I used bowls when I had gerbils. Not all the time, but sometimes. I never had one get sick from it. Sometimes, they prefer a bowl.

My ex-husband and I had a regular little zoo, too. We had hamsters, mice, gerbils, bunnies, cats, a dog, fish and a lovebird. We even had a guinea pig I was deathly allergic to. We worked closely with the owners of a petshop in Houston, and they never told us to not use a bowl.

Crystal