Both pine and cedar can cause problems. If they are not already allergic, gerbils can develop allergies later on, just like people. Using aspen or Carefresh is preferable, although I have heard that some gerbils can also become allergic to aspen, and Carefresh is expensive. Then of course there are those who like to use soil and sand to simulate a gerbil's natural environment, which involves some extra effort and is hard to clean. Some people are also into corncob, although this can get moldy. So there is no perfect choice, but since pine and cedar tend to have a high incidence of respiratory problems, it's probably better to switch. I use aspen right now, but if I see those signs of nose irritation, I will move to Carefresh. If you have either of these options available near you, I recommend phasing out the pine (gradually by mixing it with the new material, if you think that will help ease their stress) just to be on the safe side. My gerbils a long time ago got sick on cedar and I don't want my new ones to go through that. It was not fun.
Dana :) __________________________________________________ Move your email to a better address. Over 1,000 domains to choose from! FREE! PRIVATE! http://www.MailSpace.com
