Are you an expectant gerbil parent-to-be who wants to be sure you are picking a safe and appropriate cage for them? Or maybe you want to upgrade your current gerbilarium to pamper your little friends!
Luckily, we’re here to help navigate the variety of available products. In this article, we’ll examine 9 gerbil cages and give in-depth reviews of each so that you can easily find the right cage for your needs. Check out our buyer’s guide for further tips on what to look for when shopping for your gerbil’s new home.
The Kaytee brand is trusted among small pet owners because of its commitment to safety and quality. The stunning combination of features important to keeping gerbils makes the Kaytee Tank Topper an obvious best overall choice for us.
The wire top unit is sturdily built, has multiple secure ramps to run on, and plenty of space for adding toys and treats. The 10-gallon tank below leaves plenty of room for a couple of gerbils to burrow and build tunnels!
The only real downside is that the glass tank is not included. Luckily, tanks are cheap and easy to find! Remember that it’s built for a 10-gallon tank, meaning you should not house more than two gerbils in this cage.
Pros
Multi-level, room for toys and exploration
Plenty of room for deep bedding
Easy to assemble, secure attachments to tank
Includes ramps, hidey house, food dish, and water bottle
For those wanting to take care of their fuzzy little friends without straining their wallets, the Ferplast Favola cage is the best gerbil cage for the money. It is separated into multiple levels and is nicely sized for one or two gerbils. The bottom of this cage is fairly deep and can be filled with bedding for tunnels.
The main feature that keeps this cage out of the top spot is that its overall size is not large enough, and the base is not deep enough to accommodate larger groups of gerbils. We recommend that two gerbils should be the maximum housed in this cage.
Pros
Multi-level, lots of room for toys
Includes ramps, hidey house, food bowl, and water bottle
Our premium pick is the OIIBO Large Hamster cage. Although it’s advertised as a hamster cage, it’s suitable for gerbils and large enough to house two. It has a large front door for easy access, and you can also open the top. The bottom section is ideal for burrowing and has glass walls, and the top section has wire mesh to provide adequate ventilation.
The OIIBO is an expensive model, and although most customers were pleased with it, some mentioned that the instructions were vague. A few others had issues with damages that occurred during the cage’s delivery.
If you want a cage that leaves you with zero worries about the size or safety of your gerbils, check out the Savic Habitat. The upper level is exceptionally sturdy, and the base is deep enough to facilitate digging and tunnels galore!
The biggest downside is the price, which is unfortunately high, especially considering that the base is made of plastic. While there is no significant chance of your gerbils escaping through the plastic bottom, we expect somewhat sturdier materials for the money.
Pros
Multi-level, lots of ramps, and space to play
Includes water bottle and food bowl
Deep base for superior ability to burrow, suitable for multiple gerbils
The Midwest Brisby cage is nice and wide, so there is plenty of room for toys and running around. The base is deeper than some and can be filled with bedding for a modest amount of tunneling and digging.
This model is quite pricey, however, and the quality of materials leaves something to be desired. The plastic base may be a target for your gerbil buddies’ eager teeth, leading to safety issues. Also, even though it is wide enough, we do not recommend housing more than two gerbils in this cage because it lacks a deep base.
Pros
Multi-level, lots of room for toys
Base suitable for filling with bedding
Secure door latch
Easy to assemble
Includes food dish, water bottle, hidey house, and wheel
Our favorite thing about the Critterville Arcade cage is the excellent upper-level adventure area. It’s full of ramps and climbing, and the front is clear, so you can watch your gerbil play. It also includes accessories like a water bottle, a food dish, and a little house.
Unfortunately, this cage is not really made for gerbils. It is not big enough for multiple gerbils, and the base is not deep enough to provide the burrowing that gerbils need. Also, it has many plastic pieces that could easily be chewed through. It’s a decent option in a pinch for a single gerbil, but not long-term.
Pros
Multi-level for extra space
Includes wheel, hidey house, tubes and ramps, food dish, and water bottle
The PawHut 31” Extra Large Hamster Cage is massive and more suitable for housing two or more gerbils. It comes with a long tunnel, a wheel, a water bottle, and a food dish. It’s simple to assemble but has a few drawbacks.
First, the bottom section is not deep enough. You can fill it with a substrate for burrowing, but gerbils require a few more inches. Second, the top corners can be pushed open and must be tied down to prevent escapes. Finally, the plastic tube is fragile and easy to break.
As a temporary home or multi-enclosure unit, the Kaytee Critter Trail Habitat could be a good option. It is inexpensive, so purchasing a few and the tubes to connect them won’t be too hard on your bank account.
However, as a single unit, we do not recommend keeping a gerbil in this cage long-term. The base is not deep enough to allow tunnel building and isn’t large enough overall. And when you consider how chewable all the plastic is, you may be setting yourself up for escapes and ruined purchases.
The Prevue Hendryx Deluxe Gerbil Cage has a good width to the base and multiple ramps and platforms for critters to climb. But that’s about where its suitability for gerbils ends, as the base is nowhere near deep enough for a gerbil to have proper room to burrow.
Please be aware that this cage’s shoddy construction could lead to injury or death. The platforms are not secured well enough, and animals can get stuck and hurt underneath. If you want to make sure your little friends aren’t in danger in this cage, you will need to check over the entire unit and make safety adjustments.
