# My Rescued Gerbil Gals



## LaylaLop (Dec 8, 2011)

Soo a few weeks ago I posted about some gerbils I rescued. I have had them for a few weeks and thankfully the mom wasn't pregnant again. I decided I was long overdue for good pictures of them, sooo here they are!

Their names are Godiva (burmese mom), Ghiradelli (black one), and Dagoba (spotted black). My boy gerbils are named after cheeses, so my girls got chocolate names 






















Momma did NOT like the flash...










Soooo cute! They're still really tiny for their supposed age of 10-12 weeks, I'm thinking I got them super young or they're stunted from malnutrition... Either way, they're cute!


----------



## eclairemom (Dec 8, 2011)

Awwww Cute


----------



## LakeCondo (Dec 8, 2011)

Not as wonderful as rabbits, but still cute.


----------



## MiniLopHop (Dec 8, 2011)

OMG! SSSOOOOOO CUTE! :inlove:

They are tiny, and thin. Perhaps I need to take you up on the offer to help formulate a lower calorie food for my boys. They are *coughes* fluffy.


----------



## LaylaLop (Dec 8, 2011)

Haha, my boys are hefty too.. Boys are supposed to be naturally bulkier, with females having a leaner appearance. If your boys have sunflower seeds or corn in their food I recommend taking it out and giving flax seeds for treats instead. Much healthier and they like em lots (plus helps their fur!). 

These girls are still babies and growing. The momma is on the small-ish side of females but her body type is what a female should look like. Males are supposed to be more muscled and broader in the body, but not bulging with fat. Once my boys hit 1.5-2 years they always tend to plump up.


----------



## Serenity73 (Dec 9, 2011)

Aww sweet, I used to raise gerbs when I was little. They are so lively and fun. Good luck with them.


----------



## MiniLopHop (Dec 9, 2011)

Kim, thanks for the suggestion, I will make that switch. These guys are 3 1/2-4 years old. It's only been recently that I would consider them too fat. I think they are just slowing down. They don't run on their wheels like they did before. Baily recently got his butt stuck in a toy he has had all his life. Realistically, how much longer can I expect?


----------



## LaylaLop (Dec 9, 2011)

They do tend to slow down. Their lifespan is anywhere from 2.5-4 years on average. My boys are over 2.5 years old and are pudging out some too. The flax seed has good oils and vitamins to help their coat/skin, and may even help some with movement. I can't say how much longer your boys have, since I've had a gerbil live to 5, and one die at 8 months. So, I'd say they're probably in the last few months of their lives, so might as well make them good with tasty treats and not worry about their weight too much. 

My gerbil/hamster food usually has these ingredients:

Yellow millet
Rolled oats
Rolled wheat
Rolled barley
Triticale 
Flax seeds
Split peas
Raw pumpkin seeds
High quality dog kibble (for protein)
Vegetable pasta
Kashi puffed rice cereal
Total cereal/cheerios (provides vitamins)
Sometimes I add rabbit pellets, and I give them small handfulls of hay to munch on as well.


----------



## MiniLopHop (Dec 9, 2011)

Yeah, unfortunately your probably right. Since they have been a good weight up to now it's probably best just to make them as happy as possible. They love to get greens in the evenings when I give the bunn's their salads. I also give them hay. You have some good ideas for treats I might add (cherios and vegetable pasta). They are so cute, when I tap on the side in the evenings they will come out of their bed and beg for a snack. They also know their names. They used to climb to the top of a little stand I had in there, but that's what Baily got stuck in, so I took it out.
They love their pumpkin seeds! That has been the one consistant treat but they only get one each per day.

I will miss my little guys when it happens, but who knows when more girbils will need a home? I don't get them from pet stores, these just happened to need rescuing.


----------



## Nancy McClelland (Dec 9, 2011)

:inlove:


----------



## LaylaLop (Dec 9, 2011)

Yeah, I used to breed and rescue gerbils. I bred pedigree colorpoint gerbils, and rescued any that needed help.. I had over 100 at a time in my life, so 5 now is very manageable. I love gerbils annnnd bunnies. They're my two favorites after dogs  I also rescued degus, mice, spiny mice, hamsters, the occasional guinea pig and hedgehog, fostered rabbits, and had my own pets on top of that.. Sooo basically I know how to care for most small critters other than rabbits if people have questions.


