Cleaning out your pet’s home is probably not your favorite task, but it must be done! Leaving your gerbil to live in a dirty environment can impact their health and their overall wellbeing.
Fortunately, gerbils are generally clean animals and don’t smell as bad as other rodents. Despite this, they still need to be cleaned out frequently.
But how often should this be done? What products should you use? And what are the steps for actually cleaning a gerbilarium? We’ve got all the answers below, so keep reading on.
How Often Should I Clean Out My Gerbil’s Cage?
Gerbils are a very hygienic pets — they don’t pee very often and their poop is dry. For this reason, gerbilariums don’t tend to smell as bad as other small animal homes.
When you clean out your gerbil’s home, you will remove their bedding. This bedding is what gerbil’s use to dig and create tunnels and removing this can be stressful them. The removal of their scent can also stress them out.
However, you will need to remove the bedding to clean them out. How often you clean out your gerbil’s cage will depend on a few things. The more gerbils you have, the more you will need to clean them out as there will be more poop and pee. The type of bedding you use will also play a part. Some bedding can mask odors very well, while others needs to be changed more frequently.
Generally, you should aim to spot clean at least every other day, if not every day. This is when you remove the most soiled bedding, and any leftover food. You will then need to partial clean every week, which is when you remove some of the bedding, but leave some of the tunnels and the bedding that contains their scent.
A deep clean, when you remove your gerbil’s from their home and clean the entire cage and replace all the bedding, should be done about every month.
What Should I Use To Clean Out My Gerbil’s Cage?
To clean out your gerbil’s cage you will need products that are safe for your gerbil, but can also cut through the dirt and germs.
You shouldn’t use any bleach or ammonia-based cleaners or anything that is labeled toxic or dangerous. Also don’t use anything perfumed, as this can mask your gerbil’s natural scent and make them stressed.
Some safe products to use to clean out your gerbilarium are:
- Mild dish soap that should be diluted in hot water.
- Food-safe disinfectant that can be used on your kitchen countertops.
- White vinegar which can be found in most grocery stores.
- Cage cleaning spray that is designed for small animal homes. This can be found in pet stores, but make sure it isn’t perfumed.
We also recommend you wear rubber gloves as you clean, and use sponges and scrubbing brushes on the gerbilarium. You may also find a litter scoop convenient to help pick out droppings.
How To Clean Out Your Gerbilarium
Every Other Day: Spot Cleaning
At least every other day, if not every day, you should spot clean your gerbil’s home. Spot cleaning helps you to keep on top of the mess your gerbil makes, so it doesn’t get too dirty which can be harder to clean. It also helps to keep your gerbil safe and healthy in their environment.
You can spot clean your gerbilarium while your gerbil is still in it. To spot clean your gerbil’s cage:
- Remove any poop from the cage using a litter scooper. You should check all over the cage, including in the sand bath.
- Remove any old food to stop it from going moldy.
- Remove any wet bedding or soiled bedding and replace if needed.
- Remove the water bottle and food dish. Wash them in mild, soapy water before drying them, refilling them and returning them to your gerbil’s cage.
- Check your gerbil over for any health issues while you are in their cage.
Every Week: Partial Cleaning
Every week you should partially clean your gerbil’s cage. This will really help you to keep on top of any mess or smells, and make deep cleaning every month a lot easier. Many of the steps are similar to a spot clean.
We recommend you partial clean at the same time every week for best results. To partial clean your gerbilarium:
- Remove your gerbil from their cage and put them in a secure location, such as in the bathtub or in an empty fish tank.
- Remove any poop from the cage using a litter scooper. You should check all over the cage, including in the sand bath.
- Remove any old food to stop it from going moldy.
- Remove about 1/4 of your gerbil’s bedding and replace it. Each week, remove a different section of the bedding, so over the course of a month you have replaced it all. Doing this will allow your gerbil to still recognize its own scent, and you won’t be removing all the tunnels and burrows they have spent lots of time making.
- Remove the water bottle, food dish, toys, hides, wheel, sand bath and shelves. Wash them in mild, soapy water before drying them, refilling them and returning them to your gerbil’s cage.
Every Month: Deep Cleaning
It is recommended that you deep clean your gerbil’s home about once a month. Follow our steps below on how to do this.
1) Remove Your Gerbil
You’ll need to remove your gerbil from their cage and take them to a different room in the house while you clean, so they don’t breath in any dangerous fumes.
You could put your gerbil in a glass tank, such as a spare aquarium tank, or the bathtub, a travel case or a spare cage. Just make sure your gerbil can breathe properly and isn’t going to escape! You could add some food, water and toys to keep your gerbil occupied.
2) Empty The Gerbil Cage
Next, you need to empty your gerbil cage. Remove the water bowl or bottle, food dish, toys, wheel, hides, tunnels and any shelves that detach. Throw away any chewed up cardboard hides, toys or tunnels that can’t be used anymore.
Then remove all the bedding. By doing this you will destroy all your gerbil’s tunnels and burrows, but it must be done and the bedding must be replaced once a month to stop bacteria from building up.
To remove all the bedding use a dustpan or scooper, or even your hands. If the gerbilarium is light enough, you may just be able to tip the bedding into a refuse sack. You can put the used bedding in the trash or on a compost heap.
3) Clean The Gerbil Cage
You will then need to clean the gerbil cage thoroughly and disinfect it. To do this, use pet-safe cleaning products, such as dish soap and water or food-safe disinfectant. You shouldn’t use any bleach or ammonia-based cleaners or anything that is labeled toxic or dangerous. Also don’t use anything perfumed.
Once you have cleaned it, rinse the cage out a few times to make sure all the cleaner and any chemical type smells are no longer present. You should then dry it using lint-free paper towels or a cloth.
4) Clean The Cage Accessories
Having cleaned the gerbil cage itself, you’ll then need to clean all the accessories you removed: the water bowl or bottle, food dish, toys, wheel, hides, tunnels and any shelves. Place all of these items in a large bucket or bowl of water with some dish soap or white vinegar.
Give them all a good wash, using a scrubbing brush or sponge. Make sure to rinse them properly and you can then dry them using lint-free paper towels or a cloth.
5) Replace The Bedding
Once the cage is all clean and dry, replace the bedding. Your gerbil should always have at least 6 inches of bedding. Learn all about gerbil bedding here.
If you want to change your gerbil’s bedding to a different type or brand, make sure you do this gradually by mixing their old bedding with the new bedding. This will ensure you don’t shock your gerbil as they do not like change.
6) Replace The Cage Accessories
Next, replace all the clean and dry cage accessories. Take this time to add in any new toys or tunnels or hides to replace any that you had to throw away.
Don’t forget to fill their water bowl or bottle with clean water and their food dish with fresh food.
7) Put Your Gerbil Back In Their Home
Once everything inside the cage has been replaced, you can return your gerbil to their home. You may find that your gerbil is a little on edge for the first few hours they are in their cage. Don’t be alarmed, this is just because their tunnels and hideouts are no longer there, and their cage might smell a bit different.
Your gerbil will quickly start to feel at home again. They will get back to making their tunnels right away, and their cage will soon be smelling like it used to!
