Hello Amir,
What an interesting project.
The first thing I would do is buy or borrow some very
active gerbils. I find gerbils come in two varieties
-- runner/climbers and gnawer/tunnelers. It would be
good to get one of each.
I'd recommend working within an aquarium setup. 10
gallons with a wire top and clips. Important (human)
factors are:
- Easy to lift
- Quick to clean
- The bedding stays inside the tank
- Can easily access the gerbils anywhere in the
housing.
(if I had just a pair I'd pay a lot for the housing,
since I have about 20 I only pay about $20 per setup)
I'd recommend that you experiment with levels, layers,
tubes, toys, etc. that fit into a 10 gallon tank. I
find that there is very little out there to buy in
terms of props to create an interesting gerbil-arium.
And you have to make it yourself.
Gerbils get very active and excited about new things
to explore, so the setup should be very modular so
that you can change around the environment. (My
gerbils get excited if I turn an old half gnawed box
upside down!)
Here is my typical setup:
http://www.geocities.com/abcgerbils/setup.html
Here are some very creative/elaborate ones:
http://www.maisel.de/~eva/cages.html
Donna
ABC Gerbils
www.abcgerbils.com
--- Amir Abdulla <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
wrote:
> Dear All,
> I have recently subscribed to the GML as
> I love Gerbils and want to know more about them but
> most of all because I am going to make a Gerbil
> habitat cage.I am doing a GCSE Technology project in
> which I will construct a Gerbil habitat cage. The
> aim of this cage will be to best meet the needs of
> the owners and more importantly the rodents. I will
> do this by searching web sites and studying the
> natural environment and needs of rodents in the wild
> and then trying to interpret some of these findings
> into the cage I will make, which will attempt to
> provide rodents in captivity with a happy and stress
> free life. I know you must be busy and I would be
> most grateful if you would be willing to spend some
> of your time answering some questions I have for
> you.
> When you are buying a Gerbil cage what are the
> important facts that you consider ? e.g. Price
> range, materials and other accesories.
>
> Are there any bad or weak points you have noticed
> about any cages that you have bought recently that
> need to be improved and altered?
>
> Do you have any general advice for me about my
> project?
>
> Do you personally have any advice for me on the
> natural environment of and handling in captivity of
> rodents? or know any good web sites where I can find
> out any useful information aout their habitats?
>
> Do you have any advice about the material or
> manufacture of the cage?
>
> What would you be willing to pay for a good habitat
> cage?
>
> Do you think there is a need or a market potential
> for a habitat cage that suites the need of the
> Gerbil as well as the owners?
>
> Are any of you in search of a free cage for gerbils
> and live in the UK?
>
>
>
> If you can answer any or all of the above questions
> I would be most grateful thank you for your time.
>
> Khalid Abdulla
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
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