Amy, You can put them in a dry bathtub and let them run around. Or you can do what we do (if you have only one tank/cage of gerbils, gerbils only in singles, or are willing to do a little work between group exercise periods). We took some large boxes and opened them up along the side so we had two long strips of cardboard that are about 17 inches high. We use them to make a wall around a play area. We first used a child's wading pool to form a bottom and "contain" the boxes. We lined the bottom with brown kraft paper to give the gerbils a better surface (they slid a lot on the plastic pool surface) and to catch the urine and feces. We would replace the paper periodically. Now we have a large piece of flat cardboard we cover with kraft paper that we use as a floor and a product called Great Walls that we use outside of the cardboard walls. The Great Walls are a heavy plastic strip about 16 inches wide and several feet (I forget how many) long. There is a velcro strap to hold the ends together so it forms an enclosure. You could use the Great Walls by themselves but my husband is afraid the gerbils will see movement through the translucent plastic and be startled. So he insists on using the cardboard interior wall. He is incredibly protective of his "babies." We use boxes, cardboard tubes, wood, and glass jars and bowls to form playground equipment for the gerbils. It works best if you rearrange the set up frequently and rotate stuff out so they don't get too bored. Of course, we have room to leave their playground set up most of the time. If you have to set it up every time, you can do it a new way each time. BTW, we usually set up their chinchilla dust bath in their playground. We have a large bowl and a large glass jar we lay on its side. Either one makes a good dust bath. By having it in their playground they get a bath several times a week and it takes a little while before they start using it as a bathroom. 8-} There are several things to remember: 1) The gerbils should be supervised. 2) Gerbils can jump pretty high. Make sure that the walls are high enough they can't jump out and that you don't put any tall plaything close enough to the walls they can use it as a jumping off point. Before we got the cardboard, we were just using the wading pool. At least twice we caught Frodo with his front legs over the top of the pool. We knew it was time to return them to their tank when Frodo started eyeing the sides of the pool. 8-) 3) If you have more than one tank/cage of gerbils, you could have fights if you use the play area for all the gerbils without cleaning it between groups. They will smell the strange gerbils scent and may confuse it with their cage mates. So either use a different enclosure with each group or get them out for exercise one at a time. Sorry about the long message. Hope this helps you think of some good ways to let your gerbils get some exercise without having to force them into the hated balls. --- "Wong, Amy" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > However I can't let them > run free in the house because of both the question > above and I cannot gerbil > proof my apartment well enough. But then how can > they get enough exercise > and how can I ensure they stay healthy? > > Amy __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Yahoo! Auctions - buy the things you want at great prices http://auctions.yahoo.com/
