>Hi Deb,
>
>Does that not hurt the paws? I know sandpaper perches
>for birds are strongly advised against because it
>usually rubs the foot sore instead of filing the
>nails.
>
>But then again it's concerning birds, not gerbils.
As I said, as long as the entire cage bottom is not covered
in the sandpaper, or concrete block piece or whatever.
The person asked about putting one piece of cinderblock
or paving brick right under the waterbottle, and that should
be fine, as long as it's a small area and the majority of
the cage or tank bottom is NOT covered by the abrasive
materia.
I put sandpaper on the sides of my playbox, so only when
the animal inside decides to 'dance' along the side do
they come in contact...as well as the covered pieces
of wood that they can scamper over (a few 2x4 pine
scraps covered over like sanding blocks). That way
they mostly don't come into contact with it, but can
for short periods.
The sandpaper on perches, the bird ends up on it in
long contact, and that is what hurts.
I also use a 2x2 foot (4 sq ft) board covered with 220
sandpaper, but this is only for an animal about to be
adopted...and I carefully supervise about five minutes
of the animal walking across it as I gently tilt the board
this way and that by not many degrees to keep it on
the board. This assures that the animal doesn't scratch
it's new owner before it leaves. I don't suggest that the
average person do this as it takes great care so as NOT
to hurt the animal's feet.
Deb
Rebel's Rodent Ranch
