New To Gerbils

[horselover]

Hello everyone, I am new to this forum and new to gerbil ownership. I have two boys (a black and a dove?). I keep them in a 10 gal aquarium with a wheel, wooden home, and various toys (including cardboard). I'm not sure how to post pictures yet. Does anyone have any name ideas/suggestions? Nothing I come up with seems to quite fit.

Another question: Sometimes one of my gerbils' nose looks irritated, so I wondered if it was the bedding, but than other times it looks like it clears up. I can't think of anything else it could be. Is it possible that he has a sensitive nose that sometimes becomes irritated from burrowing?

[horselover]

I figured out how to post pictures. Here are my two boys

[rhianna]

Very cute gerbils you have

The red nose irritation is very likely from dusty bedding. I see that you're using aspen(?), but could you tell me what brand it is? Some brands, such as Grreat Choice, I find to be very dusty, while others are not. It may just be a case of needing to switch brands. It's possible that he is allergic to aspen, though, in which case you could use a shredded paper bedding (such as Clean & Cozy or Eco-Bed).

[doc ✩ pluto]

They are adorable!

I can't think of any names to help you with ! Try names that go along with shows,movies or just anything you love. For example: One of my gerbils is named Pluto because I love mythology, and Pluto(Hades) is my favorite to research. It'll come to you, you just have to think about it.

To answer question 2, My gerbils were allergic to aspen. If you see them scratching their noses quite often, and if it has the appearance of being bloody..They may just be allergic to it. Try a different type of bedding. That may solve the problem.
Good Luck.

[horselover]

Thanks everyone! It is quite fun to see their different personalities. The grey one is more active in their tank, but calmer when held (and more easily held). The black one gets quite feisty and adventurous when I take him out (he's the one who jumped off the bed!)