Moonstone Gerbils

Worcester - Providence - Framingham

Breeder of Mongolian Gerbils and Southern Flying Squirrels

Permanent Split Cages

Read instructions on how to conduct an introduction of two gerbils, see Split Cage Method.

See how to build a temporary split cage.

Below is instructions on how to build a permanent split cage.

These cages are built to have a removable divider. This makes introducing gerbils easy and safe.  You will need to buy a 10 gallon tank, aluminum channel, hardware cloth, and an EZ Entry Hinged Cover 20”. 

Lay the tank on its side, and measure the width of the glass. A ten gallon tank is usually 20” across, find the middle and mark it. Do this two or three times.

You will also need Alumininum Channel.

11 1/4” is the length of a channel for a 10 gallon tank.

Use a flat edge or ruler to connect the dots, use a sharpie. (to remove sharpie later simply use rubbing alcohol or expo cleaner).

You now have a straight line to mark the middle of your tank. Do this to both sides.

 

This line will be your guide. Sharpie can easily be removed with rubbing alcohol afterwards.
Apply a steady bead of aquarium sealer using the line you drew as a guide. Do not worry about being perfectly straight, or even.

Press your aluminum channel lightly into the bead of sealer. Before pressing all the way in check to see if the aluminum channel is centered and straight. Do this by setting the tank upright and checking if the channel is over the line.

Slide the channel to correct it, do not lift. If it is reasonably close, leave it alone. Then press it down. The sealant should come out the sides.

 

Using a piece of card board, smooth the excess sealer. The object is to push the sealer back into the corner and smooth the seal, you may have some extra sealer. Wear gloves, and avoid coming into contact with the sealer as it is very sticky.

If you mess up, just leave it alone, till it cures (24-48 hours). You can use a razor to cut the extra away, and you can reseal it again, if the bond didn’t work. Trying to fix it while its wet will only make a bigger mess, trust me.

 
Cut a piece of hardware cloth to fit between the aluminum channels.