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Post by pepandmax on Feb 18, 2006 8:43:24 GMT -8
How sensitive are gerbils to temperature variations? How hot is "too hot," and how cold is "too cold?"
I ask because someone mentioned that my newest little boys look like they have very long hair, and I realized that it's because they're puffed up like the big boys. Especially when they first wake up, or are at rest, P's & M's hairs stick straight out from their bodies. It's one reason that they look like little puffer fish instead of big gerbils (besides their appetite!).
Is my house too cold? I estimate that it's around 67 degrees Farenheit, which is about 19.5 degrees Celsius, I think.
On the other hand, last summer was our hottest on record, and the boys didn't take well to the heat, either. They spent a lot of time out of their nest, stretched all the way out on their bellies, not moving. I put cups and dishes of ice cubes in their tank to act as gerbil air conditioning. I don't know how well it worked. They sure seemed miserable last summer.
Can it get too hot for gerbils? Being from Mongolia, I thought they would be able to handle temperature extremes......
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caz
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Post by caz on Feb 18, 2006 9:24:13 GMT -8
That was me Pepandmax (lovin the new gerbies btw ) I thought the same when Bon and Daisy were poofed up - were they cold? I was told it was bed-fur !?!?!?!?!?!? LOL Caroline
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Post by doomgerbiluk on Feb 18, 2006 10:07:20 GMT -8
Gerbil can handle temperatures as low as 10 deg C Hot weather can be an issue. In the wild gerbils protect themselves from heat by burrowing and coming out at dusk. Temperatures under 10 deg C won't hurt for very short periods but yes they will fluff themselves out and a good supply of bedding material such as tissue will be a huge help. Pups often look 'fluffy' when their baby coat grows out and is replaced by adult fur BUT a fluffed up pup should be watched, especially if they are off their food, loosing weight, generally looking miserable etc. This can be the forst signs of illness. Of course we can't rule out a mutation causing longer fur, such a mutation would be very exciting and is predicted to happen at some time (see the mutation timeline at www.gerbils.co.uk for more information about possible future gerbilcoat mutations.
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caz
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Post by caz on Feb 18, 2006 15:02:52 GMT -8
Luckily my two are full of beans! They tend to puff up when eating mainly see.... Then go back to being sleek... but it doesn't seem to matter what the temperature is in our living room, they still puff up Perhaps it's just because they're relaxed My son James thinks it's hilarious lol ;D Caroline
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Post by pepandmax on Feb 18, 2006 21:27:30 GMT -8
WHOA Caroline, that's very nearly what mine do. It does seem to happen when they are very relaxed. Of course, when my elder boys "sleek down," they don't get quite that sleek. They're still a little plump, although I think they have lost some weight!
The temperature information is good to know. Thank you. Do you know the upper limit of their tolerance? Not that it matters now--it's biting cold in New York tonight.
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caz
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Post by caz on Feb 19, 2006 2:18:09 GMT -8
Well, Peter Maas says they are happiest at 20-24 degrees c but the minimal temp should be 15 deg c really with lots of bedding to keep them warm. He doesn't mention an upper limit, but says they would naturally go underground to keep cool Had an idea though, thought I might get one of those sticky thermometers ( you know the ones you stick to fish tanks) and bung one on the girlies tank. At least I'll know for sure how hot or cold their environment is. The girls are in our living room which is 26ft long! and it never seems to get really warm in there. Hope that helps ;D LOL Caroline
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Post by doomgerbiluk on Feb 19, 2006 3:38:30 GMT -8
exactly As I said they can cope with lower temperatures but it certainly isn't optimal. As owners we try to acheive optimal conditions possible in our circumstances. So we give them plentiful water even though we know wild gerbils are adapted to unreliable water sources, we give them a balanced diet, knowing desert animals diets are probably not as varied and well balanced all the time and so on. We protect them from disease and predators. Wild gerbil have not been recorded over 1 year old, yet we hear of gerbils living from 18 months to 6+ years....that's because we provide these good conditions. When I gave such a low temperature it was to reassure not as advice to keep gerbils at that temperatures. Higher temperatures are much harder to both estimate and control. Some gerbils seem less tolerant than others. I find it best to use fans and to place cold jars or tiles in their cages to keep them cool in summer. If you can provide a cooler room that's good and NEVER leave a tank in the sun or you may discover the greenhouse effect on your gerbils Oh on eating.....gerbils will take a piece of choice food and eat it alone in a corner, puffing up to look 'fierce' to prevent other gerbils stealing their dinner.
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caz
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Post by caz on Feb 19, 2006 4:01:09 GMT -8
Thanks Doom! ;D That's a good tip about keeping them cool, what do you do, put a flat stone in the fridge for a while? Luckily, my girls are nowhere near any windows so they'll never catch the sun on their tank but I could use a fan if needed also. Caroline
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Post by doomgerbiluk on Feb 19, 2006 4:18:38 GMT -8
I have some spare wall tiles I was given. I have also used terracotta saucers.
Oh btw under supervision (and only as you must not let tanks get too hot) it can be nice to let a little sun hit the tanks, gerbils actually enjoy sunbathing. It's gerbils left in tanks in sunlight who really suffer. I pull the curtains when I go out in the summer as the sun hits the living room in the afternoon. When I'm home I allow sunbeams to hit part of the tanks to allow for sunbathing.
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caz
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Post by caz on Feb 19, 2006 5:09:37 GMT -8
Aaaahhhh !!! I'd love to see my two sunbathing! While we're sort of on the subject, does anyone take their gerbies outside in the fresh air? Our hammie used to love going outside in the summer. She used to run around the patio (on her own and in her ball) and also she used to love running across the lawn and eating grass (supervised of course). I realise that would NOT be possible with gerbils (too fast! ) but would it be ok to have them on us for a play ? They could enjoy a bit of sun then maybe? LOL Caroline
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Post by ashgerbil on Feb 20, 2006 10:17:01 GMT -8
my gerbs LOVE sunbathing!! ;D lol it's so funny, you walk into the spare room at around 3-4:00 pm and they're all sprawled out in their tanks enjoying the last rays of the sun ;D it's so cute! obviously the blind is kept down basically all day in summer and the blind is only up after lunch in winter Suki has also found an ingenious way to use the mineral stone in the tank they've managed to push it where it gets warmed by the sun all afternoon, at around late afternoon, she goes upto the top level and lies on it, enjoying the warmth it gives off ;D it's like a gerbil radiator ;D hehehe here's a pic of Leo sunbathing... oh and btw, fans don't help to keep gerbils cool because they don't sweat basically all a fan does for gerbils is push hot air around lol! ;D
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caz
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Post by caz on Feb 20, 2006 14:09:42 GMT -8
Aaaahhhh- Leo looks so peaceful! I got a sticky thermometer today £1.75 - bargain It's reading 18 deg C which is warmer than I thought it would be, so at least now I know! I'll think about letting them 'catch a few rays ' but their tank is pretty heavy to keep shifting Caroline
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Post by lizzy on Feb 23, 2006 9:17:04 GMT -8
19.5 degrees shouldnt be too cold for gerbils.
I find that you have more to worry about in the summer when it is harder to control the temperatures - it can be cold in the winter but with central heating and giving them more bedding etc helps to keep them warm, whilst in the summer it can get very hot in houses with fewer ways to make it cooler.
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