Ask The Gerbils

Hallie and Smurf are happy to answer your questions about taking care of, playing with, taming, or getting to know your gerbils. However, if you have questions about breeding or gerbil babies, you should ask an experienced breeder, not Hallie and Smurf. For breeding questions, please see the American Gerbil Society or a site such as the Gerbil Breeding & Development page.

Thursday, September 24, 2009

Dear Hallie,

The past few nights I've had lots of trouble sleeping with my gerbils in my room. I have one of those crittertrail cages with those plastic tubes, and they like to chew on them.

I have plenty of chew toys in their cage for them to chew on. I know its normal for them to want to chew on stuff, but is there any way to keep them quiet at night?

Should I cover their cage, or do you have any other suggestions for me? I'm hoping not to have to buy one of those glass tanks, because I prefer the crittertrail. Please help me!

Sincerely,

Riley






Hi Riley,

Hallie the gerbilIt can be very difficult to keep your gerbils from making noise, especially if they’re chewing on plastic. But I do have a few suggestions.

You might try to give your gerbils a big handful of toilet paper sheets, paper towels, or Kleenex right before you go to bed. Make sure whatever you give them is plain white and does not have any lotions or perfumes.

Most gerbils will eagerly start shredding toilet paper sheets or paper towels when you put it in their home. This is a very quiet activity. You’ll just hear quiet little “rip, rip, rip!” sounds. And often, when gerbils are done shredding the toilet paper sheets or paper towels, they’ll carry the pieces they shredded back to their nest and take a nap. It’s worth a try!

The other thing you might do is feed your gerbils right before you go to bed instead of earlier in the day. That way, they’ll be busy eating snacks for a while instead of making noise.

One last thought: I know you really like your Crittertrail cage, but you might want to think about moving your gerbils into a tank. If your gerbils accidentally swallow any plastic, it can really hurt them, so if they’re really chewing on the plastic a lot, it might be safer for them to live in a glass tank. You’ll have to think about what you like about your gerbils’ current home and decide what type of home is the right one for you and your gerbils.

Thanks for writing! I hope your gerbils can find a quiet nighttime activity and let you get some rest! ;)

Your friend,
Hallie