Gerbil and Small Critter Play Structure Guide

Welcome. If you have a gerbil or another small critter please use this to guide you to build something special for your pet(s). Please read through everything, so you have a good idea of what you are doing. As always make sure that the structure is sturdy enough. Test the structure by gently pushing down on the levels and seeing if it holds and it is steady. Keep in mind that if your pet(s) love chewing on things, the structure may become unstable as they chew it down. Good luck makers, and as always have fun!

- Cardboard (Lots of it)

-wood (if you want to)

- Ruler (not your favorite)

-Adhesive

The first step to do is measure everything. Start with the cage dimensions, you want to make sure that the final product will fit in the cage. The structure should not be bigger than ⅓ of the floor space. The bigger the cage is the more room you can use to work with. Now you need to get the dimensions of your gerbils or small critter. Keep in mind that these will vary depending on the critter and what they like to do. Start with getting your pet used to having a ruler in the cage. Don’t use a tape measure, it could potentially hurt your critter. See where they stand normally, this is the minimum height between levels, add 1 or 2 cm so they can stand normally anywhere in or on the structure. Now take a treat and hold it above their head, hold it high above their head, see how far they can stretch up, allow them to have the treat after seeing how far they can reach. This measurement is especially useful if you don’t have a cage topper and need to make sure your gerbils don’t escape, you should add around ½ inch to make sure it is gerbil proof, and keep in mind that if you put the water bottle right next to the structure, it can be used as an aid to escape. Now if you have a cage topper this makes things a bit easier. You have more freedom and space to work with. Next, try to get a measurement of roughly how tall they are when they are moving around, this height is useful if you are making a circular entrance to the structure. Another idea is to see if your critter can easily move through a toilet paper tube, as this can be used as a guideline for circular entrances and exits

Watch your critter. Figure out what they like to do. What do they already have that they love? Can you copy some of the design? Do they like high places? Are they afraid of heights? Do they like maze-like structures? Or maybe want a digging pit? Ask yourself these questions, add some of your own. This will help you create something they want or are curious about. The more you know about your gerbils or critters the more personalized you can make it.

Grab and find cardboard, now I'm going to assume that some of you have been stockpiling cardboard because you want to do something for your pet, but can’t figure out how or where to start. So grab the stockpile of cardboard and start sorting. Separate big boxes/ big flat pieces of cardboard from the smaller ones and the uniquely shaped ones into another pile. Cardboard tubes are always fun and can be used for many purposes. Figure out which pieces of cardboard you want to include. Maybe it's a small box to create a small room. Or just something you like the shape of. The larger cardboard pieces will be important.

Using the measurements you found in step one and the cardboard pieces you have, try to incorporate them into a rough design. I say rough, because often once you start working on it, you might find things in your design that won’t work the exact way you would like. Or that it will need to be changed, to work better. You might want to design a few different ones, if you have more ideas or as a backup if something doesn't work out. Use the cardboard pieces you like and found in the design. Understand that if your critter loves to chew things down you have to take that into account in the design. A mistake I am guilty of. Make sure that if the design is chewed on it will still work. I made the mistake of having two levels in the tower where both have to use the same side to get up. The gerbils chewed the first level and now it is hard/ nearly impossible for them to get onto the second level and my gerbils will jump from the second level to the bottom of the cage, because they chewed the first level back enough that there isn’t room to land on it. He didn’t get hurt doing it, but something to be aware of, especially if your critter is more sensitive to falls.

Before starting to build, consider what adhesive you would like to use. There are some natural adhesives that you can make, for a more pet-friendly glue, just make sure that the ingredients used are safe for your critter. What might be safe for a gerbil could be terrible for a hamster or another pet. If your main base cardboard is really thick like mine you can push popsicle sticks into the cardboard pieces and keep things together that way. Which is holding up really well. Some people use a school glue like Elmer's to hold things together. It depends on what you want to do and what will hold your design together the best. Here is a recipe for flour and water glue. I have found that this does not work as well as Elmer's glue but if that doesn’t matter to you then here you go: https://gerbilgerbil.tumblr.com/post/82488886084/diy-pet-safe-glue-paint-full-credit-goes-to

Start building, if there is not something that works, then try something else or change the design. Make sure to include the measurements you took earlier are included and to measure often to make sure that it will actually work. Keep in mind that the amount of bedding in the cage might cover an entrance or exit and if you want that, do that, but you might want to put the entrance a little farther up so the gerbil can walk into the entrance without digging down to find it.

Clean the cage as normal and add in the new structure as an addition to the cage. Put your pet back into its cage. Enjoy watching your pet explore its new surroundings. If your pet is wary of the structure you can use treats put on the structure to reward your pet for exploring. I did this and my gerbils are now really comfortable with being on the structure.