How To Keep Your Gerbil Warm In Winter

When temperatures begin falling, it’s especially important to keep your gerbil’s comfort in mind during those dark winter months. We’ve compiled a list of a few easy ways you can help keep your pet comfortable and warm, even when the weather outside is quite the opposite.

Do NOT place your gerbil's habitat next to a heater: Many people assume that the best way to keep a gerbil warm in winter is to place their habitat next to a heater. Unfortunately this is not safe, as the heater can cause the habitat to become too warm and cause your gerbil to overheat. Do not blow hot air directly into your gerbil’s habitat and keep the habitat at least 5 feet away from any direct heat source within the home.

Keep your gerbil's habitat away from drafty areas: Draft areas are any areas within the home that may have a slight breeze due to outdoor air entering the home. These areas are commonly near windows, doors, electrical outlets, or thin walls. Placing your habitat near an inside wall of the home during the winter helps prevent cold air from entering your gerbil’s habitat, and thus making it more difficult for them to stay warm.

Use a hermit crab heater under the corner of your gerbil's habitat: If your home tends to be colder than 65° F, we recommend using a small reptile or hermit crab heater under one corner of your pet’s cage. This method of warming your gerbil’s habitat is safe and effective. By placing the heater on only one corner of the cage you offer a warm spot that your gerbil can easily access if they are cold. The heater will not warm the entire cage, though, so if your pet gets too warm they can easily leave the heated area and go to a cooler part of the habitat. Do not place the heater near food or water. Our recommendation for an affordable hermit crab heater under $20 is Fluker's Hermit Crab Mat which you can find here.

Offer warm soft bedding material: In winter, offering warm soft bedding material can offer better insulation and help keep your gerbil warm. Avoid wood shavings or aspen bedding in winter, and opt for paper or cardboard basedbeddings, as they tend to be softer and offer better insulation in colder months.

Give your gerbil extra soft nesting materials: In winter many gerbils will naturally begin to burrow and create nests. They have a natural drive to collect soft materials and create comfy tunnels for themselves. You can help your gerbil create warm nesting areas by offering suitable and safe nesting materials such as paper towels, untreated moss, hay, coconut coir, bamboo, natural wool, and natural animal fur (such as angora rabbit fur).

Fill one or two hide-outs with nesting material: Although gerbils often have the natural urge to create their own nesting areas in winter, you can also help them create their own warm nesting area by filling one or two hide-outs within their habitat with some of the soft nesting materials we listed above. Our favorite hide-outs for winter comfort are ones that only have one entrance, such as a coconut hut or wood house.

Use humidifier in the room with your gerbil's habitat in it: Humidity within a room helps it feel warmer, but for gerbil’s humidity is also important, because it can help prevent respiratory illnesses that often appear in gerbils during cold temperatures. Humidity can help your gerbil breathe easier and stay healthier during the winter. Using a humidifier on a low setting in the room that your gerbil’s habitat is in can be beneficial for their respiratory health.

Cover your gerbil's habitat at night when temperatures drop: If temperatures within your home tend to drop in the evening, you can help keep your pet’s habitat slightly warmer by placing a blanket over the habitat at night. This can help keep hot air in the habitat longer, allowing their habitat to stay slightly warmer than the rest of the home for most of the night.

Although gerbils are very hardy little animals, they still deserve a bit of extra care amidst harsh cold winter weather. By implementing even just a few of these tips and tricks, you can help keep your gerbil happy, healthy, and warm.