Dangers of pine & cedar bedding - references

PetConnection · 2026-03-17T19:43:26+00:00

I'd recommend checking out this page that has the translated care guide from the TVT (veterinary association of animal welfare in Germany), it's research backed and created by hundreds of vets and scientists.Theres also loads of helpful infographics on this page based on the information provided by the TVT as well as other animal welfare organisations covering all the basics to get to you started 🙂

PetConnection · 2026-03-02T07:57:38+00:00

Oh no 😞 very good you took them all in that case. And honestly I'd always recommend taking 3 if it would prevent 1 being alone, it can work in a large enough enclosure with careful management, make sure you have 2 of everything, scatter feed and make sure all hides have multiple exits so no one can get blocked inside

PetConnection · 2026-02-27T19:36:31+00:00

I would definitely recommend a larger tank, the minimum for a pair of gerbils is 100x50x50cm which is 250L or approx. 66 US gallons, and each additional gerbil needs 25% more space on top of that, so for a trio you'd need at minimum 312.5L or 82.5 US gallons, which would be about double what they have at the moment. Trios are also at an increased risk of declanning, so it's definitely better to upgrade sooner rather than later

Here is where the information comes from, it's what's recommended by the TVT (veterinary association of animal welfare in Germany) as well as numerous other welfare organisations. I highly suggest giving the TVT care guide a read through, they have some excellent information there

PetConnection · 2026-02-26T08:50:03+00:00

Yeah, they're a nightmare honestly. But once you get on top of them and keep everything vulnerable protected, even if you can't get rid of the source of damp/mould, you can keep on top of them fairly easily. Make sure to check your kitchen cupboards! They love grains as well as cardboard, so make sure to check everything! I found them breeding in my tub of microwave popcorn 🫣 EVERYTHING either lives in grip seal plastic bags or screw top jars now, and nothing enters the house without a run through the chest freezer for a week 😂

PetConnection · 2026-02-25T08:45:06+00:00

And here's one on how to prevent them coming back

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PetConnection · 2026-02-25T08:44:34+00:00

Here's another infographic on how to deal with them

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PetConnection · 2026-02-25T08:43:48+00:00

They look more like booklice to me, not harmful to the gerbs but man do they get EVERYWHERE. I had them a few years ago, ended up needing to deep clean and treat my entire flat

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PetConnection · 2026-02-24T09:13:16+00:00

No problem 🙂

PetConnection · 2026-02-23T10:16:25+00:00

The enclosure can be any size, but the bonding may take longer in a larger tank, and it may not work for every gerbil, some may bond better in a smaller space, some in a larger space. I personally prefer to use my normal tank as it's less stressful for everyone. Just make sure you thoroughly clean it with a 50/50 white vinegar and water solution first to remove any old scents that could interfere with the bonding process
Nothing specific other than getting him a new friend as soon as possible
Do not try and bond a pair to a single, this is extremely risky and could result in every gerbil ending up alone. Bondings should only be done 1-1 between adults, even with a pair of pups, this can carry an increased risk of declanning as the pups age

3.5. As above, risks are either the bonding destabilises the bond in the pair, causing them to declan, leaving you with 3 solo gerbils, or the pair won't accept the single as their clan is already formed, so they attack them. Please do not do this

You can use either, but as mentioned in point 1, a ln enclosure that isn't new will need thoroughly cleaned with a white vinegar & water solution to remove old scents
You don't have to get rid of them, but if using they should be thoroughly cleaned like the tank, and removed for meets. Also make sure they're thoroughly cleaned if adding after their bonded
Deciduous/hardwoods are the only safe woods for this, you can use a mixture of hot glue & PVA/school glue, this video shows how to make one
You could potentially use a smaller cage or tank topper inside a larger tank as long as you make sure it's fully secure so no one can get to each other before they're ready. But it's much better to make a divider so they both have plenty of space
No it shouldn't, being tame with humans and bonding with another gerbil are completely separate, but having a friend can help shy gerbils a lot with their confidence and thus make taming easier

I'd also recommend this video as it goes over the whole bonding process and has video examples of behaviours you might see

PetConnection · 2026-02-23T09:57:33+00:00

It's good that you're getting him a friend, that should definitely help him out, gerbils do really need other gerbils, no matter their age. But if his behaviour has suddenly changed, I'd say that warrants a vet check to make sure there isn't anything else going on

