Gerbials

Question
Hi, I read the question about bathing gerbils, I have sort of the same question, but it's different. I have two gerbils, Calaban and Antwonette. I clean their cage 1 to 2 times a week and put fresh food and water in their cage every other day. I change things around because I know that gerbils like change. I also put lots of fluff and paper in it so they can burry because gerbils are burrers. I keep their cage fairly clean but yet they smell. I used to give them baths with pet shampoo. After every time I bathed them in warm water I would wrap them in a gerbil sized towel and dry them mostly then use a cool hairdryer. They seemed to be fine. I was wondering if that is ok for gerbils and if I can continue bathing them the way I am. I haven't tried it in a while and they continue to smell. Is there another way to bathe them at home without buying a bunch of expensive items like the dust bather stuff. Please respond to me ASAP and I thank you for your time.
Sincerely,
-Sami

Answer
Hi Sami

I personally wouldn't bathe my gerbils in water/shampoo unless there was a medical reason to do this - i.e. some skin condition etc.  I would always use the dust bath.  I know that it can be a bit expensive especially as they manage to push most of it out of the container, but if you have a carry case/spare tank that is secure you could perhaps put their bath in this and transfer them into this for 1/2 an hour and let them bathe!  This way any dust that they spread out onto the floor of the tank can be recycled.  If you do this I would strongly advise that you keep a watch on them, especially if you don't usually use this container as if they see an opportunity to escape they will!

In terms of their cage smelling - I just wonder if this is because you clean them out so frequently.  I give mine loads of cardboad to chew and make bedding out of and they sleep in this.  They have a couple of platforms that have woodchip on and they tend to use one of these as a bathroom which I can easily clean weekly without disturbing them.  When the bedding is deep I remove some of it, but I don't do a total tank clean out that often - around every 3 weeks.  With hamsters, you do need to keep them cleaned weekly as they can smell especially if they have been hoarding food, but gerbils generally are a lot cleaner creatures.  If you clean them too often they can keep re-scenting their cage and this could be why they smell more.  If you think you can stand it, why not leave it for a week or just over and see if the smell is any better or worse. It might be worth experimenting.  

I hope this helps you.

Regards
Sheila