Gerbils love to run and climb as well as dig and enjoy time out of their tank: daily, if possible. The best way for Gerbils to have playtime is to allow them direct access to their play area from their tank via a ladder, which makes them feel more secure. While some owners allow their Gerbils to roam around a (wire free) room, we realise this isn’t possible for everyone and entirely depends on your home setup. Bathrooms can work very well, as they tend to be wire-free and secure, but first make sure there are no gaps or holes around where pipes go into walls as Gerbils will find these. Find an area in your house and you can section it off with a Gerbil “baby-gate”, which is a solid wood divide, a minimum of 18 inches high, placed across the doorway. You may find it easier to transport them to a purpose made pen, but be aware that Gerbils are excellent climbers and will easily make their way out of some pens. If your Gerbils aren’t happy to be picked up, offer them a sand bath or a short tube at their tank door, and they will usually step into it. Do this in reverse to put them back when their play time ends. If you have an awkward Gerbil that doesn’t want to be captured, offer it a full length postal tube and they will usually be unable to resist investigating it. Below are some examples of Gerbil free roam setups. 

You can buy 2ft ramps in Bass Wood – Kavee Bass Wood Ramp

NOTE: Never use Exercise Balls. These are stressful and disorientating for any animal. Gerbils will have no control over their environment and will be unable to access food, water, bedding, their nest or safe areas. As well as eyesight, Gerbils use scent to find their way around, an Exercise Ball blocks this so they have no idea if they’re somewhere safe or if predators are near. Crashing is stressful. Their toes and tails can get stuck in the gaps and break or become injured. When stressed they urinate more often which in turn they are then running in. We’d love to crush all the Exercise Balls in existence. Both the Blue Cross and RSPCA advise against the use of Exercise Balls (also known as Hamster Balls)

Below picture shows Gerbils Freeroaming in a sectioned off area of the house (corridor and bathroom) separated from the rest of the house with a Gerbil “baby-gate” which is some wood across the doorway 18 inches/45cm high.

Gerbils Exercise Wheels

The majority of Gerbils love an exercise wheel to run on, so it’s important to supply them with one as a source of exercise and enrichment. Rather than the assumption that Gerbils run on wheels because they are bored, a scientific study showed that wild creatures (including frogs and slugs!) will use a wheel if offered Wild Animals Enjoy Wheels Too . A 28cm wheel will allow Gerbils backs to remain flat (not arched) while running, and gives plenty of space. Smaller wheels will cause back damage, and any wheel that causes your Gerbil to arch it’s back, is too small, which is painful for them to use. Only solid use wooden or metal wheels.

Wheels must be 28cm+, no plastic, no ridges, no mesh, no exposed rungs, only solid use wooden or metal wheels. Never use wheels with open rungs, as Gerbils can get their limbs caught resulting in dislocation, dismemberment of toes, and damage to their tails. Never use any form of plastic with Gerbils as they can ingest this, which can cause injury or worse. Tic Tac Wheels are excellent metal wheels (chew proof, easy to clean) which can also attach to bars – choose the 12 inch size but make sure it will fit in your tank first (roughly 30cm high). These are more expensive but metal wheels will last a lifetime. Wooden alternatives are Heureka-marathon-running-wheel-30-cm are wider than most wheels (note these get shipped from Germany and at time of writing Dec 2025 are out of stock) or RodentsHome 28cm Wooden Wheel or Hopes Gerbil Wheel 30cm or Trixie Wooden Wheel 28cm or Niteangel Wooden Wheel 11.6 inches (Oak & Poplar wood). If your Gerbils are chewing on the wood, it’s advisable to swop to a Metal Wheel like Tic Tac or Heureka.