Cat Information

Is cat litter safe to use in a gerbil home?

I was just wondering what other things I could do to enhance their home. If cat litter IS safe, what type of cat litter should I use? If cat litter isn't safe, is there anything else I could do for them that's easy to make? Thank-you for your time! Have a great day. =)

Public Comments

1. no they could eat it
2. Cat litter is for cats. Put newspaper in their cage and get some bedding material at the pet store.
3. there is a reason its called a cat litter.
4. Probably not. Cat litter has alot of chemicals in it for such a small animal. Unless you use the natural stuff which is like paper or wood shavings. But if you go that way you might as well get the wood shavings made for gerbils and those type of animals.
5. I wouldn't try cat litter. Maybe shred up some paper and/ or paper towels and put some cardboard in there for them to chew on. When you get some gerbil bedding I would get aspen wood bedding. If you have a wire cage, though, you might want to put the cage under something or don't put much in or it'll get everywhere. Good luck! =D
6. Probably not. Cat litter has alot of chemicals in it for such a small animal.You should use wood shavings. Never use Pine or Cedar though. They can be very dangerous for small animals. They could get major health problems from them. Use anything but those two kinds or anything that has a little bit of it in the formula. Don't use cat litter they could also die from eating that.
7. No, cat litter is for cats and it has a purpose for cats only.
8. No, of course it's not, they could eat it and poisin them. =[
9. The answer to your question is NO, there are NO safe brands of cat litter for gerbils. If in doubt about something: don't use it. I looked at some bedding that was meant to be suitable for gerbils made from cotton wool - I didn't trust it. I was right not to trust it, as since then I have learnt many things about gerbils: and cotton wool is not safe, as they can choke on it. Even unscented cat litter is no good for gerbils: they carry their bedding (no matter what it is made from) to make nests and inevitably swallow some sometimes. So cat litter, could in fact kill your gerbil whether it is scented or not. Use enough sawdust (but NOT cedar wood or pine as these are FATAL to gerbils) and bedding (paper or vegetable parchment NOT cotton wool) for them to make tunnels. As this is what they do in the wild, and a gerbil without the materials to build tunnels will get depressed. To enhance their cage: use safe wooden toys (remember NO cedar wood or pine, even if it says it is suitable for gerbils on the packet, because it is NOT and any brand that says so is best avoided), cardboard with little or no print on it: eg toilet rolls. Use a small terracotta plantpot: they are cheapest and safest when they have no design on them. They will use this to keep their nails trim, and may also use it as a sleeping place. Try carefully ripping a gerbil sized hole in two toilet roll tubes: then put them together (squeeze the end of one inside the other): now you have a longer toilet roll tube they can stick their heads out and climb in and out (don't use more than two together though - you can however, put more than two in the cage): They will chew it to pieces within minutes however! Gerbils need wooden stuff and a mineral stone to keep their teeh healthy. For bedding: you can use clean unbleached paper if you like (just tear it into strips, and they will do the rest), but make sure there is something else there too: eg sawdust.