Rescue Gerbil

Question
Hi Charlotte, I have several questions I hope you'll be able to help me with if you have time. Three weeks ago I adopted a male adult gerbil who had been abandoned, "Sam". I just want to make sure that I'm making him as happy as possible after his tough start in life. His coat has really improved it is very sleek now and he is eating like a little piggy. His eyes are bright and clear. I'm not sure how old he is, he sleeps quite a bit, what would normal activity levels be for a middle age gerbil? What's their routine, if there is such a thing? I have a hamster but I realize their schedules are very different. Next, I noticed that the skin around his nostrils is a little irritated looking, doesn't look moist, just red, he doesn't seem to fuss with it and all the fur around his nose looks clean and fuzzy. I used carefresh ultra bedding the first week. His nose seemed to get red after I adopted him, I don't know if it's the bedding or the fact he was very actively rearranging things in his new environment. He had been in a very small space with no toys. I was advised to switch to aspen shavings which I did, he seems fine with it, is that a better choice? As far as food; how much water should he drink? How much food should I make available to him?  He hasn't really chosen a bathroom spot yet, but I noticed that when I put some chinchilla sand in a shallow plate he used that for his bathroom, but he also licked the sand! Is it okay to leave a little sand in a dish in the cage all the time or will it irritate his respiratory system? He's not tame at all but he's taking seeds from my hand now and he let me rub behind his ears with my finger for the first time today! I've read quite a bit but so much of the info. varies...I would be grateful for any advice that you have to offer. I want to make him happy without stressing him out further. His new home is a wire cage with a metal tray bottom 63x33x33 cm. He doesn't chew on the bars at all, he has a variety of caves and tunnels to explore as well as a solid tail-safe wheel. Thanks for your time:-)

Answer
Hi there,

You sound as though you are doing a fab job!!!
Firstl the don't really have a set routine, but you will find they are very different to Hamsters. Gerbils will have an hour or so of active play, and then an hour or so of sleep, and this cycle will continue day and night. They don't sleep at any certain time of the day!
With regards to his nose he may a bit stressed at the move and the settling in, and should go back to normal. Their noses are never really wet anyway. Do keep an eye on it and if it begins to look sore, or if it bleeds a lot then maybe get it checked out but for now i do not think it is anything to worry about!
Aspen shavings is a good idea as it is said that some shavings can cause respiratoy problems and allergic reactions in Gerbils.
You probably won't notice him drinking all that much water as they are desert animals, and so in the wild do not have much opportunity to get any.
Food you should always have some available to him, i tend to top my mine up every other day. You don't want to do it all the time otherwise he will become selective about what he eats, and will only choose the fatty foods.
Again, with the Chinchilla sand this won't cause a problem as the natural habitat is sand so you can leave this in permanently if you wish. It is very good for their coats as it removes extra oil from the skin, as you have also mentioned they seem to like using it as a toilet!

I hope all this helps, and please don't hesitate to ask my advice again if you have any more questions at all!

Good Luck!

Charlie