Food Bowl

[Sam's My Baby]

Sam, my gerbil loves to cover her food bowl with her bedding (I use pine wood chips) and every day I have to empy out all the wood chips, and when I put the food bowl back in that is all cleaned out she immediatley goes in and grabs some food. I think when she covers her food she doesnt know its there so it is like she is starving herself. Does anyone know how I can stop her from kicking all her bedding into her foodbowl?

[popcornbird]

Ok, its not like I'm experienced with gerbils or anything (infact, I've never even dealt with one) just seen them in the cage at Petco a couple of times. Try using a different bedding. Maybe that will help. I think it would be a good idea to ask your nearest petshop employees for a better bedding alternative.

[Aspen and Misty]

My 2 rats Melopny and Hope burrie there food for later. Your gerble might be the same way. They also pick up and drop ceder into ther bath tub in there cage. So I clean that out every day. They also cover the salads I give them so that no one else can have them. Your gerble is probly still eating, you just don't see him.

[Heather Wallace]

Oh! How cute, maybe she is hidding them so noone else will steal them from her.

[Sam's My Baby]

LOL, that would be funny if she was hiding the food, but I dont know. I am also going to put food in this tower thingy she has in her cage if she does get that hungry. Today I put her on the couch and somehow she got off....and she hid under the couch and wouldnt come out! lol! and when she did, and i tried to grab her...she just ran right back in! It took me a while to finally catch her...

[popcornbird]

I've seen squirrels in my backyard burying peanuts and other foods in the mud. I've seen them come back later, dig it up, and eat it. Maybe its a "rodent thing" to hide its food so no one gets it and come back later to eat. I bet your gerbil is doing just that!

[Gepansy]

*LOL*....Oreo does the same thing, but she uncovers her food bowl when she's hungry so I wouldn't worry about Sam too much.

[Sam's My Baby]

LOL, alright..thanks! Also one time when I had a larger bowl, Sam would make it comfy with bedding and sleep in it! LOL!

[lovemymaltese]

I would not think that she is starving herself. She may be hiding the food of saving it for later. I thought that was a good idea that someone mentioned in the post about new bedding, that could work. Maybe the gerbil doesn't like the current bedding.