Pros
Multi-level, lots of ramps and toy space
Includes multiple hidey houses and wheel
Cons
Poor design can lead to life-threatening accidents
Mid-range price for poor quality
Base isn’t deep enough for appropriate bedding fill
Lots of plastic that can easily be chewed up
Buyer’s Guide – Choosing the Best Gerbil Cage
A Little About Gerbils
Most pet gerbils are related, if distantly, to the Mongolian gerbil. In the wild, they live in grasslands, shrublands, deserts, and the semidesert steppes. They are highly social animals and live in long and complex tunnels. Pet gerbils should always be raised in pairs.
Tunneling
Gerbils are natural diggers and burrowers. Their tunnels often reach 26 feet long and have as many as 10 exits! This is a crucial part of their nature to remember because gerbils do most of their nesting, sleeping, hibernating, breeding, and resting inside these tunnels.
Chewing
Gerbils love to chew, and they will chew on everything. One reason is that their teeth never stop growing, and they need help filing them down. The other primary purpose is to turn the substrate around them into a pulp that they can use to build their tunnels or strengthen the walls.
Intelligence
These little dudes are no slouch on intelligence, either. Gerbils need plenty of stimulation, which can include toys, enough space to explore, and different substrates to chew and build with. If gerbils don’t have outlets for their energy, they will try to open their cage and escape!
What to Look for in a Gerbil Cage
The first consideration when looking at gerbil cages is the depth of the “tank” area. Since gerbils live in long tunnels mainly, they need at least 6–7 inches of appropriate bedding to dig and build. The best setups are glass tanks filled with substrate and a wire cage topper secured above.
Size
Next, ensure the cage you choose is large enough for the number of gerbils. According to Alternatives to Laboratory Animals, gerbils get incredibly stressed when stuck in a cage that is too small or lacking enrichment opportunities. Signs include bar chewing and compulsive digging.
The minimum tank size requirement for one gerbil is 10 US gallons. It is generally recommended to add 5 gallons for each additional gerbil inhabitant. Thus, for two gerbils, you would want at least 15 gallons, three need 20 gallons, etc.
Providing more than the minimum amount of space is recommended. Though gerbils are very social, the Russian Journal of General Biology also found that they are highly individualistic. That means that they need friends AND space to be alone sometimes!
Construction
However, bigger is not always better. Three or more gerbils in a home that is too large may start to declan. They may split up and fight over territory. Fifteen gallons of space per gerbil is more than enough and lessens the likelihood of declanning.
You may have already guessed that as consummate chewers, gerbils can make quick work of poorly built cages. Wood and plastic cages are not suitable for gerbils. Glass, wire, and hard plastics are the best choices for cage material.
Accessories
And lastly, keep an eye on what sorts of accessories come with the cage. Are they compatible with the ones you already have? If you already have a few accessories, look for cages that don’t include them so you can save money.
Tips for Setup and Maintenance
The composition of your gerbils’ bedding is incredibly important, given the amount of time they will spend burrowing in it. They need lightweight, dust-free, mixed-material substrates for tunneling. Consider pre-mixed brands or make your own! A mix of paper-based bedding with aspen shavings and hay is recommended.
Regularly cleaning your gerbil’s home will help keep them clean and healthy. But keep in mind that cleaning too often can actually be quite stressful for your little friends. After all, whenever you remove bedding, it destroys their tunnels!
Spot cleaning once or twice a week is highly recommended. You will be able to spot the areas to replace by wetness and smell. You should only fully replace the bedding about once a month when cleaning a full cage. This will allow your gerbils some time to relax and rebuild between cleanings.
Our Best Gerbil Cages Selection Process
The gerbil cages we reviewed in this article were chosen by PangoVet’s writers and editors, in collaboration with our experienced veterinary team, based on personal experience with the product, knowledge and expertise about the pet’s care needs, brand reputation, and reviews across multiple retail outlets from other customers that have purchased and used the product. The combination of these factors allows us to gather a wide range of information to help you choose only the best gerbil cages and ensure you have the most accurate information about these products to promote proper care, health, and well-being of your beloved pets.
Why Trust PangoVet?
PangoVet’s licensed and experienced veterinarians have a knowledge base that extends to all kinds of pets—furry, scaly, and feathered—and want only the best for pets of all shapes and sizes. We also have experienced writers and editors who are pet owners with a variety of different pets, and we love our pets as much as you do. We recognize pets as part of our family. We make sure to only choose products from reputable brands highly rated by customers as well as products that we have personal experience with, to ensure that every gerbil cages featured in this review is high-quality and safe for your pets.
As for the best value pick, the Ferplast Favola Hamster Cage is an excellent option. You can safely and comfortably house up to two gerbils in this modestly priced cage. With a vast number of online pet retailers, it can sometimes feel like you’re adrift in a sea of options. We hope that the considerate reviews and informative buyer’s guide included in this article will make navigating these products pain free and simple.
Happy tunneling!
Featured Image Credit: borisenkoket, Shutterstock
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Nicole is the proud mom of 3 rescue fur babies, Baby, a Burmese cat; Rosa, a New Zealand Huntaway; and Mac, a Lab/Mastiff. A Canadian expat, Nicole now lives on a lush forest property with her Kiwi husband and new baby daughter in New Zealand. She has a strong love for all animals of all shapes and sizes (and particularly loves a good interspecies friendship) and wants to share her animal knowledge and other experts' knowledge with pet lovers across the globe.
