I got my Gerbil :D..

[tikeyas_mom]

YAY. I havent touched him yet, his name is Sager, nick name is Sage. He is white with pinkish eyes, he is exploring his new 10 gallon tank right now. He was housed alone at the petstore . no other gerbs at all anywhere to be his friend. So I'll be buying him one in a few days hopefully, if they get some in stock. Any advise on having lone gerbils would be helpful. thanks

[Desert Arabian]

He sounds very cute! Sorry, never owned a Gerbil- no advice here!

P.S- PICTURES! PICTURES! PICTURES! I love pictures! :D

[tikeyas_mom]

I will be getting pics soon, but I am gunna let him get used to everything first :D.. Thanks for being so supportive YLL!! :).

[Desert Arabian]

See...I can be nice (when I want to be). ;) :p Hehe.

[tikeyas_mom]

me 2. lol

guess what, the funnest thing just happend..

My mom never new I bought the gerbil. I told her to come into my room so I could show her the way I rearanged my hamster cages and she's like "ok".. She comes in and sees the gerbil cage in the corner of her eye and notests the gerbil and SCREAMS omg RATS.. I laughed so hard



after about 5 min of convincing her it wasnt a rat, she calmed down and she said she didnt care. lol .. I thought it was soo fricking funny how she screamed it like soo loud. lol..




She always thinks everything is a rat when I brought home my first amster she was like OMG a rat.. lol



now I have 3 hamsters and she loves them to peaces. .. shes soo funny.

[primabella]

Congrats, I love gerbils. Get those pictures up soon :)

[Jessica12345]

o congrats!:D

[tikeyas_mom]

ne1 know ne thing about gerbs?> I haver done research dont worrie, but they dotn sell plain GERBIL food here they sell Geril/hamster food!! is that ok? I am worried about it.

Also He isnt getting the hange of his water bottle either. :confused: what can I do to get him to see it? put peanut butter on the tip maybe??

also It is soo hard to tell if it is male or female. AHH!!~!!

[Jessica12345]

Originally posted by tikeyas_mom
ne1 know ne thing about gerbs?> I haver done research dont worrie, but they dotn sell plain GERBIL food here they sell Geril/hamster food!! is that ok? I am worried about it.

Also He isnt getting the hange of his water bottle either. :confused: what can I do to get him to see it? put peanut butter on the tip maybe??


well if the food is for gerbils and hamsters is probibly ok.

Im not sure:( how did he drink it at the pet store? or wherever you got him from?:confused:

[tikeyas_mom]

I think "HE" is actully a she :eek:

its bottum looks like this pic

http://www.rodent.demon.co.uk/gerbils/images/genadf.jpg This is a female gerbil.

http://www.rodent.demon.co.uk/gerbils/images/genadm.jpg This is a male.

It is soo hard to differ between ahhhh :eek: :eek: :confused:

[shellonabeach]

When they are young it is hard to tell.

I have to say I don't like the way that person is holding them, it's not obvious whether or not they are supporting the front end also.

Gerbils and hamsters do not have exactly the same requirements, gerbils need more protein and less fat.

[tikeyas_mom]

this is what my gerbil looks like kinda. mines cuter. lol

http://home.wtal.de/ehr/gerbils/i/sandy.jpg

shell what kinds of house hold foods would hepl with my gerbils diet? I also have no idea how old my Sage is.

He is digging like crazy lol. he chewed the heck out of the card board boxes and toilet paper rolls I places in his tank :)..

[RockyRoad]

Congrats on the new edition! I used to have two gerbils named Frisky and Cuddles, and they were such dolls. Can't wait to see some pics! :D

P.S. I've always loved the name Sage, it sounds magical and nice. ;)

[tikeyas_mom]

hey flop how did you sex your gerbs?

[tikeyas_mom]

I just phoned the store and asked how old my gerb was and they said about 4 months.

[shellonabeach]

Remove the sunflower seeds from the mix and add pumpkin seeds. Give the sunflower seeds as treats. To improve it further you will have to do some searching.

I bet he's glad to be with you, it usually takes ones I get a few days to adjust to chomping cardboard. With 11 adult gerbils we get through loads and can never have enough, I even bring it back from the shops!! I have all my friends and family collecting for me!!

Just to add to the cuteness factor of the post here are the baby gerbils my mother got me 4 weeks ago (this was taken 4 weeks ago). She got them from a free to good home ad, because I had after a lengthy battle lost a black and white gerbil. I thought they were male and female when they arrived but they are both male. I wasn't best pleased with my mother at the time because I had enough on my plate with 3 rescues that came the same day but I have forgiven her as these boys are so cute and funny.

