I should also point out that plastic tubs aren't suitable as permanent homes due to the chew out risk & not meeting the minimum 100x50x50cm requirements for gerbils, but they can work well as temporary homes until you're able to get a suitable sized glass tank. This method for making the topper platform can also work for glass tanks too ☺️ Additionally: wire floors should be covered with something like cardboard, seagrass matts or tiles and bendy bridges And any exposed wood that water or urine can get to should be covered in a pet safe sealant like Plastikote to protect against water damage and mould: amzn.to/3PxwLCf (affiliate link) If you want this guide in text format, you can download it here: petconnectioninternational.ck.page/c56b62af3c 😊 For bonus content, check out the blooper reel for this video: 🎬 youtu.be/Pz7Xkv1a

I love this video. I've watched it several times. I think I'm ready to make my own.

Awesome Diy!

@PetConnectionInternational

2 жыл бұрын

Thank you! I'm glad you liked it 😊

DIY THANK YOU❤🎉

Ooh I’m getting one very nice 🤠

@PetConnectionInternational

Жыл бұрын

Thanks, I'm glad you found the video useful ☺️

Look like max from two broke girls

Helpful vid, thank you :). I currently have a 95cm x 40cm x 40cm tank and am thinking of upgrading. I am either thinking the Ikea detolf which will add a lot more length but no extra height, or do a cage topper on my current set up which will provide height but no extra width... do you think Gerbils would generally prefer one or the other?

@PetConnectionInternational

Жыл бұрын

I would go for the topper option personally so you can completely fill the burrow space ☺️ The recommended size for a base tank (and legal minimum in Switzerland) is 100x50x50cm, so your tank is almost there, adding a topper would give them loads of extra usable space 🙂

This is an epic video!! I have a large guinea pig cage, 620sq inches of floor space, the bottom is plastic and is 6” deep. Could this be filled with bedding and serve as a decent size for two gerbils? Thanks so so much!!

@PetConnectionInternational

2 жыл бұрын

Thanks! I think a 6 inch base is way too shallow for gerbils, they need a minimum of 10 inches of bedding with 2 inches room above that for them to be able to stand on top of the bedding without hitting their heads on the topper, so the base really needs to be at least 12 inches deep in total to give you enough room for the bedding they need, so I'd maybe look into getting a large plastic tub or glass tank to upgrade your base, but the size of the topper is great! ☺️

@animalcrossingnerd8142

Жыл бұрын

620sq" for a Guinea pig?!? Thats not large

thank you for this! Don't they need more ventilation in the tub?

@PetConnectionInternational

Жыл бұрын

About 50% of the top is open, along with air being able to get along the sides from the topper, plus gerbils produce very little urine and I use very absorbent bedding, so there's virtually no ammonia build up, even with 2-3 months between tank cleans 🙂

hi, I know you love gerbils and care about them but I just want to say that runged platforms and ladders are dangerous as although their feet aren't a soft as a hamster's, they can still trap toes, limbs or tails. my gerbil actually broke his leg on a runged platform and sadly died.

@PetConnectionInternational

2 жыл бұрын

I believe I mentioned that in the video, or perhaps it was in the gerbil care video, I suggested either covering the platforms or replacing them with wood platforms, you can see how I've changed my setup in my cage setup videos 🙂

Very good video for youngsters who clearly now often feel guilty and under pressure. The (unofficial) requirements seem to change each year. 775" square means anyone with a 40/50/55 gallon tank even with a topper are now being told it's too small for 2 gerbils. It'll probably be 1000" square next year! When it comes to raising animal care standards I suspect constantly pushing the "minimum" up will be counterproductive and many people will sadly disregard all the wonderful information out there.

@PetConnectionInternational

2 жыл бұрын

Thanks for your comment 😊 and some studies may be flawed yes, but as wild gerbils have burrows that are over 1m deep and 4/5 meters wide, I'd argue that the 0.5m is the very least we can do for them. My aim with sharing this was to have an identifiable "goal" to aim for with sizing, so that the end point of care isn't too small, but care is a journey and it can take time to get there. I myself have an enclosure that's only around 0.36m, while I save up for a bigger thank. Also based on the dimensions I can find a 40 gallon would give around 0.4m floorspace, so nearly there (even bigger than mine atm), and a 50 gallon works out at over 1m squared, so more than double! I think a 40 gallon is a fine start, and it's what most others recommend, but go bigger if you can. 20 gallon that the US recommends is way too small, and the requirements don't go far enough there, so I would strongly recommend against anything this small, it's just nowhere near big enough for what they need

