Building a hamster or gerbil burrow at Vermin Village

Building a hamster or gerbil burrow at Vermin Village

In order to provide enrichment for the hamsters and gerbils of Vermin Village, I build “burrows” for them.

Supplies I typically use include:

• a refrigerator soda box (the long 12-pack version), but any box that will fit in your cage will do, however if you use a smaller box, you’ll want to have some cardboard to fold into a type of “tunnel” to get to the chamber.
• some type of hay or grass (today I’m using Kaytee Natural Bermuda Grass)
• Eco-Bedding or strip shredded newspaper
• Tissue, paper towels or a soft paper bedding like Kaytee Clean and Cozy
• Large fiddlesticks, made by SuperPet
• A zip tie

For gerbils, I provide toilet paper and paper towel tubes daily so that they can shred to their hearts content.  If you can’t seem to get enough tubes and you don’t have a lot of friends that can save them for you, buy the cheapest toilet paper rolls with the smallest amount of paper on them, you’ll go through them faster. :D

I have found that gerbils, at least the two boys I have here now, are particularly sensitive to aspen bedding (the only kind of wood shaving bedding appropriate for rodents), so I exclusively use Kaytee Clean and Cozy and Eco-bedding/shredded newspaper for them.

Let’s get started!

I attach my wheel to the cage.   

Then I put a layer of Clean and Cozy down.

Next I prepare the Fiddlesticks so they can be attached to the cage.

I bend the Fiddlesticks in half so they are at a 90 degree angle.  Then halfway through the side that will rest flat against the cage, I work a zip tie around one of the pieces.  This will secure the Fiddlesticks against the cage so it doesn't tip and block the wheel or worse hurt a critter.

Then I secure the Fiddlesticks to the cage with the zip tie.

Then I add a refrigerator box of soda along one end of the cage with the opening towards the front.  I fill the box with Eco Bedding and Clean and Cozy.

Then I go ahead and pile in the Bermuda grass (or other hay), Eco-Bedding.

 Finally I add the food dish and water bottles.

This cage belongs to gerbils Nutella and Reeses.