Coffee
http://homepage.ntlworld.com/yunfey.bai/animalian/gerbils/Coffee01.JPG

Scamp (aka MimPea)
http://homepage.ntlworld.com/yunfey.bai/animalian/gerbils/Scamp01.JPG

[tikeyas_mom]

aww they are soo lil.

What eles do you feed your gerbils? any fruits and veggies? How do I trian it to like its water bottle? it must be thursty from all the chomping, lol ... I did what you told me to do with the bedding, I use lotsa toilet paper shreded. :).. he hasnty gotten ahang of his wheel yet though. lol he just trys to get under it lol

[RockyRoad]

The pet store clerk did it for us. We asked them if they were both of the same sex, and they checked. They were both males. Of course we did not take their word for it, so before purchasing them, when we got to hold them, we saw that he was right. :)

[tikeyas_mom]

do you feed your gerbil yogurt drops? I bought some today. r they ok for gerbils?

[shellonabeach]

Gerbil no1: the rescue centre and the vet said she was male so we went and got a male companion. When they were tame I had a look myself, no1 was a female. no2 got himself neutered!!!!

ever since then, after having one of each I have been able to sex them, it's easy when you have one of each to compare. I'm good at it now and can 9/10 sex an adult without even picking it up!!

If you could get a picture of your gerbils bits I could tell you what it is, if it is 4 months it should be fairly easy.

To sex them hold them on your hand and lift the tail, holding it at the base. At no time must the gerbils weight be lifted by its tail.

As for fruit and veg I feed all mine - hamsters and gerbils one piece of fruit/veg a day. The gerbils differ in what they like but this last week they have had grapes, baby corn, strawberries, melon, broccoli, tofu, pear...

As a guide I give half a grape per animal.

Gerbils don't drink much, if your gerbil had a bottle in the shop he should know how to use it - check it is working.

[cali]

i have to gerbils, hamster/gerbil food is fine, I hav enever heard of just gerbil food. my gerbies live in sand, they are a lot calmer then my former gerbils, and calmer then when they lived on bedding.

shell, scamp looks a lot like my doodles.

http://users.accesscomm.ca/k9furkids/gerbils/t_doodles_best.jpg
doodles

http://users.accesscomm.ca/k9furkids/gerbils/t_scribbles_hand.jpg
scribbles

it is pretty easy to sex a gerbil, a females is really small and narrow and a male has a huge bottem. I used to breed gerbils, and plan on starting again when I move out in a few years:D

[tikeyas_mom]

Gerbils don't drink much, if your gerbil had a bottle in the shop he should know how to use it - check it is working.

the store never had a bottle for the gerbs they use dishes for the water. :mad:

[tikeyas_mom]

I still cant tell. :eek: .. I need to know if it is male or female for when I get it a companion. :(. :eek: ..It isnt tame yet. I just got it today. I'll start tamming tomorrow :).

[popcornbird]

Congrats on the new addition!

My mom would freak out if she saw a gerbil in my room too! :eek: I don't think I would ever get a pet without discussing with the whole family beforehand though. In my house, a new pet is a family decision. :) Do you have all your pets in your room? You mentioned Cheeko and Spanky's cage was in your room, and now you said the hamster cages and the gerbil. How big is your room? :eek: LOL

[wolfsoul]

You know those little bumps on their underside where they pee from? When they are females, the bump is right under their anus. Pretty much touching. When it is a male, it is quite far away from the anus.

Hamster/gerbil food is fine, don't worry :) but I would supplement it with other things, like fruits and veggies, and other things you might find in your house, like cereal, oatmeal, ricecake, and other things that are fine to eat :D Dandelion and clover are also okay to eat.

When I was teaching my gerbil to drink from the water bottle, I picked her up and pushed her nose against the ball lol. :rolleyes:

When taming it remember to pick it up as much as possible so it gets used of it. But only pick it up in your room where it's quiet, and once it gets used of being held, you can bring it into different places.

Are you going to quarantine it? :) You may want to, just incase. You wouldn't want your hammies to get sick ;)

[wolfsoul]

Ooh! Another thing! You know those rawhide chips that are hanging on the front of the first aisle in petcetera? I buy those for the rats, and they love them! But I would recommend them even more for a gerbil...they chew like crazy! :eek: Chibi_star put in the bottom of a pop can to use as a dish, and her gerbils ate almost the whole thing! :eek: Plus they ate most of their plastic dish, and you know those coconuts that they sleep in? Yeah, they ate it lol. So get the rawhide, it will be worth it! they are only like $3.41 for a whole bag or something like that :confused: Can't remember...

