Is it OK if I use pine shavings for bedding?

- C.S.

If you live in the United States, you should not use pine bedding. The pine bedding that is sold in the U.S. has chemicals that are very dangerous for young gerbils. Even if a gerbil doesn't get sick from the pine right away, the gerbil might get sick later, because pine can hurt a gerbil's organs.

If you live in England, it might be safe to use pine bedding. I have only lived in the United States, and I've never lived on pine bedding, but I've heard that England uses a different type of pine that is safer for gerbils.

You should never use cedar bedding. It is even more dangerous than pine.

Some safe beddings are:

• corncob bedding (found with bird supplies at the pet store)
  
  
• Carefresh or Carefresh Ultra (paper-based beddings)
  
  
• aspen bedding
  
  

You can read more about gerbil bedding in the Don't Use Cedar Or Pine Bedding tip.

I hope that helped! Thanks again for writing!

Your friend,

Pippi

I bought a male gerbil a couple of months ago.

He is not yet fully grown. He was still in the tank with his mother when we bought him.

The woman at the pet store said to pick them up by the tail, because that's what you are supposed to do and that they have strong tails, so it won't hurt them.

My gerbil, whose name is Joe, always runs away from me and bites me when I try to pick him up.

Is it too late to use the "gaining trust" techniques to try to have him be more comfortable??

- C.

Hi! Thanks for writing to me about your gerbil Joe. He sounds very little and cute. :)

You can pick most rodents up by the tail but not gerbils. You have probably seen people pick up mice by the tail, but you can see that the tip of a mouse's tail looks very different from the tip of a gerbil's tail.

Our tails have a fluffy tuft of fur at the end that will break off if someone grabs it. You can read more about how to pick up Joe safely in the How To Pick Up A Gerbil tip. (This afternoon, it was time for my tank cleaning, but I wasn't in the mood to come out of my tank. My human used the cup trick to get me out.)

I don't think it's too late to help Joe learn to trust you. Especially if he's so young. Here are some ideas:

• Take your time. If Joe isn't in the mood to play, don't chase him.
  
  
• Rub some of his bedding on your hands. This way, you will smell familiar to him.
  
  
• Hand Joe a few treats each day. Puffed Kashi cereal is a great (and healthy!) training treat.
  
  
• Try to rest your hand in the bottom of the tank without moving it for several minutes at a time. Even if Joe never comes to sit on your hand, he will get used to your hand being in his tank, and after several days, he should start to trust you more.
  
  
• Read the Hand Tame Your Gerbil tip for more ideas.
  
  

Good luck making friends with Joe! If you are very patient with him, I think he will learn to trust you.

Your friend,

Pippi

When do baby gerbils get fur? -S.H.

Thanks for your letter! I'm sorry I couldn't answer last week!

As you know, gerbils are born without any fur. They look like these newborns from Starry Hill Gerbils Kennel:

After a couple of days, gerbils get a tiny bit of fuzz. Here, a 4-week-old gerbil from Starry Hill Gerbils Kennel looks after her 2-day-old brothers and sisters. You can see some black fuzz on the backs. The older gerbil is only four weeks older than the squirmy babies. Gerbils grow up fast!

By the time we are about 7 days old, we have a thin coat of short fur like the pup below, from Sunray Gerbils Kennel:

When we are about 10 days old, we have enough fur that you can see what color we are. Here are some 10-day-old pups from Sunray Gerbils Kennel:

Thanks again for taking the time to write!

Your friend,

Pippi

What should I do, because I bought my gerbil a plastic Habitrail cage? I got Cosmo about 3 weeks ago, so he's not very old. I don't think my mom will let me buy an aquarium. Write back soon.

Sincerely,
*Confused*

Thanks for writing to me.

If you didn't already have a cage, I would tell you to buy a glass tank, because they are cheaper than plastic cages, don't get smelly as fast, have more room, and are harder for gerbils like me to escape from! ;)

Because you already have a plastic cage, though, if your mom doesn't want to buy a glass tank, the plastic cage will work. Check the corners, edges, and openings of the cage every day to make sure Cosmo isn't chewing a hole anywhere. Also, if your cage has plastic tubes, check them every day, too, to make sure that Cosmo isn't chewing his way out of the tubes.

You should also be careful not to knock the cage over, because it would probably pop apart, and Cosmo could get out.

If Cosmo chews a hole in his plastic cage and you need to get a new one, your mom might want to buy a glass tank. Replacing your plastic cage would cost about $40-$50, and replacing each plastic tube costs $3-$9. A new glass tank is as cheap as $9 at stores like Walmart and only costs about $10-$15 at a pet shop. You might also find a used tank at a garage sale for less than $5. (If you buy a used tank, clean it out really well.) You would still need a lid (about $10) and lid clamps (about $3).

If your mom doesn't want to buy a glass tank right now, that's OK. Just keep an eye on Cosmo's plastic cage. If you see any sign that he's chewing his way out, let your mom know so that she can decide what to do.

Say hi to Cosmo for me. :)

Your friend,

Pippi