Wipe Down Food and Water Dishes: Sounds like a no brainer, right? But it's honestly a simple step that makes a huge difference. Just by quickly wiping down your gerbil's food and water dishes with a wet rag everyday you help prevent things from rotting and growing.
Pick Up Spills Daily: Gerbil's are notoriously hyper creatures. And it seems practically impossible to keep them from knocking food and water all over the place. But each day, when you're adding new food and water- try and remove a bit of the spilled food and any wet bedding. It will help prevent odor and keep the habitat cleaner longer.
Remove Fully Chewed Chew Toys: So your gerbil has just about completely chewed a few of it's wooden toys? That means it's time to replace them. Remove any very chewed toys and discard of them. Try to remove any wood splinters and pieces as well. Your habitat will look much better with new toys instead of old dirty well-chewed ones.
Remove Old Nests: If your gerbil has built a nest in a hut or tunnel- leave it so long as they are using it. If you begin to notice that one of the nests isn't being used- go ahead and throw it away. It usually means the nesting material has gotten dirty and your gerbil no longer wants to use it.
Discard Old Cardboard Pieces: If you have cardboard tunnels and or huts, remove them once they have gotten wet, overly chewed, or beginning to fade and show wear. If water spills on a cardboard accessory- remove it immediately. Wet cardboard absorbs odor and will cause your habitat to smell.
Throw Away Wet Bedding: Just as with cardboard, wet bedding holds in odor and isn't sanitary or comfortable for your gerbil. Remove any collections of wet bedding that can easily be accessed.