@louisec9935

2 жыл бұрын

@@PetConnectionInternational I think some 50 gallons have the same footprint as a 40 but are taller. Unfortunately, many people still keep hamsters and gerbils in tiny tanks and cages like the horrible Qute cage. I think they might be more likely to upgrade if they don't feel overwhelmed thinking it's only good enough if they have a 100 x 50cm+ cage or 75 gallon tank with 40cm+ bedding. It's sad to see young people worried and anxious because they can't recreate the amazing setups on KZread. They may never be able to upgrade due to money, space or other issues and too often people are shamed for this on-line (not usually by KZreadrs themselves). Looking at Amazon cage reviews it's clear even some Germans don't meet their own high standards! I agree some kind of minimum is needed to keep healthy, happy gerbils and 20 gallons is too small. I think it probably would help if the RSPCA brought back much clearer guidelines.

@louisec9935

2 жыл бұрын

Just to add, the German reviews were for cages similar to the Falco 80 for two gerbils or 80 x 50cm hamster cages (usually for one dwarf hamster, definitely not Syrians). I'm sure they never use the teeny cages that make you feel claustrophobic just looking at them.

@robogreifer

Жыл бұрын

The author of that article has a lot of very terrible takes on various animal-related issues, including that wild animals are OK to keep as pets, and that article was no exception, as they concluded that abysmally small cages are OK if you add more enrichment. You’re right that we don’t have much science behind minimum cage sizes, but what we do have is minimums developed by people in the hobby from years of observation. It will continue to change, as all pet standards should, as we learn more and more about the animals in question. Kids also need to learn about choosing not to do something because you don’t have the proper resources. Allowing an animal to potentially suffer just to keep from hurting their feelings doesn’t do them any good.

@louisec9935

Жыл бұрын

@@robogreifer I agree with you but I don't think one dwarf hamster or 2 gerbils will "suffer" if they are in a 40 gallon tank with good enrichment, yet that is under 775 sq inches. Some people (not this channel and I really wish I hadn't written this here) advocate for well over 1000 sq inch and shame everyone who has the temerity not to 100% agree with them. I'm very familiar with that kind of behaviour outside animal care.

DIY

I have a gerbil question. I currently have my gerbils in a 50 gallon bin cage with a topper. I have been wanting to find an aqurium (bigger) for a awhile now. My neighbor is now giving a away a terruim with about 1008 sq of floorspace (don't know the gallons its old) There is only one problem it has one wooden wall and it has aquarium sealent on it to make it safe for aquariums. I have a idea and want other gerbil owner opnion on it. I am thinking of covering the wood. Is there any safe ways I could do this to prevent chewing. It is very very much in horrible condition. Just would like to know to what you think about it. would it work or would it not. Love your channel❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤

@PetConnectionInternational

10 ай бұрын

Yes I do think that could work, especially if you cover the wood part, something like a sheet of acrylic could work well I think ☺️ just to check though, would you be able to add deep bedding? Or are there doors on the front that would prevent you from doing that?

@Bluspethouseandriding

10 ай бұрын

@PetConnectionInternational There is no top, and the cage is about 13-14 inches tall altogether. I am thinking maybe I could could work out a topper to fill the bottom with bedding. It is not taller than my current cage, but it is much, much longer. Where would you buy the stuff to cover it with. How would you make a topper from scratch or a top from scratch?It was made for turtles, so it has space for a small turtle burrow

@PetConnectionInternational

10 ай бұрын

Ah yeah if you added a topper that would work ☺️ you can buy acrylic online, just search for acrylic cut to size, and for the topper you could either use a pre-made cage and add it to the top with a platform or build one with wood pieces, you'd just need to draw up a design and figure out what wood you'd need 🙂

is there any good games for gerbils i allready got a race for them

@PetConnectionInternational

2 жыл бұрын

Yes! You can also make them a maze with cardboard and flour "glue" (just flour and water) 🙂 And something I've recently discovered is that my gerbils like chasing dried mealworms - I poke them under the playpen and wiggle them around and they love chasing and catching them! Like tiny cats 😄

can you do this without the cage topper?

@PetConnectionInternational

Жыл бұрын

What do you mean?

Won't gerbils chew through plastic though?

@PetConnectionInternational

2 жыл бұрын

It depends on the gerbils, mine have been in it for a year now and not even a nibble 😅 making sure they have plenty of bedding and chew toys also helps, and you can double up the tubs for extra security 🙂 But the guide is more about the platform than the base, you can use the methods for glass tanks and other toppers too ☺️

@brooke.lehman

2 жыл бұрын

@@PetConnectionInternational Ohhh okay thank you so much. I'm planning on getting two of them and I wanted to make sure you could.

