THE GERBIL
ABODE:
Katina and
Gergesa live in a basic 10 gallon glass aquarium, which is an acceptable
minimum-sized cage for two gerbils; I much prefer tanks over wire cages
for gerbils, who kick bedding around constantly, making a big mess in a
wire cage!
The wire top I made myself out
of wire; the wire spacings are too large for mice (5/8" x 5/8"), but fine
for the gerbils.
THE GERBIL
MENU:
The gerbils eat a basic hamster
seed mix; the "gerbil" mix sold by my local pet shop has way too many sunflower
seeds! Sunflower seeds are fattening and should only be fed sparingly.
They also get rodent lab block,
as well as "treats" like rice krispies and small pieces of bread.
GERBIL ENTERTAINMENT:
Gerbils are very active and playful,
and Katina and Gergesa are no exception. Gerbils enjoy toys that
they can climb on, climb into, dig underneath, and chew! Plastic,
store-bought toys, often expensive, are quickly destroyed; better alternatives
are store-bought wooden toys, or other harder-to-destroy toys (they'll
still be destroyed, it will just take longer) are less expensive; better
yet are free toys from around the house, like small boxes, cardboard tubes,
disposable plastic containers, empty jars and coffee cans, that sort of
thing.
Katina and Gergesa have a variety
of toys which they use with gusto! They periodically rearrange them
in the cage and work diligently at destroying them.