I have a gerbil also. Most gerbils like building thier nests underneath the water bottle. I dont know why, but they always seem to like it there. Most gerbils have thier litters underneath the water bottle too. Don't worry about her not drinking, gerbils only drink small amounts of water, becuase they are originally from the desert. Sooner or later when she is thirsty she will drink from it. It takes several weeks for my gerbil to drink up all of her water. Hope I helped