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Post by janet on Apr 6, 2005 9:06:06 GMT -8
Hi Pixy! Are you an expereinced owner of mongolian gerbils? I am trying to find some information about them and have no clue!! We adopted him/her (do not know the genbder!) last Saturday because we felt bad for it! No one wanted the little guy because of its deformed tail and bald spot (completely clean) on its hind area - still is cute as ever to us! So we purchased him - he is 8 months old and has not had much human touch experience (it was in a tank in a corner with no burrowing space) Now, he is in a huge cage with lots of burrowing power! Anything you can recommend or advise would be so appreciated! Janet
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Post by callimico on Apr 6, 2005 10:53:50 GMT -8
Hi Janet congrats on adopting your new gerbil ;D Gerbils are lots of fun, and are very social animals who do best in pairs or clans (up to 3 for females, up to 6 for males, with a minimum of 10 gallons per pair), they can become very depressed on their own. But since your male/female has a deformed tail introductions may be more dificult, if it turns out to be a male you should be able to place another male pup, 5-6 weeks of age with him relatively quickly, using hte split-cage method homepage.mac.com/kyleekay/tip-of-the-week/archive.htmlThis site will help you distinguish your gerbils gender: www.wagerbils.com/sexinggerbils.htmlTanks make the best housing for gerbils, as they aren't as drafty as cages with bars, but have more ventalation then plastic cages. Plastic can be chewed and ingested, causing blockage that could be fatal, while gerbils will chew cages with bars, rubbing hte fur on their nose off. Tanks are very easy to clean, and provide excellent burrowing space (2-3 inches of corncob, hay or aspen bedding), 9.99 at Wal-mart for 10 gallons, 20 gallon long aquariums are 23$ where I live, but can be bought cheaper as used from aquatic stores. Gerbils are very inquisitive and should come to enjoy being held, it will be harder since the poor guy you adopted was on his own and unuse to contact, this site has some good tips www.agsgerbils.org/Gerbil_Care_Handbook/index.htmlIt was great of you to give him a home, especially since he has a deformed tail and bald spot, let us know if you have any other questions!! ;D
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Post by sweetie on Apr 6, 2005 14:58:11 GMT -8
Hi Janet,
I think this post would best be put in the general info area. I can not move it or I would have to move everything. Members who have already posted to this may not read other posts. You have a great questions and a lot of members are knowledgeable in this area. Your questions would get more responses if you retyped it in the general info section. Thanks
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Post by janet on Apr 6, 2005 17:41:19 GMT -8
Hi Callimico! Thanks for your fast reply - very helpful! ;D He or she is doing fine - very busy rearranging the cage then moving things around, etc. and will now stay out in the open longer when I am in the room, etc. Just not sure if it is eating and drinking enough. I am starting to try different foods but so far it will go for the sunflower bits that are advised NOT to let them eat to much of!! Figures! Do you think I should try a baby to place with it? I live in Bermuda (originally from NY) and it is difficult to get these guys and also if it doesn't work out finding a home would probably be more difficult Thanks again!! You made my day! ;D Janet
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pixytwinkle
Member
Molly and Misty, my lovely gerbils.
Posts: 737
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Post by pixytwinkle on Apr 8, 2005 9:03:00 GMT -8
hi janet sorry i didnt reply i didnt see the post congratulations on getting a gerbil! Callimico and sweetie know loads more about gerbils than me so i will leave it to them to give you all the advice you need,
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Post by sabarika on May 27, 2005 3:38:45 GMT -8
About oatmeal/Quaker oats... I thought that if fed to any animal (esp. small) it could be dangerous because in an uncooked state if it's eaten/digested it will expand in their stomachs and possibly kill them. Same applies for uncooked pasta or rice.
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Post by meganb52 on May 27, 2005 4:47:14 GMT -8
We discussed this in a precvious thread, but another food on the "do not feed" list is avacado. It can be cardiotoxic to all mammals (including humans, but you have to eat a rediculously large amount) But most affected are birds and small rodents. Also, while I was reading Callimico's post from earlier, I noticed that spinach was on both the "feed" and the "do not feed" list... Just thought I'd point that out...
-Megan
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Post by sandy on May 27, 2005 17:18:30 GMT -8
I feed rice on a regular basis with no problems.
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RW
Member
When someone you love becomes a memory, the memory becomes a treasure. Puppy 6/6/07
Posts: 530
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Post by RW on May 28, 2005 5:45:18 GMT -8
From what I've read on different gerbil forums, it seems like a lot of keepers feed their gerbils oatmeal. I've given mine oatmeal about 3 times a week for over three years with no problem. I've never tried uncooked pasta, but I give my gerbils an uncooked dry cereal called Kashi Pilaf a couple of times a week and one of the ingredients is long grain brown rice. I don't know if they actually eat any of the rice, since there are several other grains in it, but if they do, it doesn't seem to have hurt them.
RW
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Post by lizzy on May 30, 2005 12:40:07 GMT -8
I feed mine dried fruit/veg
they love bananas, raisins, apricot, and dates in small quantities.
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