One fat, one thin

[evieparshina]

Jan 16, 2024 16:12:19 GMT -8 evieparshina said:

This is my first post on here, but I have 2 male gerbils, Oliver and Walter. They’re from the same litter, they’re brothers/twins.

Oliver is massive. Like, he’s so much heavier than Walter. Walter is normal size and weight, and then Oliver looks like a baseball. And there’s no tumors or anything and I regulate feeding weekly, with a few snacks in between. There’s no bullying going on, and I even separated them for feeding for about a month. Walter (the skinny one) eats normal and runs and exercises too much, while Oliver (the fat baseball one) eats normal and doesn’t run at all, but I don’t know how to get him to. I have 4 different exercise wheels. I have 2 different discs and 2 of the normal “hamster” wheels (both are 9” diameter)

Is it possible for a gerbil to me genetically bigger than the brother or no? Cuz it’s a significant size difference and I’m just a little concerned.

Walter weighs 3-4 ounces and Oliver weighs 7 :,(

[LilyandDaisy]

Hello,

It is normal, and very common, for one gerbil in a pair to be significantly bigger.

Are you sure your weights are accurate? 3-4 ounces is within the expected range for a male on the larger side, but 7 ounces (about 210g) is really exceptionally large. The heaviest gerbil I've ever known was 160g, and he was pretty big, so if yours is indeed 7 ounces, he would be quite exceptional. If you're able to post a photo, that would really help too.

Also, how is the weight distributed on him? Does he feel chubby and "well-padded" all round, including around the neck and shoulders? Or is it all in the belly? When gerbils are overweight, they tend to carry that weight around the neck and shoulder area, whereas if the belly looks large but the rest of them is normal, that usually indicates an internal health issue such as a tumour or a heart problem.

[betty]

Did you manage to weigh them again to recheck their weights - as 7oz is bigger than any gerbil I have ever weighed. 200g+ is more of a very top-end Shaw's Jird weight.

As above his overall shape could be really helpful in figuring out a plan for him. Overweight gerbils I have seen still retain their longer oblongy shape overall with weight across the neck and shoulders, but any circular shaping is unusual for sure - although at THAT weight - I don't know where else he would put it all????

Bless him...

[Markpd]

Regarding the wheels, it maybe that he just isn't comfortable in the wheel as 9" is too small for Gerbils really. We advise in our FAQ 11" wheels (although I have an older 10.5" one which seems ok for them).
You mentioned discs, do you mean like a saucer type wheel? If so then they are totally unsuitable for Gerbils as they can run very fast, and were they to do so on those they are likely to be flung off. Also those discs aren't suitable for any rodent I believe, because it's make them curve their back all the time they are running, which isn't good.

Have you been able to confirm their weights?

Welcome to the forum btw