questions

[Mitchandozzie]

hi .
i need to know since i might be gettin a gerbil, how many do i need to get?
can u keep two males together? can they eat hamster food? are they more active in the day or night? can they go in the hamster tubes (a little more then your thumb and forefinger in a circle)?
any other info would be great thnx!

[gerbilheaven]

Hi,

First congrats on your new companions.

1-) Yes gerbils need to have a companion. Anymore than 2 and you can run into dominance issues once they get around 6 months so I'd suggest two males or two females.
2-) Yes they can eat hamster food. Usually the package will say Hamster/Gerbil Food anyway.
3-) Gerbils are equally active in the day and night. Most of mine are sleeping in the morning when I get up but up around the middle of the day on through part of the night.
4-) If you are talking about habitrail tubes they love them, just love them. Problem comes with plastic. Keep in mind anything plastic, cardboard or remotely chewable will be chewed.

You should give them things to chew on like wood or cardboard. Please don't use pine or cedar shavings as they do kill. They cause respiratory infections. Another suggestion is to try to find a breeder in your area to get pups from since they'll be well on the way to hand tame then. Good luck and keep us updated on your decision!

Ashley

[Mitchandozzie]

yah i was talkin about the habitrail tubes, and do u think it would be ok if u kept the 2 in a normal hamster cage or do u need a bigger 1?

[gerbilheaven]

If its one thats close to the size of a 10-gallon aquarium then yes it would be fine. If its half that then I wouldn't. Also, it depends on how many tubes and tunnels you have. They'll get a lot of their exercise in the tubes so if you have tons of tubes and things then yes they'd be ok.
Ashley

[Mitchandozzie]

i have 1 big long tube that leads to a loft thingy and a curved tube thatleads to a tower. i dont know if its as big as a ten gallon tanl hough. i do know that its a habitrail safari hamster cage.

[gerbilheaven]

As long as there are a lot of tubes it should be ok.

[Mitchandozzie]

ok thnx i was gonna get a gerbil instaed of my hammy but all my friends have hammys and so i just got 1.im gettin gerbils next time tho

[gerbilheaven]

They would most likely be fine.