Gerbil chews on food bowl

We had ginny (sp?) pigs for a long time and they too chew on everything constantly. The pet shop owner said it is because as their teeth grow they have to keep chewing to kind of file them down and if they don't it will cause teeth problems with them. Maybe talk to your pet shop owner or a vet. There may be something else you can put in the cage for them to chew on. Either that or just replace the dish as it gets too chewed on. Good luck!! LIVE IN PEACE

My 2 gerbils (now 3) like to chew everything inside the cage - wheel, cage, bowl. The old plastic house was being half-chewed and I had to remove it because there were plastic bits everywhere. Even the water bottle support was chewed and fell. Now they sleep in the botton of the cage in the middle of wood (and paper) shavings and as here in Brazil is not very cold they dont mind the temperatures. As for the water bottle, I got a new (and better) one with a metal support. My suggesttion is simple: everything in metal (wheel, bown, water bottle support, and a bit of wood (not chemically treated). Mine gerbils have a piece of dried hard wood I got from a tree which fell down. I also give them some paper to play (and shred).

i don't have a gerbal but you could put a different bowl in there that won't get wrecked if she chews on it and keep the old one in also so that she has something to chew on. she could be doing it to let you know that she's hungry or she could be teething ..... yes animals teethe too