Toys are an important part of your gerbil’s wellbeing. Although these pets are only small, they need to be kept both entertained and active everyday to ensure they are happy and healthy.
There are lots of different toys out there on the market, and we’ve picked out some of the best types for your gerbil below. Keep reading on to find out more about why toys are important and which ones your gerbil might love.
Why Does My Gerbil Need Toys?
Gerbils need toys for two reasons: exercise and mental stimulation.
Gerbils should get around 30 minutes of exercise a day, keeping them active and preventing them from becoming too sedentary. If your gerbil is active, they’re much less likely to become overweight which can lead to a variety of health issues. You can learn more about gerbil exercise here.
Toys are also important because they provide your gerbil with something to keep them mentally engaged. If your gerbil is kept stimulated, they are much less likely to become bored. A bored gerbil can lead to a depressed or destructive gerbil, which will reduce their quality of life. Giving your gerbil some toys to play with and explore keeps them busy!
The Best Gerbil Toys
Exercise Wheel
An exercise wheel is an important part of your gerbil’s home because it provides them with an area to run, which they probably won’t have otherwise.
A gerbil’s exercise wheel should be a solid wheel, not one with rungs like a hamster wheel. A wheel with rungs is extremely dangerous for gerbils, as their tails get caught in the gaps as the wheel is turning.
You should ensure the wheel is big enough for your gerbil to run in it comfortably — seven or eight inches in diameter is a good size. If it is too small, they will not want to use the wheel, and it can hurt their backs.
Many gerbil wheels on the market are made of plastic because they are easy to manufacture. However, they are not really suitable for gerbils. Gerbils have very sharp teeth and can easily gnaw through plastic. Therefore, we recommend you purchase a wheel made of wood.
Hides
Hides, houses and nest boxes provide your gerbil with places to rest, hide and hoard their food, and also gives their home a bit of interest. These can be made out of cardboard or wood, both of which are safe for gerbils but will eventually need to be replaced as they will chew them!
Cardboard boxes or old cereal boxes work well as a hide or nest box. There are also plenty of wooden options in pet stores. If you want something more durable, ceramic or clay plant pots placed on their sides can also be a great hide for gerbils.
Chew Toys
Gerbil teeth are constantly growing, so they need plenty of things around their home to chew on to grind them down. If you don’t provide your gerbil with these, you’ll find they start chewing on anything they can get their teeth on!
Chew toys can be made of a number of things. Natural wood is a popular option, such as wood from fruit trees. Pine cones, cholla, driftwood and grapevine are also a good option. Homemade chew toys such as toilet paper and paper towel rolls are also a cheap, safe option.
Climbing Toys and Tubes
Climbing toys and tubes are a great way for your gerbil to explore their home and prevent boredom. Climbing toys often come in the form of ladders or what look like mini assault courses which you can buy at pet shops. Grapewood vines and cork flats are also a good option for climbing.
Tubes can be either wooden or plastic, although you should be careful what type of plastic you buy. As we mentioned, gerbils love to chew, and if the plastic is thin it can be easily ingested. PVC pipes are more resistant to chewing than plastic tubes made for pets.
Digging
Gerbils love to dig, and therefore they should have lots of deep substrate in their home so they can tunnel and make burrows. We recommend their home should be filled at least a third deep with bedding, around 7 to 12 inches deep.
Giving your gerbil lots of bedding will satisfy their digging needs, as well as providing them with entertainment. To learn more about gerbil bedding, read our article here.
Sand Bath
Gerbils like to keep clean with a sand bath, but it can also provide them with entertainment.
Make sure you use sand bought from a pet store that is specially designed for small animals. Provide your gerbil with a little dish filled with a few centimeters of sand. You gerbil will enjoy rolling around and digging in it.
Make sure to change the sand out every couple of days because your gerbil may use it as a toilet. You can learn more about sand baths for gerbils here.
Gerbil Toys To Avoid
Plastic Toys
Many gerbil toys on the market are made out of plastic. While plastic toys can be suitable for your gerbil, you will need to monitor them regularly. Don’t forget your gerbil is a little chewing machine, and will chew whatever they have in their home.
If your gerbil chews on plastic, they will likely ingest it, particularly if it is a thin or not very durable plastic. This can be very dangerous for gerbils.
Therefore, watch out for chewed plastic toys within your gerbil’s home and remove them if you see they are damaged so they do not cause harm. When picking out toys, try to choose ones that are made from durable or thick plastic. If you can, wooden or ceramic toys are always the safer option to choose for gerbils.
Metal Toys
Metal toys, or wooden toys fastened together with metal pieces, should not be given to your gerbil. Metals are very toxic when ingested and because your gerbil will love to chew everything, there is chance they could be harmful.
Rubber or Foam Toys
Both rubber and foam toys should be avoided as both of these materials are dangerous if your gerbil ingests them.
Exercise Balls
Exercise balls, also known as hamster balls, are popular among many rodent owners. However, we at My House Animals do not recommend these toys.
An exercise ball is a clear plastic ball that your gerbil is enclosed in. They can then run around inside the ball and the ball moves with them.
These balls can be stressful for your gerbil, because your gerbil is trapped inside and cannot escape to their food, water or hides. They can also become tired and then are not able to stop exercising unless they are removed from the ball. Depending on the size of the exercise ball, they can also hurt your pet’s back if they are too small.
If you do decide to provide your gerbil with an exercise ball, ensure you monitor them at all times. You should also only allow them to exercise in the ball for a maximum of 10 minutes at a time.
