I gave up running through a maze for this?

Cat and gerbil photo by robad0b

Did you know that Gerbils can be litterbox trained? Most animals want to keep their environment clean and gerbils are no exception.  I have two that I adopted when they were babies. I put a small Tupperware box filled with sand in the corner of their cage and within two days, they were burying their waste in it just like cats do. Litterbox-training saves on bedding expense and keeps their cage fresh and clean.

If your gerbils are older and have established the habit of peeing in their bedding already, I’d try removing ALL bedding from their cage, and put a litterbox filled with sand in the corner. Wipe out the cage a few times a day until they get the hang of using the litterbox. Then put bedding in their sleeping area (only) for awhile. If they’re still using the litterbox at that point, add the bedding back into the bottom of the cage. The bedding should feel different to them than the sand.

Replace the sand every day — gerbils LOVE rolling in the sandbox while it’s clean. These sand baths remove their hair grease and keep their coats shiny.

(photo by orangeacid)