What is the daily routine for a gerbil's care?
Follow this 15-minute morning and evening schedule to keep your gerbil happy and healthy.
Daily Routine
Start your day with a quick check of your gerbil's cage. Look for any signs of illness or discomfort, such as changes in behavior or appearance. Spend about 5 minutes on this.
Next, provide fresh food and water. Gerbils need a mix of hay, pellets, and fresh vegetables. Replace the water daily to ensure it stays clean. This should take about 3 minutes.
Offer a small amount of fresh hay for your gerbil to nibble on throughout the day. This helps keep their teeth healthy. Add about 1 cup of hay to the cage.
Check the cleanliness of the litter box. Gerbils produce a lot of waste, so it should be cleaned at least once a day. This task takes about 2 minutes.
End your morning routine with a brief playtime session. Spend about 5 minutes interacting with your gerbil, offering treats and toys.
- Morning: Quick health check, fresh food and water, add fresh hay, clean litter box, playtime
Evening Routine
In the evening, repeat the morning routine. This includes another health check, fresh food and water, and playtime. Spend about 15 minutes total.
Before you go to bed, ensure the cage is secure and the temperature is comfortable. Gerbils are sensitive to temperature changes, so aim for 65–75°F (18–24°C).
Check the humidity level in the room. Gerbils prefer a humidity of 30–50%. If it's too low, consider using a humidifier.
- Evening: Repeat morning routine, secure cage, check temperature and humidity
Weekly Tasks
Once a week, thoroughly clean the entire cage. This includes removing all bedding and washing the cage with mild soap and water. Allow it to dry completely before adding new bedding.
Replace the litter box with a fresh one. Gerbils can be quite messy, so a weekly change is necessary.
Inspect the cage for any signs of wear and tear. Look for sharp edges or loose parts that could harm your gerbil.
- Weekly: Clean entire cage, replace litter box, inspect cage for wear
Monthly Tasks
Monthly, perform a deep cleaning of the cage. This involves removing all bedding and cleaning the cage with a stronger cleaner, like white vinegar. Allow it to dry thoroughly before adding new bedding.
Check the size of your gerbil's teeth. If they appear overgrown, consider providing a hard chew toy to help keep them trimmed.
Review your gerbil's diet. Ensure they are getting a balanced mix of nutrients and adjust as needed.
- Monthly: Deep clean cage, check teeth, review diet
What to Skip on Busy Days
On particularly busy days, you can skip the deep cleaning of the cage and just spot clean any soiled areas. This is fine as long as you do a thorough cleaning within a week.
If you're short on time, you can also skip the playtime session. However, try to interact with your gerbil at least once a day.
If you're unable to check the humidity, ensure the room is well-ventilated and consider using a hygrometer to monitor the levels.
- Skip deep cleaning, spot clean soiled areas, skip playtime, ensure good ventilation, use a hygrometer
Keep reading about Gerbil: Gerbil care sheet
Related questions
How often should I clean the gerbil's cage?
The cage should be spot cleaned daily and thoroughly cleaned once a week.
What temperature should the gerbil's habitat be?
The ideal temperature for a gerbil's habitat is 65–75°F (18–24°C).
How often should I check the humidity in the room?
Check the humidity daily to ensure it stays within the range of 30–50%.
Not veterinary advice. This guide covers husbandry — housing, feeding, cleaning and handling. If your gerbil is injured, off food unusually long, or behaving abnormally, contact a veterinarian.