pet gerbil toys.

The most important thing about a cage is the distance between the bars, if the head fits through them, so will the rest of the body. Some cages have horizontal barred walls. This allows your pet gerbil to have fun climbing.

Keep in mind that gerbils tend to scratch. If they live in a cage they can throw out all the substrate. In addition, it is common for them to gnaw on the bars of the cage. This can be annoying for the human and harmful for the pet gerbil. It is important to remember that, in the case of a barred floor, it must be covered to prevent the legs from getting into the grates and possibly causing them some damage. 

Glass Aquariums

Being used as a terrarium, they can create an interesting habitat but they usually have a single floor and therefore little space for toys and leisure.

Although they are easy to clean and disinfect, they do not have good ventilation. Since they are only open through the roof, which is usually covered with a strong metal mesh that prevents possible leaks. They have the advantage of allowing you to create a deep layer of litter so that your pet gerbils can dig at ease without throwing anything out.

Plastic cages for your Pet Gerbil

They have become very fashionable for hamsters because they allow complete vision. They have a removable deep tray to allow placement of the substrate bed and the walls and ceiling are made of clear acrylic. Some are made up of several levels and tunnels to pass from one to another.

Their advantages, in general, are similar to those of glass aquariums with the exception that they are lighter and cheaper. However, they present a much greater disadvantage. Like all rodents, pet gerbils have strong teeth that they use for gnawing. For this reason, special care must be taken with the plastic elements that are introduced into their habitat. They will undoubtedly gnaw them until they are destroyed. In fact, this is the main reason we do not recommend using a plastic habitat. Gerbils can poke holes in walls and escape. Furthermore, these habitats are poorly ventilated and accumulate odor very quickly.

Plastic modules

There are some modular cage systems that allow you to create tunnel mazes with multiple rooms. They are used a lot for hamsters and gerbils could also benefit from them. It is the habitat that most resembles natural burrows, but it involves many disadvantages:

• They are usually more prepared for dwarf hamsters, so they can be a bit small for pet gerbils.
• The ventilation is not good as there are so many tunnels and a mixture of closed rooms.
• Cleaning can be very difficult.
• Some parts can be inaccessible, which is sometimes a problem when you want to catch the animal.
• Many parts are plastic and therefore present the same problem as plastic cages: your gerbil could easily make a hole.

Special cages for rodents, including your pet gerbil

For rodents, especially your pet gerbil, are some special cages that are a terrarium and cage composition. They have the first floor in the terrarium. Also with the floor filled with substrate and the house for them to sleep, which has a ramp to a second cage floor. It’s well hooked to the surface of the aquarium, where different toys and levels with ramps or tunnels can be located.

There are also some interesting wooden habitats on the market with certain similarities to aquariums. They are built with wood for the bottom, floor, and corners (all that is the structure). But they have three of the four glass walls and a metal mesh roof that allows breathing. Some have several floors or levels, as if you were walking through the balcony of a second floor, all with wooden floors and ramps of the same material to go from one to another. They also usually have at least a couple of doors to open them. One is usually the roof that can be raised like a trunk lid and the other is usually a door on one side that. Like the roof, has hinges on one of the corners to open like a normal door.

Depending on the characteristics of each one, the ventilation may be better or worse, but cleaning is not complicated due to the different accesses. In return, they allow you to have an entertaining habitat where you can have fun.