Gerbils scratch the glass because they lack floor space, darkness, or depth of habitat. They are out of their natural habitat, where they can dig deep down, so they attempt to do so in the space you provided. Because of this, it is essential to ensure your gerbil has plenty of floor space to ensure they have enough room to dig deep down. Doing so can lessen the chances of them scratching the glass, hence making your life and theirs easier.
While this behavior is not something to be worried about, you should still pay attention. This article includes ways to stop gerbils from scratching the glass, so continue on for more information!
Why Is My Gerbil Digging at the Glass?
Your gerbil is digging or scratching because it needs a little more natural environment to burrow regularly. Gerbils enjoy burrowing in darker areas. When your gerbil’s cage has multiple light sources and does not allow room for natural tunneling, it can affect your gerbil mentally.
Gerbils dig on the corners as they are uncertain of their boundaries. Give them time to understand the new habitat and change the environment to suit their natural needs. Here is a quick video explaining why they scratch the glass as well:
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Can a Gerbil Scratch Through Its Cage?
Though their claws aren’t strong, gerbils tend to scratch the cage bottom repetitively. While they can scratch, they cannot come out if the cage is glass. However, repetitive scratching can put the enclosure at risk if your gerbil is inside a plastic tank. This is because the cage can break at any time. In that case, getting a durable and sizable enclosure for their home is extremely important.
If you are raising gerbils for the first time in your life, you must pay close attention to their habitats. Leaving them inside a cage completely different from their actual habitat can mentally and physically affect gerbils. Studying what your gerbils need and fulfilling each criterion can significantly affect their quality of life.
Why Do Gerbils Bite Cage Bars?
A gerbil bites cage bars out of boredom or to reduce their tooth length. Gerbil’s teeth continuously grow, so without proper toys to chew on, they will try to find different alternatives, such as cage bars.
However, it can lead to serious health issues like overgrown teeth. Providing them with enough “chews” to ensure they do not get bad is essential. It might be a good idea to keep some extra toys aside just in case their current ones look worn down.
1. Reducing Teeth Size
Gerbils bite against rough objects like cage bars to trim down naturally. It is a natural problem faced by gerbils. If their teeth fail to trim down correctly, it can result in dental injuries and complications.
When gerbils bite cage bars for long, you should bring them to a specialist to check for teeth misalignments. Otherwise, they can develop poor eating habits due to dental issues.
2. Boredom
Another reason for gerbils to bite cage bars is to kill boredom. If you have brought only one gerbil to your home, the chances of boredom are high. As a result, they bite the bar and scratch the glass, which can mean boredom and a desire to escape from the place due to dissatisfaction. If you wish to help with this issue, arranging a large space that allows ample movement and meets the criteria of a natural habitat meant for rodents is extremely wise.
How Do You Stop Gerbils From Scratching the Glass?
To stop gerbils from scratching the glass, get a spacious gerbilarium with multiple levels, exercise wheels, toys, a water bottle, a food bowl, and natural elements like tree branches.
After raising gerbils from childhood, I can confidently tell you that the behavior of scratching the glass significantly reduces when you spend time with them and provide better space.
There are three criteria to fulfill when you have gerbils at home:
1. Spacious Gerbilarium
A gerbilarium needs to mimic the actual habitat of a gerbil with good cage additions. Blue Cross recommends a cage size of 50 cm in height, 70 cm in length, and 35 cm in width for two gerbils. It’s advisable to have a two-layer gerbilarium with a small ladder connecting the two.
The lower region needs to contain bedding ideal for burrowing. However, the upper area should include a food bowl, water bottle, toys, and an exercise wheel. If you have a baby gerbil, you can also leave tiny toys (made of wood) for him in the upper section. To give them a pleasant experience, you can expand the cage further and include branches of a tree.
Note: Do not add cedar and pine branches, as these are unhealthy for gerbils.
2. Correct Bedding
Gerbils land up in stereotyping, digging towards the corner of the enclosure whenever they do not find adequate substrate. Here is what you can do to improve the bedding and mimic the natural habitat.
- Extend the floor space of the gerbil by 0.5 meters. This extension increases the room for activity.
- Increase the depth of the bedding until it reaches 10 inches (25 cm). This depth is sufficient for gerbils to dig inside and have some privacy.
- Cover the sides and back of the gerbilarium with a dark material, like dark-colored paper or a cardboard sheet. This darkness lets gerbils sleep longer and more comfortably.
If you do not have a tight budget, you can include multiple dark chambers so they can move on from dark to light to dark based on their needs.
3. Sufficient Human-Gerbil Time
Increasing your interaction with the gerbil is the key to healthier behaviors! Scratching the glass often means your gerbil is bored.
Even if you have provided a toy to gnaw on, it can sometimes become tedious due to a lack of options and monotony. The ideal solution is to play with your gerbil for as long as possible.
Here’s what we do, and it works well:
- Take the gerbil out of his cage
- Talk with him when he is outside
- Let him explore the surroundings
In this process, ensuring the gerbil is not prone to fighting with other animals is essential. If you are uncomfortable with letting your gerbil out at times, you can change the location of the cage. For example, let your gerbil sit on a different substrate, like grass, for a unique experience.
Initially, your gerbil can become restless. However, this improves as the gerbil regularly interacts with several objects and humans.
Final Thoughts
Rodents, like gerbils, need special care and attention. Unlike dogs and cats, gerbils need dedicated, natural habitats to remain occupied and happy. Otherwise, gerbils can bite cage bars, scratch the glass, and dig the glass out of boredom.
These instances force gerbils to escape from space in search of a natural habitat. When you spot gerbils scratching the glass at your home, remember to change the habitat, extend the space, and enhance your interaction with them.