----------



## irishbunny (Dec 9, 2011)

They are so cute! Growing up, I always heard bad things about gerbils that they tend to bite a lot and are nasty, but I am beginning to learn this stereotype isn't true.


----------



## LaylaLop (Dec 10, 2011)

Grace, they are quite the opposite. They are hyper when younger and can be a bit fast to hold for children, but they are quiet, clean, and awake more than hamsters. I've been bitten a few times by gerbils but usually when breaking up fights in pairing them.


----------



## MagPie (Dec 13, 2011)

Ooooh wow they are cute. What are they like as pets? You can't get them in California so I've never actually seen one in person.


----------



## LaylaLop (Dec 13, 2011)

They are very cute, very curious, and like to explore, dig, and chew. They can hold and maneuver things with their paws and often stand on their back legs to look around (like meerkats).

They use their back feet to thump warnings or mating calls to each other, and have a long tail with a fluffy detachable end to escape predators. They produce a tiny amount of urine due to their desert nature, and do well on aspen or paper based beddings. They don't do as well in wire cages since they are prone to sore feet and raw noses from gnawing on the bars, along with kicking out litter, but they do great in a well ventilated aquarium.

They can be very hand-tame and all of mine let me pick them up and hold them, but the younger girls are a bit more skittish due to their upbringing of rarely being held. 

They are social, so same sex pairs or trios are required to keep them happy. I could never live in California because I couldn't have my gerbils, along with other reasons (not a fan of the heat/crowds). 

I have two boy gerbils as well and they are quite the chunks.. I'll post pictures of them whenever I get around to it


----------



## Kizza (Dec 13, 2011)

They are adorable! I wish I could have pet Gerbils but you can't get them in Australia as far as I know


----------



## LaylaLop (Dec 14, 2011)

Nope, haven't heard of anyone having them in Australia since they are illegal. Hamsters as well. Both are only allowed for laboratory usage and then euthanized. 

Buuut you guys have way different animals. Cockatoos and cockatiels are wild whereas here they're considered exotic pets. 

The thing I miss the most about Australia is the accents and the Tim-Tams...


----------



## MiniLopHop (Dec 14, 2011)

*LaylaLop wrote: *


> The thing I miss the most about Australia is the accents and the Tim-Tams...





Try a Partrich farms outlet. I found Tim-tams there a couple of times.


----------



## EileenH (Dec 14, 2011)

The one gerbil I had lived to over 7 years old! He was awesome, really sweet, never bit.



Your gerbil girls are beautiful  I love their little fists. Gerbils always make me laugh, they are just funny to watch. Congrats!


----------



## LaylaLop (Dec 15, 2011)

I can't see myself not having gerbils.. I've had them since I was 8 and only didn't have them for 2 years of college. Guess I'm addicted  Was only bunny free for 3 years, so guess I like them lots too  

My oldest gerbil was 5. Don't know if I've ever heard of one living to 7!


----------



## MarisaAndToby (Dec 15, 2011)

Are they cuddly? I always thought they were cute... hard to take care of? Stinky?


----------



## MiniLopHop (Dec 15, 2011)

I don't think cuddly is the right word. They like to run around, but they will happily run on you 

I have a little play pen for mine that I call the circus. I make little obsticles from cut boxes and toilet paper tubes etc. Each time it is different and I will hide little snacks. They LOVE to run around and explore the new set up and find their little treats. You do have to watch because they are good at climbing the tiny fence (it's about 12 inches high), but you just redirect them and they are off running again. They do like pets similar to rabbits.

I think they are very easy to take care of. I have two boys in a 20 gallon aquarium with a reptile locking lid (with the cats I don't want to take any chances). I put the wheels on the roof so they don't fall over. As long as I feed them every day and keep giving cardboard they are pretty happy. They know their names and will come out when I call to get a treat. They are desert animals so they arn't nearly as stinky as most rodents because they pee so much less. Some books say you don't have to give them water, but I think that is mean. I have a 4 oz water bottle that sticks to the side. I only have to fill it about once a month, but at least I know they can get a drink when they want it. They also have a little dust bath where they can roll around to get clean.

