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Gerbils need a nice, quiet space in which to live. Before you purchase a specific cage, have a good think about where it could go, and measure the space. You’ll need to select an environment that:
Is quiet
Gerbils are very sensitive creatures, with very good hearing and an excellent sense of smell. They’ll need to be placed in a quiet room that people aren’t always going in and out of. This means that you’ll want to keep them out of hallways, children’s bedrooms and living rooms.
They also are a lot calmer in any areas not near running water or a television. As well as the loud noises of a programme, gerbils can hear ultrasound. These are sound waves emitted by things such as electronic devices and the movement of water rushing through pipes. Although we can’t hear this, these kinds of noises can be very stressful for gerbils, so it’s wise to keep them away.
It's best to put your gerbil cage in a nice, quiet space in your house - they have very good hearing!
Small mammals rarely do well with fluctuations in temperature, and it’s for this reason that it’s best to find an area in the house that has as few temperature variations as possible. This means that it’s best to keep them out of direct sunlight, and in particular out of conservatories, as heat builds up in these areas deceptively quickly. It’s also best to keep the cage away from radiators and fireplaces.
Draughty spots are also to be avoided. This means keeping the cage out of poorly insulated or draughty areas, and away from air conditioning and other ventilation systems.
Is well away from other animals
Gerbils are small mammals that are prey to a lot of larger creatures. They are naturally very interesting to ferrets, snakes, cats and dogs. Even though your larger pet may not mean them any harm, it’s very important to keep them away from your gerbils at all times. It’s best to pick a room that you can easily prevent your other pets from getting into, and staring at or trying to get into the cage.
Out of the way of chemicals
Laundry rooms, bathrooms and garages aren’t great places for gerbils because of the chemicals commonly found in them. Certain detergents and cleaners are bad for the respiratory systems of small mammals, and can lead to infections.
Comments
Claire, 21 September 2022
Would they be bothered by water pipes that are in the wall or under the floorboards or is it just pipes that I can see that I need to worry about. Also any room I can offer them will have a radiator in, which obviously has pipes coming off it. Will this be ok for them?
Jaelyn, 2 September 2019
There is one thing I am not sure of. There is only one room in the house that I would prefer to keep them in, and it’s my room. But it is next to the bathroom and I have electronics in there. There are really no other places quieter than in my room but I would say sometimes I am louder than usual inside. How sensitive exactly are they to loud noises?