Do you want to know why your gerbil is biting her cage? Gerbils chew their bars a lot to shorten the length of their teeth.
Since they are continually growing, gerbils kept in cages could not have access to enough hard food or wooden “chews” for their teeth to wear down naturally. This causes the teeth to overgrow.
Here’s Why Your Gerbil Is Biting Her Cage
#1. Bar Rub
Is your gerbil chewing on the cage bars? If so, it might have a condition called bar rub. Under this condition, a gerbil constantly chews on the cage bars so much that they get mouth sores and lose some hair.
This issue affects many small mammals reared as pets because their cages are too tiny or require additional enrichment. Taking care of bar rub as soon as you notice it happening is vital because it can be a significant issue.
What To Do If Your Gerbil is Biting Its Cage
1. Play with the Gerbil
Boredom can be indicated by both scratching and biting. Giving your gerbil items to play with and a gnawing toy is one remedy. But there are also alternative options.
Playing with your gerbil more frequently is the simplest solution and one that is enjoyable for you. Allow it to explore more regularly by removing it from its cage. Your gerbil will have less agitation and a sense of confinement in its habitat.
Consider taking your gerbil outside to play. This is only possible in the following situations:
- Place the cage on the ground outside. Remove the floor if you can, placing your gerbil in the cage while it sits on the grass.
- Ensure that no other animals are nearby that could harm your gerbil.
- Check to see if your gerbil feels secure going outside. It might feel awkward if it has never been exposed.
You should never let your gerbil go free outside as there is a considerable possibility it may get away. However, this might make your gerbil less restless.
Consult a veterinarian if you can’t identify the cause of your gerbil’s aggression. Certain gerbils will attack if they are sick. Take your pet to the vet for an examination to determine whether there is an underlying reason if you cannot identify an apparent reason for the behavior.
Your gerbil could become violent if they are ill. It’s much more likely that a disease is to blame if the behavior is combined with symptoms like diarrhea, weight loss, fur loss, skin issues, or inactivity.
2. Offer More Enrichment
Gerbils have been known to chew on bars when they’re bored. If their enclosure doesn’t include the proper enrichment, they may gnaw on the bars out of boredom and a desire to get out and do something fun.
Ensure your pets have all they need before purchasing extras to spice up their lives. For example, do they have sufficient bedding to burrow in? Is there a large enough wheel for them?
3. Give the Gerbil Better Enclosure
Even though it might be inconvenient, your gerbils will be dissatisfied if you don’t do this. The second choice is to purchase a cage with closer-spaced bars.
The bars are too narrow for your gerbil’s nose to fit through to gnaw. Before purchasing, verify that the bars are closer by comparing the enclosure to your own.
Also, to completely stop the behavior, you might purchase an enclosure made entirely of glass. Glass cannot be bit by gerbils, although they may lick it. However, this practice improves bar chewing because it is less harmful.
4. Offer Them a Chew Toy
Gerbils chew on their bars primarily to try and shorten the length of their teeth, which is one of the main motivations.
A gerbil’s teeth will continue to develop throughout its lifetime, and those kept in captivity could not have access to all the complex food they require for their teeth to wear down naturally.
This means that a gerbil’s teeth can erupt into an overgrown state. If this occurs, your pet’s obvious course of action is to gnaw on anything in reach, even as tough as metal bars.
The safest approach to ensure that your pets always have accessibility to something to chew on is to buy a specialized gerbil chew or gnaw and leave it in their cage.
5. Put Substrate in Their Cage
You should give your gerbil’s cage more substrate. Adding more substrate is typically a good idea if this isn’t the problem. If your pet behaves differently, try adding some more bedding.
Also, provide your gerbil with a gerbilarium, a more organic two-layer cage with a cage-like upper portion and a glass lower section. The upper section could include a food bowl, workout wheel, and water bottle.
Your gerbil can dig in a pile of bedding several inches thick in the lower area. Gerbils prefer to feel as though they are excavating deep into the ground to create their burrows. Thus, this is the most natural setup.
Conclusion
It might be because of stress if you don’t know why your gerbil is biting her cage. Some other signs of stress are obsessive habits, like excessive grooming and cage biting.
On top of that, gerbils may exhibit increased aggression, irritability, or excessive hiding. Stress can cause foot stamping and vocalizations like squeaking and chattering teeth. When under pressure, some gerbils get seizures.
