Craft Time!

So blessed to have a Dad who helps me with the ideas I come up with to make caring for my fur babies easier. Today, shortly after two of my six week old girls got picked up by their new mommy (YAY!) my dad and I went to Home Depot and got $15 worth of wood to build this shelf system for my largest bin, a 110qt tub. LOVE how it turned out! Perfect hight, lots of storage space. Very excited. ^_^

 

The Clan

Thought you all might enjoy a few pictures of the Happy Gerbil’s bachelor pads, homes of the permanent residents of The Happy Gerbil!

The boys are spoiled!

Bachelors! (Technically The Doctor is a widower 😦 )

Stormy loves to run!

The Doctor and Alfie

 

Available Gerbils as of 8/10!

Hello gerbil lovers!! Thought you could use an update on what’s what at The Happy Gerbil!

My males and females are separated now, so these are my last litters! I was expecting one last litter from Clara, but as it is 5 days from her due date and she is showing no signs of pregnancy, she may not be expecting.

 

I have one litter available now and one that will be available on 8/22. Two males from the currently available litter are going to be picked up this week, not sure which two yet, but their colors are as follows:

1 Black female
1 Sp. Siamese Male
1 Mottled Agouti Female
2 Pied (spotted) Black, Boy & Girl
2 Sp. Agouti Males

The August 22nd litter are as follows:

1 Pink Eyed White Female
2 Lilac (grey) Females
2 Sp. Burmese, Boy & Girl
1 Sp. Black Female

On September 15th, I have a litter of seven that will be available. Currently they are still furless and genders cannot yet be determined.

I also have a Polar Fox girl and her Agouti sister who need homes, they both suffered from upper respiratory infections when they were pups, and the experience of being medicated made them slightly less trusting of people. They are still able to be held, but they do occasionally nip. If you would be willing to provide a loving home to these two little survivors, please let me know. They are available free of adoption fee, since I have been bitten by both of them, and it did draw blood. They are not biters, they just require a gentle and patient hand. 🙂

 

 

Gerbil Shopping List

Looking for a quick, no fuss shopping list of the must haves and the good ideas for getting your first gerbils? Something you can have ready on your smart phone or printed out?

Look no farther!

The Must Haves: 

One ten gallon aquarium/terrarium

One screen lid that fits the tank mentioned above

Bedding– Preferably paper, I recommend Kaytee “Clean & Cozy” unscented bedding

Water Bottle –Glass, or equipped with a metal guard to prevent chewing

Food–Gerri Gerbil or Vitacraft’s “Mouse, Rat & Gerbil” food

Chews–Pet safe wood or lava block

Hide House–Wood/Plastic composite or ceramic will last the longest

“Gerbil Dust”–Sold as Chinchilla dust, to be given once a week in a glass bowl for bathing

Exercise Wheel–Metal mesh or “Silent Spinner” style wheels only

The Good Ideas

Play Pen–Make sure it is made for small rodents such as hamsters, or the bar spacing may be too large

Food Dish–Though not required, this does help maintain a cleaner habitat and allow you to know how much your gerbils are eating

Tank Topper (found primarily online)– a tank topper allows for more space for your new friends to roam!

Pet safe habitat cleaner– You can used Windex, but be sure it is completely wiped clean to avoid possible ingestion

Treats– Sold in the small pet isle, Yogurt drops and other treats can be great ways to bond with your new friends

Freebies 

Toilet Paper rolls, small cardboard boxes and bits of paper make great toys, so long as they are not wax coated

Shredded Documents make fun nesting and chewing items, but again, make sure they are not treated with any kind of coating

And that’s it! Not including tax, your typical cost effective gerbil setup is about $45-$60 bucks depending on what kinds/brands you choose. (Compared to a guinea pigs whopping $150-$250 price range, that is a cheap pet!)

Check out this post for a more detailed description of the items mentioned above, and the “why’s” behind them.

