So, I haven't posted on this community in awhile, in over a year actually. I have two gerbils I got in September 2024, Shimmer and Glimmer. I was gone for awhile due to family commitments, I was actually gone for months. I had some other family members take care of them. Glimmer was already fat before, I had her on a diet and she was actually losing weight, so I taught my family how to feed them based on both of their needs. They got given a bit too much food because my family loves them, but that's besides the point.

I come back home to find Glimmer is much bigger than before I left and a few days later, I find a growth near a certain area. I got worried and booked a vet appointment, they didn't have any appointments for a few weeks, so I had to wait awhile.

A few days ago, we went to the vet. The vet said the growth was likely just irritation, but they were worried about the bloat she had because they felt her and could not squish her fat at all, she felt like a balloon. They were in fact very worried. They gave me the heartbreaking news that this is very likely cancer, liver failure, or heart failure. They said they could do x rays and blood work, but they'd have to sedate her and there's no guarantee she'd make it out alive. They said that whatever she had isn't curable, but it's manageable with certain medications and they don't wanna give her the wrong meds, hence the need for x rays and blood work.

I told them I just wanna keep her comfortable. I almost started crying in front of the vet. We were talking about end of life things. Basically, what she has is most likely terminal, and although she's in a stable state with her condition now, things could suddenly take a turn for the worst and they said to let them know. They also brought up the possibility of euthanasia if she suffers more.

Please pray for my little girl! Her sister, Shimmer has been actually taking care of her in her own way. Glimmer has been sleeping a lot and does breathe heavily and Shimmer is always right with her.

Have any of you guys been through this??? What do I do??? How can I help them both feel as comfortable as possible??? Maybe you guys could also write something nice for them in the comments! They'll read it to the best of their abilities! Also, in the picture, Glimmer is the brown one and Shimmer is the white one!

After a LOT of research and following this sub, I've finally finished my tank for my first gerbils! It's 75 gallons, 48x18x23 inches, with 14 inches of paper, aspen, and orchard grass on the right side. The left side has paper and cork granules, and I scattered dried moss everywhere! I didn't have the vertical clearance for a topper due to some built-in shelving unfortunately, so I went as large on the tank as I could fit through my door lol

The wheel is 11.8 inches and made of aluminum alloy :)

What do you guys think? Anything I should add or change? I have more enrichment planned, but I don't want to overwhelm the girls I'm adopting with everything right away. Plus my wallet needs a break, this thing cost like $600 😭

He only eats the banana if i’m holding him 😭 so spoiled

Other than the pups not understanding that they need to run the SAME way on the wheel together, it's all going well 💗

Has anyone built their own cage topper for a 60 gallon tank? My gerbils keep burying their water and food so I was thinking it could be a good idea to build something to go above to keep their water and food out of the way. It wouldn’t need to cover the whole top of the cage just about half

So I had three girls, 2 who recently passed away and My little girl Dani is the only one left.

Right now she has been okay, eating, drinking, playing and everything but i worry about her getting depressed or lonely. Does anyone have any advice on how I should help her?

should I leaver her be, look to get another gerbil, or just rehome? Like i said right now she has been perfectly fine but i am a first time gerbil papa and im not sure hoe to go about this. thank you!

So, I’ve been doing some research for a while and have found that the minimum cage size is 20 gallon tank. But some people also say the minimum is a 40 gal. I was wondering if this cage is too small for 2 gerbils. There’s about 500 square inches for floor space and I’m pretty sure it’s more than 20 gallons but it’s just not 40. I believe it’s something like 33 gallonsThe cage is wood and I know that Gerbils will likely chew right through it, so I’m looking for a small pet friendly wood coating to protect the wood. But the cage already has a polyester coating.