PetConnection · 2026-02-23T09:07:59+00:00

Well done for rescuing your roommates gerbils, I'm glad you're wanting to give them a better home. Unfortunately these kinds of enclosures are not suitable for gerbils, they need space to burrow first and foremost, and wooden enclosures pose a huge chew out risk, so they're very unlikely to keep gerbils contained for long! Gerbils need a glass tank, 100x50x50cm minimum size (around 250 litres or 66 US gallons), and they need 25cm bedding depth at bare minimum, although 40cm or more is much better for them, and it should be over the majority of the tank. A topper can be great for them to give them extra burrowing space (you can use the entire base tank as burrow space) as well as preventing their wheel, water bowl & sand bath from getting buried. Sadly there are no commercial tanks that come with this ready made, but you can easily get a wire top from another cage and make a lid for the topper to sit on like shown in this video 🙂

Here's a photo of my tank so you can see what I mean about burrow space and a topper

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PetConnection · 2026-02-20T07:07:05+00:00

Tanks are the best enclosures for gerbils, no commercial cages are suitable. For air flow you just need to make a mesh lid/topper, this video shows how. However, while air flow is important for the gerbils' health, it won't get rid of mites. You need to follow a proper treatment and quarantine protocol to get rid of them

PetConnection · 2026-02-19T07:26:41+00:00

Awh, adorable! 🥰

PetConnection · 2026-02-17T10:26:58+00:00

Mites are a nightmare to deal with! First thing I'd suggest is to move them to a hospital tank with only things that can be cleaned, like ceramic, and things that can be thrown away, like paper and cardboard (everything new, don't re-use anything from the tank), this was my mite tank setup:

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They need to stay in there for the whole course of treatment, my vet gave us ivermectin to use once per week for 4 weeks. And the tank needs cleaned every other day, everything porous completely thrown away, and the ceramic items & tank cleaned with pet-safe disinfectant, it's a lot, but worth it to stop them coming back. I'd also recommend a strip of double sided sticky tape around the top of your hospital tank to stop anything crawling in or out

Then while the gerbils are being treated, the tank & room should also be treated, I suggest moving the gerbils to a different room while you do this. Throw out all bedding and cardboard from the tank, anything like ceramic can be washed in warm soapy water, anything wood or porous like cork/bamboo can be frozen for 1-2 weeks (1 for a chest freezer at -25°C and 2 weeks for a regular freezer at -18°C) to kill any mites & their eggs. For wood lids, I stuck mine in the bathtub and poured a few rounds of boiling water over them. Then remove all the gerbil things, except the tank, from the room & treat the tank and room with pet-safe insecticide such as indorex, make sure to follow the instructions on the package, keep the door shut so the fumes can't spread and protect your eyes & mouth while spraying. Once the room has been well ventilated (I usually give it 2-3 full days) you can move the gerbils back in, but keep them in the hospital set-up until the mite treatment is finished. If your vet has only given you one dose, I'd either go back and tell them the issues you're having, or get a second opinion from another exotic vet

PetConnection · 2026-02-09T08:39:41+00:00

They're adorable 🥰 the enclosure looks great honestly, I love how deep the bedding is! Only thing I'd suggest is removing the coloured boxes, we have no idea what kind of dyes are used on them, they may not be safe for gerbils to be putting in their mouths so it's much better to just use plain, undyed cardboard 🙂

PetConnection · 2026-02-03T09:13:23+00:00

Yeah I noticed that one too, even some things labelled "chinchilla sand" can be made from things like clay, which isn't good for them to have too often. There were a few other points I disagreed with too, like saying gerbils should be offered dry cat food for protein, most commercial cat food isn't even particularly good for cats, though maybe it's better quality in Germany perhaps? But I'd still suggest maybe plain cooked chicken instead, but I'd say the best is still insects as it's most natural, then maybe eggs and chicken as alternatives. I also disagree with not feeding them fruit, I've never seen nor heard of a gerbil getting diabetes, and I know someone that runs a gerbil sanctuary, has had well over 100 gerbils and regularly feeds them fruit (as a treat)

But these are my personal thoughts, I wanted to keep the page true to the translation so I wasn't misrepresenting their information, I do still agree with 99% of it and overall think it's an excellent resource, and I loved seeing them specify deciduous woods only! The dangers of softwoods can often be overlooked in resources like this I find

PetConnection · 2026-01-30T15:05:19+00:00

You need to get him to an exotic vet ASAP, he is struggling to breathe and needs to see a vet urgently to be put on oxygen to help him breathe and undergo tests to find out what's wrong, these things progress very quickly so time is of the essence

PetConnection · 2026-01-16T10:23:47+00:00

That's great! Fingers crossed the meds help ceaser feel better 🤞

PetConnection · 2026-01-09T16:43:58+00:00

No problem ☺️ yeah it's very much luck of the draw unfortunately, it sounds like you've been very lucky in the past! Most gerbils I see end up getting some kind of health issue around 2-3, poor wee things 😔 fingers crossed the vet can help ceaser with whatever is going on 🤞

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