@PetConnectionInternational

2 жыл бұрын

No problem 😊 Glass will always be the #1 option, but plastic can work for certain gerbils with enough bedding & enrichment, I'd keep a close eye on yours and see how they get on with it (use 2 to help stop them from escaping if they do decide to chew it) and be prepared to switch to glass if you end up with a couple of destroyers 😅

@brooke.lehman

2 жыл бұрын

@@PetConnectionInternational okay 👍

They don't chew the plastic ?

@PetConnectionInternational

Жыл бұрын

surprisingly, no, none of mine have, but it is a risk which is why I double up the tubs just in case. But I do recommend going for a glass tank instead as they're more secure and you can actually get them in a suitable size (gerbils need 100x50x50cm minimum), the bin cage is more intended as a temporary, immediate upgrade for when someone already has gerbils in a much too small enclosure but with limited funds for an upgrade right now 🙂

You wanna help me figure out how to make one for 4 gerbils? 2 are alone and 2 are together. I really need the help because I really don’t like buying so many tanks

@PetConnectionInternational

7 ай бұрын

It's not advisable to try and get 4 gerbils living together, they have very sensitive social structures and declan really easily, a group of 4 is almost guaranteed to fall out at some point. Your best bet is to leave the pair as they are and try and bond the remaining 2 solos together 🙂

@undivided.universe2064

7 ай бұрын

@@PetConnectionInternational you know I would do that but I don’t know if I feel comfortable with it because one is older than the other by a year and I literally have a feeling that the male could be related to the pair I have in one cage because they all look exactly the same and I got them from the same place but different times within the same year. You think I could try to get them 3 to bond instead or is that bad???

@PetConnectionInternational

7 ай бұрын

Unfortunately not, bondings can only be done 1-1. So with 3 adults the bonding is highly unlikely to work and could lead to very dangerous declannings later down the line. You'll need to leave the pair alone and either bond the two solos together or find them each new friends. My first bonding was a big age gap (2.5 years and 6 months) and it worked out fine, as long as the personalities are a good match there's no reason why it can't work 🙂

I'm a bad gerbil owner.. I have 2, they share a starter cage and all they get is toilet paper rolls.. they seem happy.. bff

@PetConnectionInternational

Жыл бұрын

Well I assume by you being on this video, you're looking at upgrading them? If that's the case then that makes you an owner who cares about improving the lives of their fur babies, and that's not exactly what I'd call a bad owner 🙂 Just go nab yourself a large storage tub and give them some great burrows to build and explore, they'll love it! ☺️ I've also just recently released a video with some budget tips for setting up an enclosure, so that may help you if funds are limited right now: kzread.info/dash/bejne/rKKKqsmcnNXLl6w.html And there's also a bunch of DIY toys you can make to give them extra enrichment: kzread.info/dash/bejne/jKZtztaYgdiumNI.html

@Atom-cl6bi

Жыл бұрын

@@PetConnectionInternational nice my man! Very very cool.. Yeah u called it.. Ill just do small modest upgrades

No plastic for gerbils smh

@PetConnectionInternational

2 жыл бұрын

As I said in the video, a plastic base isn't suitable for a permanent enclosure, but it can work okay in the medium term as long as there's enough enrichment provided and it's watched closely for any signs of chewing

@animalcrossingnerd8142

Жыл бұрын

Girl,did you even watch the video? Also Gerbils need something to start chewing they can't chew a straight wall.

Talk just a tad slower maybe? LOOL

@PetConnectionInternational

2 жыл бұрын

Haha, I'll try 😅

@Theaterkidxs1

2 жыл бұрын

Hey slow down the video your welcome!

I’m afraid, as a complete novice, this video hasn’t helped me at all. I find everything is just much too fast, including her speech. A step by step approach would be better for me

@PetConnectionInternational

5 ай бұрын

Hi Carol, sorry the video wasn't easy to follow for you. I have worked more on slowing things down since this was recorded but if it helps for this video you can change the speed a video is played at in the settings bar, so you can slow it down, and you can select individual chapters which have been split into the different steps. There's also a written version of the guide available to download from the link in the description if that helps to make things clearer for you 🙂

@CarolDaniels-xg7kn

5 ай бұрын

@@PetConnectionInternational Thanks for your reply and I’ll certainly investigate further

@PetConnectionInternational

5 ай бұрын

No problem ☺️

Slow down, you talk way too fast

@PetConnectionInternational

2 жыл бұрын

Thanks for the feedback, I have tried to slow it down in more recent videos 🙂

@Fidgester

2 жыл бұрын

@@PetConnectionInternational thankyou

@PetConnectionInternational

2 жыл бұрын

No problem ☺️

@dubliners0999

10 ай бұрын

I'm so excited to get a free guide on how to make my own enclosure! If you think that she's talking too fast, then change the playback speed on KZread to .75. Easy!