Introducing Murphy...

Hi,

Well today we went to PetCo to get some supplies for the kitties, and my mom & dad told me to go find a bigger litter box for them and meet them at the counter. So I found it and brought it up, and they had a gerbil!! I always loved gerbils, since I had my first two when I was five. :D
Anyway, I was not expecting another rodent this soon. I went home and cleaned out Perrie's old cage very very very well, in case Perrie had anything that could harm the gerbil. We got him a new water bottle and food dish too. He looks really healthy and happy. I didn't want to startle him with the flash, so I didn't take pics, but I will tomorrow.

Mmm, you're all probably thinking we're crazy people who get a pet every month, lol. But I assure you, this is where my mom & dad drew the line. This is the last pet we will be getting for a long time. :)
Oh yeah, and I named him Murphy, from my new favorite movie, Ghost Ship. :D

Aw, that was really nice of your parents. I can't wait to see the pics!

Britt, you have obviously proven to your parents that you are a very responsible pet owner! Otherwise, they wouldn't have planned a surprise like this! Congratulations to you and your Murphy! (Love that name, obviously, because I have a Murphy too!) :)

There are several things which must be done tomorrow to ensure that Murphy is happy.

Firstly gerbs MUST have company, to keep one alone will mean it is depressed and lonely, if you go back tomorrow and get him a tankmate (same sex) they should go back together just fine.

Secondly they must not live in hamster cages, they need to live in tanks, in cages they cannot dig as they love to and will chew tha bars resulting in sore infected noses. They must also not have any plastic toys as they will chew them and it can cause a fatal impaction.

Britt, I wrote the aboce before reading your PM, thankyou so much for asking me to help advice you for Murphy :)

Yes males do need company, they can live male male, male female or female female. Of these pairings male male is the easiest and most stable as female gerbils can be rather aggressive!! As Murphy is still young he should readily, and joyfully, accept a companion without the need for a split cage but this needs to be done asap.

I know he couldn't be in better hands :) so best wishes to you both :)

OK, we'll go get him a companion tomorrow. :) Thanks for telling me that.

We are keeping him in a tank. We kept Perrie in the same tank. Here's a pic of it when Perrie was in it:
http://www.imagestation.com/picture/...4/fbfbb8e7.jpg

I'm talking to my mom as I'm posting this, and she said there were only one male and one female gerbil at the PetCo we went to. Would it make a difference if I got him a companion from another store?

Thanks for the advice. :)

Congrats Britt! I cant` wait to see pics!

Congrats Britt! :D Its so nice that you can provide so many animals with such a loving home. Have you ever considered getting a bird. That's the only common pet you are missing. :p:p Anyway, congrats, and I can't wait to see pics!

Welcome Murphy!! Can't wait to see pics of your new addition!! :)

He should, as he is young, be ok with another young male from another store (I would sex them both yourself to be sure!).

Put them in the bathtub, empty, with the plug in together at first so it is a neutral place (and large enough to get away) and if all is ok then add in some toys and after 20 mins or so put them in the tank. Be sure to keep a close eye on them for the first few days.

If you are worried then I suggest you make a split screen for the tank (wood frame with hardware cloth going diagonally across the tank) and introduce them gradually. This is the method which should be used when introducing older gerbs.

Sorry for assuming you had him in a cage typical mistake tha often occurs on a gerbil board I visit even when the "cage" is a "tank"!!! :)

OK, I will do that. Thanks for your help. :)

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Have you ever considered getting a bird. That's the only common pet you are missing.

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LOL I have been asking my dad for a bird since I was eight. But now that we have three cats in the house, I don't think it's gunna happen anytime soon. :p

I got a quick shot of him today (if the attachment works)

Congrats on the newest addition Britt. He looks like a little darling in the pic ;) (lol, the puppy looking into the tank on the other side startled me though :D).
Congrats again. I'm sure he couldn't have found a better home.

OMG!! Murphey is soooo cute! I cant` wait to here about his newest companion(when you get him):D

Congrats again! (now I want one!)

We got him a companion today! :)
My dad said that he remembered the gerbil Murph was being housed with was a male, so we went back to see. He is a male, so we brought him home. He and Murphy got reaquainted (sp?) and they are playing together now.
Because of my new obsession, Ghost Ship, I want to name him one of the charaters from Ghost Ship, like Murphy. So it was between Santos, Munder, Greer, or Dodge. I picked Dodge because it sounds the most like it would fit an animal.
I only got a few good shots of them, because the flash makes the tank hard to see. But here it is anyway (Murphy is the grayish-brown one and Dodge is the white one)

P.S. Jynnelle- they remind me of your Sage and Jade. :D

AWWWWW - nice to see them reunited again. Congrats on the new additions.

make sure they dont have babies, like Sage and Jade lol you can never trust the pet store sexing your gerbils for you. the grey one looks soo much like my baby Jade!! :(. And the white one does look the same as Sager as well. WEIRED!!!!! .... I miss Jade :(.. From this view it looks like the grey gerbil is a male. but I cannot tell from the others angle.

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Originally posted by tikeyas_mom
make sure they dont have babies, like Sage and Jade lol you can never trust the pet store sexing your gerbils for you.

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LOL after getting a pregnant guinea pig (and being told it was a male) and male & female hamsters (which were supposed to be both females), I checked myself to make sure they both are guys. They both look like guys to me, and the guy at PetCo said that they were males. I researched it online and it helped me along, and I'm almost, if not positive they are both guys. :)

Right now, they are cuddled up beside each other, sleeping. Aww. :)

awww that iss soo cute!!!

:D :D :D :D :D :D

FLS, they look great, so tiny :D I too loved the film ghost ship, although couldn;t remember the names of the characters!!

As I'm sure TM will tell you they LOVE to chomp up cardboard - toilet roll inners, small food boxes etc etc. I would also suggest you remove the plastic bowl and replace it with a ceramic one (they will chew it sooner or later but cannot do so with a ceramic one).

I'm so glad your Dad remembered about Dodge, now they both have a happy future, together :) and aren't gerbs curled up together the sweetest thing :)

I put a toilet paper roll (the cardboard thingy) in there today. They love it. :D

Thanks for telling me about the bowl, I'll ask my dad to pick a ceramic one up on his way out to Coram tomorrow. :)

Tomorrow I'm going to put them in the playpen to play. I'll try to take some good pics and post them. :)

Thanks for the nice comments everyone. :)