Content

• Steps
• Part 1 of 5: Choosing an Aquarium
• Part 2 of 5: Make the floors
• Part 3 of 5: Litter
• Part 4 of 5: Water and Food
• Part 5 of 5: Entertainment
• Tips
• Warnings
• What do you need

Unlike hamsters, gerbils thrive best in glass aquariums, which are usually used to keep fish. Since gerbils love to dig in wood shavings, a glass aquarium will be very practical to keep the shavings from spilling out. Glass aquariums are suitable for both fish and gerbils.

Steps

Part 1 of 5: Choosing an Aquarium

1. 1 Buy a new or clean your old aquarium. If you don't have an aquarium, buy or find one somewhere. Ask a friend if anyone has an unnecessary aquarium, or buy it at a sale. You can also search for aquarium on sites like Ebay or Craigslist. Finally, you can simply buy the aquarium from the pet store for the full price.
   • If you've had fish in the past and left behind an aquarium, clean it with detergent. Clean your tank properly and make sure you completely remove any detergent chemicals that could harm your gerbils later on. Finally, dry the aquarium very well.
2. 2 The aquarium must be of a suitable size:
   • 38 liters for 1-2 gerbils
   • 57 liters for 3 gerbils
   • 76 liters for 4 gerbils
   • 114 liters for 6 gerbils.
3. 3 Get an aquarium cover. You will need an aquarium cover to keep your gerbils from escaping. The regular lids supplied with aquariums should not be used as they will prevent your gerbils from breathing. Instead, you need a mesh or wire lid. If possible, this should be a retractable door that allows rodents to feed easily. These covers are often used for snake aquariums.

Part 2 of 5: Make the floors

This is best with small aquariums, but you can try larger sizes.

1. 1 Collect a Large Piece of Plexiglass.
2. 2 Cut the glass to fit your aquarium. Cut as many pieces as you would like to have shelves.Get help if you've never cut glass before: you can easily cut yourself if you don't know how to do it. Use a sharp cutter as it is dangerous to use a blunt cutter.
3. 3 Apply the silicone strip at the level where you want to make the new floor. Insert the glass shelf at this level. Pinch it and hold it until the glue dries.
4. 4 Make a new silicone strip. Secure the second shelf. Let dry.
5. 5 Make as many shelves as needed.

Part 3 of 5: Litter

1. 1 Buy bedding. For gerbils, wood shavings are fine as bedding, but pellets can also be used. Gerbils' feces do not have a strong odor, so the litter does not need to be soaked with anything flavoring.
   • It is recommended to use shavings Aspen.
   • Do not use pine or cedar bedding. Cedar thorns will prick the paws of rodents, and from urine, the cedar begins to emit harmful substances. Pine is soft, but it also emits harmful substances. Using cedar or pine bedding can cause breathing and stomach problems in gerbils.
   • Never use torn newspapers as bedding.

Part 4 of 5: Water and Food

1. 1 Attach a water bottle and a holder for it. To quench your gerbils' thirst, you will need to purchase a special bottle with a holder. They are sold in pet stores in different sizes. The bottle does not have to be specialized for gerbils - a bottle for hamsters, rats, or mice will do. You will need a bottle holder to make it easier to get and change it. You can also buy it at a pet store.
2. 2 Place a food bowl inside. You can buy a bowl, or you can use a regular bowl that you can find in your home. Wash it thoroughly before placing it in the cage. Use a glass, ceramic, or metal bowl - they will chew through the plastic one. Some people enjoy watching gerbils collect food scattered throughout the cage.

Part 5 of 5: Entertainment

1. 1 Add some fun! Gerbils are very active creatures, they love to play. Again, avoid using plastic as they will chew through it. The most popular toy for gerbils is the wheel. The wheel must have a mesh and no metal bars. The gerbil's tail can get stuck between metal bars, and the mesh can cause pain in the legs. You can buy toys for rodents at a pet store.

Tips

• Other benefits of using aquariums instead of wire cages include:
  • In an aquarium, a gerbil's tail cannot be shot between the wire bars.
  • If your gerbil chews on the bars of the cage, it can damage the brain or teeth, which can be prevented by using an aquarium.
  • Getting out of the aquarium is more difficult.
• Clean the tank every 2 weeks or when it gets dirty and smelly. If an old male (over 2 years old) lives in the aquarium, the cage should be cleaned once a week.

Warnings

• Gerbils are likely to chew through all the insulation in the tank, so it can no longer be used for fish as it will leak.

What do you need

• Glass aquarium
• Wire or mesh cover
• Litter
• Bottle for water
• Bottle holder
• Food bowl
• Food for gerbils
• Rodent toys