 

 

Bitter Sweet

Maggie & Chleo, two pups from my first River Song litter, are enjoying living with their new mommy. 🙂

Sad update for my blog followers, my sweet girl River Song passed away last week. Most likely from complications with her pregnancy. Her current litter of four are doing well, they’ve been getting kitten formula from an eye dropper and are eating solids fairly well despite being so suddenly without Momma’s milk. They are gaining about a gram a day and so far aren’t showing any signs of ill health. Their dad is taking wonderful care of them despite looking a bit depressed.

 

River poses for a picture.

Rest in peace, sweet River Song.

Clara is getting her dark nose point!

The last River Song litter

Temporary cage for my little boys.

Spotted Siamese girl

Light Spotted Polar Fox boy is GORGEOUS and such a little stud.

Pied Agouti boy!

The Amy & Rory litter

The Doctor & his sweet babies.

Amy & Rory’s pups are all over the place!

 

Count Your Many Gerbils

Got some photos from the family who adopted two of my first litter! Looks like they are being pampered!

Got the next litter separated today, two girls went in with my other weaned girls and the four boys get a tub of their own. Their mom delivered six new little peanuts last night!

The boys in their “tub”

Six new babies from my burmese girl.

My unweaned litter is getting some attention, two of them should be going to their new home in the week of the 23rd!

Boys

Girls

Had to rush my dog to the vet today after he split open his toe nail really badly. Craziness!

Soon 8 of my weaned babies will be off to their new homes and I can better focus on my newest litters. 🙂

 

 

All The Updates!

First litter at 6 weeks old:

My second litter in all their cuteness at 20 days old:

 

And a picture of litter three at the tender age of one day:

Someone on the AGS Facebook page says they believe my “unknown” pup is a Spotted Polar Fox, which is a rare and very pretty color post molt. 🙂

 

Gerbils, Gerbils, Everywhere!

Litter one moved out of the parents tank today, and they are loving their log cabin and wheel!

They are fully weaned now, but not ready to go to their new homes until the 18th.

Litter two has one pup with open eyes! SUCH a cutie!!

The pups from this litter are spoken for, and if my most recent possible adopter follows up (someone I met at work today looking for a female to keep their lone female company), then all of my current pups will be spoken for. Both females are pregnant with their second litters. 🙂

 

Crazy Gerbil Lady

Being that I’m the one running around with an “I *Heart* Gerbils” sticker on my truck, my manager at work asked me to adopt a gerbil who has severe bedding allergies today, and I said yes.

SO! Soon (probably not until this end of this month or later) I will be bringing home a nutmeg male gerbil who has bad damage to his nose and a bit of a temper after having been treated with meds for a while. But, I decided that I will attempt to pair him with Oliver, and thus won’t rehome Oliver once Henry is paired with Clara (I’m a gerbil match maker, apparently).

Not sure what I’ll name him yet, but I want to continue my British and/or Doctor Who theme. Any ideas?

 

Quick Note on Bedding Allergies

Though often misdiagnosed, bedding allergies are caused by excess dust and/or oils (such as cedar, pine and sometimes-though rarely- aspen), the symptoms are sneezing, itching of the nose/face, and loss of fur to the nose/face. Some gerbils are particularly sensitive to bedding, and have to be kept on special, nearly dust free bedding in order to heal their noses. Such as Oliver and this new guy I’ll be taking on. Oliver has permanent scarring to his nose and one of his ears from this, and this new guy will as well. He’s even rubbed his paws raw from it. Poor baby. Gerbils with allergy issues should not be bred, as this sensitivity to bedding will likely be passed on to their offspring.

 

Little Details

Today  my order of boxes arrived! Boxes, you say, boxes of what? Just boxes! Little critter boxes to send my gerbils to their new homes in. They’re very cute and just the right size for two young gerbils. I am pleased.

Here are some pictures of my gerbil clan playing in their play pen! A play pen is definitely worth purchasing! The bigger the better, as long as it says it is made for hamsters and gerbils. Some play pens are made just for guinea pigs and rabbits and the bar spacing is too wide, your gerbils could squeeze through and escape.

Amy & Rory

Rory

Amy, my gorgeous burmese girl.

Amy

Amy in her favorite log.

Rory

Henry, my cuddle buddy.

Oliver