It has already been mentioned in earlier articles that a gerbil should not be homed in a hamster cage but should be housed in a cage, specifically suitable for a gerbil, or a couple of gerbils, as they should be kept in pairs. Ideally, their cage should have a glass or perspex bottom half where wood shavings can reach a depth of at least 15cm, allowing your small pets to dig and burrow.

However, what else should you put in the cage? The upper part of the cage should consist of different levels and with ladders leading from one level to another. You can hang food treats from the top of the cage or toys such as rope toys and a hammock. The top part of the cage is also the place to hang the water bottle and to locate the food bowl.

A hollowed out coconut shell with a couple of circular holes in makes an ideal place to sleep as well as to hide in. Make sure you have some kind of chewing wood as gerbils do need to chew to keep their teeth strong and healthy. You could also buy them an exercise wheel but make sure it is made of tough, gerbil proof plastic. Gerbils can catch their tail or hurt their feet in wire exercise wheels. A kitchen roll tube provides a cheap tunnel to play in though you will have to replace it quite often as it becomes chewed.