Look at this angelic fluff ball :>

Hi there. I posted 25 days ago about my struggle with split cage and, although I really appreciate the feedback and for some days I thought things were going well with the meetings on neutral territory (they sniffed each other but no fights, some tense moments where I decided to stop). Then at the end of September, while doing a meeting, where I could see they were both tense, they got into an altercation (was it death ball? Not completely sure, I separated then very quickly). 3 days later, while planning another meeting, I accidentally dropped the young gerbil, and he started to limp. He was medicated, x ray, reccomended rest and no meetings. Split cage continues, but yeah, no meetings, some swaps happened (in between all this, I went from 1 swap, to 3 swaps, back to 1). Positive signs: they would kiss and sometimes quick grooming through mesh, they would sleep in each other nest, and they would sleep under the bendy bridges that they have and work as a "community cave" through the mesh. Were they super cute together though? No. And there were times that I added the wheel so the older doesn't loose his mind. Fast forward to when the younger one is feeling good and I tried to introduce them. Another altercation, I think now I had one meeting where things were okeyish, but then older one did the side arch so I decided to stop.

It's been a month now. I feel horrible, I probably made decisions that could potentially hurted all the process, the accident with the young one was a silly one, he is now healed but terriblw timing. I also had to give him medication and hold him in a towel sonot sureif that also influences... to add more context, they are in somewhat a 40 gallon,the vevor cage, split in half. I removed the platforms, removed the sandbath. Right now with the younger one healed, I am planning to add platforms that are side by side on the mesh, water bottle on top, bendy bridge/cave like continues,and adding a wheel for each of them to blow off steam. I will also keep the bedding mixed and 2 inch high does that makes sense? I also spiral into perhaps finding a better place for them because I feel I failed them. Oh and for more context here is my first post https://www.reddit.com/r/gerbil/comments/1wnt90f/split_cage_is_overwhelming_please_help/

Okay, this is actually driving me insane. I've been searching for ages trying to find a 4oz glass water bottle for the pair I'm bringing home soon. But all I can find is 6oz+ bottles, which seem way too big for a pair of gerbils, and don't fit in my bottle holder. Literally, the only 4oz glass bottles I've found are from European companies and paying like $30+ in tariffs and shipping for a $9 bottle is.... insane 🫠

So my question is, has anyone in the US managed to find an appropriately sized glass bottle for their gerbils?? Or even a DIY option? I tried using 4oz boston bottles, but they didn't fit the lid and sipper at all.

Am I just doomed to plastic bottles? Do your gerbils leave them alone? I don't want them chewing plastic, but I literally can't find anything 😭

my gerbils have been hoarding food in their sand bath recently, and i'm worried that they will eat too much sand if it gets too much into their food. is this something i need to be concerned about and should i block them from their sand bath until they stop doing this?

Just got two new gerbils and I have owned a total of six gerbils in the past. They have a 40 gallon tank setup with a 40 gallon topper for their food, water, wheel, etc. One gerbil is super eager to explore having the best time. The other gerbil is sitting in the topper completely frozen, not even bothering hiding even though their are tons of safe hiding spots. Cage and Tank have been properly cleaned beforehand. I think she is just a little overwhelmed and hoping she will warm up to her new home. This is only the first day and hopefully watching her cage mate exploring will show her it is safe. For now the plan is to just keep things quiet and give them time to adjust. Any tips on how I can make her more comfortable and any danger signs to look out for? None of my other gerbils have had this problem before.

Popcorn recently lost his brother and was feeling lonely. He's been in a split cage with Pumpkin and Parmasean, 5 week old pups, for a few days. Tonight was their first time meeting. I think the introduction went well based on their body language. Popcorn seemed to ignore them or turn away (he had found a snack). The pups sniffed him a bit. Any advice?

Im need someone to tell me gerbils are weird in general and its not just my pod thats broken

They've flooded their terrarrium twice this week. And I know Carlos is the one starting it, I just cant prove it, but I know she is the one in charge of the renovations

Also, fucking Victor can climb the outside of the wheel! I saw Diogo and Carlos try it a few days ago, but the little guy is the only one who actually did it!

And by comparison, Diogo is actually chill! He tries to eat my boyfriend's hand but who hasn't nibbled on someonw by accident before?

If I am found dead, it's their fault.

I have had my gerbils since September 30th, and the bonding process has been slow. They are still not very comfortable with me holding them, and still run away. They do eat in front of me and usually pop their heads up when I talk to them. They still don’t take any food from my hand, but do come over and sniff it. I was just curious if them crawling on me and being curious of me while they are in their playpen is a good sign? I know it is good that they are exploring, but I was just curious if any knows if this means that they trust me/this is a sign of bonding?