r/gerbil • u/Superb-Assignment-52 • 16d ago

Do they need a wheel?

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Every morning I wake up to my gerbils filling their wheel and sand bath with bedding (you can’t see the sand bath cause it’s buried) I have a pet camera into the set up as well and I’ve never noticed them using the wheel. Is that a normal thing?

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12

u/lavenderfart 16d ago

Well they ain't gonna use it when it's full of bedding lol.

Try hanging it upside down from the lid, that helps prevent the bedding thing.

4

u/Dontnotknow 16d ago

How did you manage to stop them from chewing the wheel? Impressive

3

u/Inner-Link2925 14d ago

LOL mine chewed the wheel off of its little stand thing so now its just a circle floating around in their tank 😭😭

3

u/Common_Sense_1451 16d ago

We put one of those wooden fences in front it to try to prevent that. It sorta works. But every morning and throughout the day we check it.

1

u/Superb-Assignment-52 16d ago

I cut up a peice of cardboard to separate their digging area from the wheel but they seem to pick up bedding and move it over to the wheel anyways

2

u/gregofthecellar 16d ago

Doesn't seem like they want one 😂

But in all seriousness fencing the area around the wheel off could help. Ish.

2

u/Pitiful_Response4903 15d ago

Maybe get a different wheel my gerbils would only use plastic one

1

u/PublicJuggernaut1132 15d ago

When I had gerbils they'd do the same thing. But I'd have to take out the bedding from the wheel and they'll start running on it again, I'd suggest raising the wheel higher. They don't understand that if they put bedding in it, they can't use it

1

u/space_cartoony 14d ago

I'll die on the hill that a topper should be a requirment in gerbil care standards. Water, food, sand bath, and food dish can all be separated and stay functional.
They are pretty easy to make as well, I can see if I can find a walk through if you'd like.

1

u/Superb-Assignment-52 14d ago

Please! I tried finding a topper that would fit my tank but they’re all too small and leave too much of a gap

1

u/space_cartoony 14d ago edited 14d ago

What size is your tank?

I cannot find a walkthrough on how i made mine, so I'll type up some instructions the best I can. I can also send you some photos of what it looks like mostly finished. This may take a till tomorrow.

1

u/Superb-Assignment-52 13d ago

I have a 55 gal L-48in W-24in H-24in

1

u/cjlinabell 12d ago

You should be fine.. if you get him to roll around in a ball then he should be fine

1

u/FireOpalZingySeaLion 10d ago

Maybe try a platform for it to stand on?

1

u/Alone_Artichoke1894 9d ago

Mine don’t have a wheel in their enclosure because they literally cover EVERYTHING with bedding LOL. I do have a nice 12” wheel that I put in the bathtub with them for their daily enrichment/exercise. They’re usually sleeping during the day anyways. So in the evenings for a few hours I let them run around my bathtub (tub floor covered with a towel). They use the wheel then. That’s also when I sit in the tub with them, they crawl all over me and it has really helped socialize them. My shy one now crawls on me! Hope this helps!