gerbils, wired cages

Question
Hi, I own 2 gerbils (Which i am pretty sure are both female, According to the pet store owner)and I was wondering if different types of wire cages are all right for them to chew on? I have owned to hamsters in the past, Though this is my first time owning Gerbils, and I have had them for about 1 month and a half, so they are about 5 and a half months old. I need to know if I should get a new cage or not,cause I want to have these cute critters as  long as possible! Thanks for your time, Jenny

Answer
Hi Jenny

The main thing to remember with gerbils is that they chew all the time.  They need to in order to keep their teeth short and also they love burrowing.  Wire cages are OK for gerbils - the problem though is that it can get a bit messy.  To keep them occupied and interested you need to give them loads of cardboard to chew every day.  I usually get all my neighbors and friends to save up the inner of toilet rolls etc as these appear to be favorites with gerbils.  When they have chewed this, they use the chewed cardboard as bedding.  They love burrowing in this and I usually leave this in their cage for a few weeks at a time - only removing any soiled areas - so it gets quite deep.  The problem with a wire cage is that this goes everywhere.  

I used to have gerbils in a glass tank with various platforms and levels - which is ideal from their point of view, but it was a nuisance when cleaning out, and also the ventilation was poor as it was just through a mesh top.  The cage/tank I've currently got a gerbil in is designed especially for gerbils in that the bottom area is a plastic tank for them to burrow in, but there is a top section of wire.  This whole section lifts off to make cleaning out easy.  

Make sure that any toys they have are wooden so they can chew them - anything plastic disappears very quickly!  Also, gerbils don't have the same movement/flexibility as hamsters in that a hamster can pretty much change the shape of its body to fit through a tube - gerbils can't do this and they can get stuck if an opening is too small - so any tubes you give them, including cardboard ones to chew - make sure they are large enough.  If the cardboard is too small - slit it along the edge. My niece's gerbil got stuck in a cardboard tube once - it was all a bit traumatic, especially for the gerbil!

Hope this helps
Regards