First Clean Out

Today was their first clean out. I felt a bit mean messing up all of their paper constructions, but at least it keeps their minds busy if they have to rebuild. We put the boys into the washtub for a play while I was cleaning. We gave them their log to play with and a cardboard box with some paper in.

I tipped out all of the old bedding from the cage and cleared out the teapot. After a wipe and time to dry I put a good layer of wood shavings on their floor, followed by lots of shredded paper. I also removed the socktraption, because we had found a more permanent solution in the form of a long tube. I tie-wrapped this to the edge of the cage to provide a tunnel down from the top floor. I had to move the wheel to the left side of the cage so that the tube would fit in. I refreshed the water and dry food, put some new bedding in the teapot and put the cage back together again.

When the gerbils were back in their cage they quickly ran round everywhere, looking at the new layout. They were soon upstairs, and Gizmo was slightly alarmed that the sock was no longer in place. He came to the edge, where the sock should have been and looked over. Gadget meanwhile had discovered the new tube, zoomed down it and then back up again. Gizmo soon realised that he could cope with this new way down too. The tube looks better than the sock too.

Gizmo took a few steps in the newly cleaned wheel, but did not seem that keen on running in it. Oh, I almost forgot, I have also given them a jingly ball that we bought for them. I put it in the cage when it was clean, they didn't seem very interested, but I'll see how they go.

Settling in

The boys had piled up loads of paper making a ramp to their teapot this morning. They seemed very snuggly. They even tucked paper in the entrance so they were completely sheltered. You can see this on the photo. They had dug out around the back of the teapot too, you can just about make this out.

They woke up when we were eating breakfast and came upstairs to sniff the cereal smell. We made egg sandwiches for lunch and I tried giving a little of the hard-boiled egg. Gadget sniffed it, but neither of them nibbled any. I left it in the cage, but it hadn't been touched when we came back from work. The sock was a tiny bit chewed, but only in one little patch. It was still working as a ramp for Gizmo.

Gadget still comes over to your hand to investigate, when you put it in the cage. Gizmo is still shy, but he does come over, just more tentatively.

I also noticed that they had been hoarding food from their food dish behind the wheel.

They seem settled with their teapot as a bed now.

Bringing them Home

We brought Gadget and Gizmo back to our house today, after staying at my parent's house yesterday. We took out the food dish and water bottle for the car journey, but left them some food incase they were hungry. They spend the journey safely on my lap in their travelling cage.

When we arrived we left them to settle down while we prepared their proper home. We covered the bottom of the cage with woodshavings and then shredded paper. When we had set it up we let them in to explore.

Gadget was the first to explore everywhere, Gizmo chose to stay close to shelter behind the wheel. Gadget ran around all of downstairs and plucked up the courage to run up the tube to upstairs. It was getting down that was the problem, he sniffed over the edge and the top of the tube several times before choosing to jump over the edge! He must have decided that this wasn't the best way down, because when he ran up again a few minutes later he chose to climb back down the tube. After the first journey down the tube he was happy to zoom up and down as he pleased. Gizmo was much shyer and did not decide to go upstairs.

I was pleased to see that both of them used the water bottle today. Something else that we noticed both today and yesterday was that Gadget climbs straight onto your hand when you put it in the cage. Gizmo is more tentative, but he does come over to sniff you. This certainly seems useful for taming them.

I gave them some broccoli stalk as fresh food, they nibbled it a little but didn't seem highly impressed.

I decided that they could do with a bed in their cage, and though of a perfect object to use. I had bought a teapot to use at work, but found that it was useless at pouring out. I hadn't wanted to throw it away and was intending to use it as a plant pot. This would make a suitable bed for the gerbils. I put some paper in it for them and placed it in the corner of the cage, with the spout as a stabiliser.

The boys seemed to decide that this wasn't their type of bed, because they promptly pulled out almost all of the paper and used the smooth surface to run on like a wheel. They also made a rather impressive tunnel round the back of the teapot. You can see this where there is less paper in the photograph.

The gerbils made a bed for themselves underneath the green tube instead. They gathered lots of the paper and cuddled up It was fairly sheltered and they seemed happy.