This is Barnum enjoying some greens.






Baily eating, his favorite task.


----------



## LaylaLop (Dec 15, 2011)

Cute boys! Barnum is an agouti and Bailey looks like an argente cream (in case you wanted to know) 

Yeah, some people say with giving lots of greens and whatnot they don't need water but I like to provide it as well. Have you tried giving them mealworms as a treat.. some of mine go CRAZY for them. 

Marisa, they are very non-smelly. I have my boys in a 29 gallon and fill it halfway with aspen and hay and they make a giant ant-farm out of it all and I don't clean it but once a month. They seriously have an underground castle made of wood buried in there with multiple passages leading to it...My boys are weird though since they prefer digging to a running wheel so I gave them a tall tank with the ton of bedding. For my girls that have only a few inches of bedding I clean it every 2 weeks. They LOVE the running wheel and are not so keen on digging like my boys. 

My hamster, on the other hand, I have to clean almost twice a week and can still usually smell her. 

Just like chinchillas, gerbils benefit from regular sand baths and mine have always seemed to enjoy eating some of the sand, so I don't know if there is some mineral they get from it that they don't readily get in their food, but they always taste it. I love how curious and clean gerbils are in comparison to other rodents. I've had about every rodent, and I like them all, but gerbils take the cake. 

I've always wanted some bushy tailed jirds to keep in a desert-like terrarium. Maybe someday


----------



## MiniLopHop (Dec 15, 2011)

Thanks Kim, I think they are cute too! I have not tried meal worms, but I will tonight. I have some in the fridge for the turtles.

Yeah, these guys love to make tunnels out of all the boxes. I also give them klenex to shred. The last time I cleaned I put a layer of hay on top and they loved it, so now I'm giving them timothy hay too. When I just had one wheel in the tank they would end up throwing each other off, and I was afraid they might get hurt. Now Barnum runs on the left, Baily on the right. Once in a while they will switch, but not much. They dig too, particularly when I put a new box in. I'm just happy they don't dig in a corner like crazy, I've heard if they aren't stimulated enough they go a little nuts and just go after the corners in an obsessive sort of way.

Yeah, I have had hamsters and lots of mice as a kid. No matter how clean I tried to keep them they always seemed to smell.

Oh, the jirds sound cool. I might have to look into them more.


----------



## LaylaLop (Dec 15, 2011)

Yeah, some can become obsessive diggers, and my boys would be if I didn't give them the tons of bedding. They aren't the tamest boys, but they never bite. I think I kind of let them go feral with all that tunneling 

Here is a picture of a bushy tailed jird:
http://www.blackwolfclangerbils.com/jos5.jpg


----------



## MiniLopHop (Dec 15, 2011)

What a cutie, it looks sort of like a pointy nosed gerbil.



I had trouble finding my boys too before they learned their names. Now I just have to call them and they stand on their little platform (a plastic coated wire mail sorter turned on its side). As time goes on their bedding gets deeper and deeper because of the chewed up cardboard. The picture is from when I had just cleaned so it was way low.


----------



## MagPie (Dec 16, 2011)

*LaylaLop wrote: *


> They are social, so same sex pairs or trios are required to keep them happy. I could never live in California because I couldn't have my gerbils, along with other reasons (not a fan of the heat/crowds).


Ooooh I'm sure you could sneak them in haha. I know people do it with ferrets all the time. I've known a few people with ferrets. You have to be careful not to be reported. I know with ferrets the animal will be siezed and either destroyed or rehomed out of state.

How big are they compared to other rodents?



Oh I like the heat (thankfully it isn't humid too) and crowds aren't too bad. I prefer it to having nothing around me.


----------



## LaylaLop (Dec 17, 2011)

They are longer than a syrian hamster due to their tail, but their body is smaller/leaner. Almost like the halfway point of a mouse and rat.


----------