[CathyBogart]

Would it be bad if it WAS a rat?

Cute!! I've never seen a gerbil in person before, they look so cute!!

[tikeyas_mom]

My room is the master bed room pcb. it is really big I have a queens sized bed a bath room and a walk in closet. I have a huge book shelf with my hamsters and my gerbil and my fish tank on it. :) I keep the food and crud in my closet. My closet has Alot of shelves, Cuddles my hamster stayed in my closet for both litters. My room is really big, I also have a tv and vcr and stand for them. not to mention the HUGE bird cage and bed stand and dresser for P.J's lol, Also Tikeyas Wicker basket is in my room as well, she sleeps with me. :)

I cant believe how much my gerb has aten, ALOT of card bord, :eek: I am gunna get soem of thoughs raw hid thingies. :).. when I get my second gerble.

ps* I held him/her. wow it is so much different then holdin a rat, mouse or hamster. I love my gerbil :D..

[tikeyas_mom]

there is so much white unsented toilet paper and card board boxes and toilet paper rolls in my gerbils cage that I lost him in it 3 times already, thinking he had escaped. :eek:

[Tweety_Pie]

I remember when I was in grade 2 , the class I was in had a Gerbil and it's name was Tordu lol but she always used to bite so i never went near her . And one day I guess Tordu got stressed out and she bit all 4 of her paws of and the end of her tail:confused: :( and my teacher took her to the vet and the next day Tordu had to be put down:(

[tikeyas_mom]

thats was not conforting at all, lol.. My mom wont pay for a vet. I spemnt all my money on the gerbil yesterday along with my brothers birthday present. MY mom said we will watch him for a couple of days because he might be dehiderated?? He doent know how to use his water bottle yet. :eek: I put a lil peanut butter on the end and he still doesnt care. *worried*

[popcornbird]

If he doesn't know how to use the bottle, I think its very stupid not to put some water in a water bowl for him to drink. He needs water or he will die. He will learn to use the bottle eventually but for now put a water bowl and make sure he drinks!!!

[tikeyas_mom]

It is really bad to have a gerbil have a bowl with water because they tip it and they kick toilet paper in it.

[aly]

Maybe you can just stick the bowl in for a minute and supervise him drinking so he doesn't tip it over ?

[tikeyas_mom]

good idea thanks .. :D

[aly]

No problem ... let us know if he drinks.

[RogueFerret]

I read somewhere that Gerbils are desert animals and do not drink much water at all. So I wouldn't worry too much.:) Make sure he does know where the water is though. Just pick him up and touch his nose to the tip so a little drop of water comes out.

[tikeyas_mom]

he wont really let me pick him up still.

[Vermontcat]

Here is a link with some gerbil info that may help you
http://www.petsmart.com/articles/article%5F4076.shtml

I used to have gerbils, they don't drink much but you can give it something like a small piece of apple or carrot or lettuce and it can get water from that. Do you have it in an aquarium? You could try to dribble some of the water from the water bottle down the inside of the glass wall and see if it wants to drink it that way. It probably just needs time to get used to the new water bottle and cage etc.

They love to chew, give them plenty of toilet paper tubes and paper towel tubes even an oatmeal box (it will last longer),
they will chew and chew and chew! They are great for recycling cardboard!
They do need things to chew on, in the link I posted it explains that they need to chew to keep their teeth from getting too long.
I will look for some more gerbil links that may help you.
Congrats on the new pet! Is it an albino? Does it have pink eyes?

[tikeyas_mom]

They love to chew, give them plenty of toilet paper tubes and paper towel tubes even an oatmeal box (it will last longer),

I know I have alot Of toilet paper and crap, he loves it, all thats in his "TANK" is toilet paper. he loves making tunnels. :)..

I put water in a dish. He seems to like that better. ;).. Thanks for the link I'll goto it right now. yes it has pink eyes and it is pure white :).

[tikeyas_mom]

I sexed my gerbil today. this is what it looks like, you tell me if it is male or female ok..

http://www.rodent.demon.co.uk/gerbils/images/genadf.jpg

[wolf_Q]

Ummm...that makes no sense, as you posted that exact same pic on the first page and said it was female...:confused:

[tikeyas_mom]

but it is soo hard to differ. the store said it was male, yet it looks more female. :eek: I dont know what sex I should get when I get it a friend.