Help! One just died and the other is mouring.

[toyimp]

I have two black gerbils and one of them died. I have been trying to take care of it for the past two days and apparently I have failed. I just got off work and look in the cage and see that she has died. The other one is sleeping next to it and I don't know what exactly I should do or what is to come? I'm about to bury it but I am just letting the other one stay by it for a while. Any suggestions or info on this would be greatly appreciated. Thank you in advance.

[toyimp]

I just read up on some of the other posts about the same problem. How long should I wait before i clean the cage? She's only about two years old so is she too old to add another addition (Or to breed at all)?

[doomgerbiluk]

I'm really sorry to hear of your experience
First remove the dead animal. Check it over to see if you have any idea what killed it.
If it's still a mystery then answer these questions.
*How old are the gerbils?
*What are they eating?
*What bedding and substrate are you using? and what sorts of toys?
*where did they come from?
*Do they have access to fresh water?
*How warm or cold is the room? How big a temperature range through the day?
*Have you seen any signs of illness?
try and tell us anything else that may be relevant..if you read this and other gerbils sites ( www.gerbilshowsuk.org and www.gerbils.co.uk ) they will give you a few ideas.
It is quite possible you will never know why the animal died and blaming yourself is not good.

Please feel free to ask any questions however silly or trivial they may seem, we were all beginners once and understand how difficult it can be.

2 years old is too old too breed, it could be harmful to her and she is unlikely to produce healthy pups.
With females intros are tricky and I would suggest if she can get lots of attention and stimulation you are best keeping her alone.
If the other gerbil was also 2 then she had a good innings, the oldest recorded wild gerbil was 1 year old and in captivity while many gerbils live beyond 3 years old losing them at 2 is not unusual at all.
I have certainly lost a couple of gerbils suddenly at that age and would not consider it abnormal.

[toyimp]

I've noticed that since I have removed the one that had past away, the live one is looking for her companion. I've had them for two years and still haven't named them. If anyone can come up with a good name I'd be willing to name her. The live one is the one that isn't very used to being handled. The other one was always welcoming my hand and very non-skittish. The live one is completely opposite just about. As far as what may have killed the other one the only thing that I can think of is old age. The cage is relatively clean, only two days over due on my bi-monthly cleaning, fresh water and fresh food has been supplied for a long time now. I've been using aspen bedding because I know about Pine and some of the other ones.

I have some sand that I brought back from the bahamas like 6 years ago, and I have been thinking about letting her, was them, have a little sand bath.

Thanks for the help.

[doomgerbiluk]

Yes it does sound age related, it's a funny thing but with gerbils the life expectancy is hugely variable, I've even heard of 7 year old mongolians!!!! Many live to between 3 and 5 which I think is why people think dying at 2 is premature when in reality isn't really. Whether you name her or not is your choice, I have a few 'keepers' I have bred who are not named.
She will miss her companion, for the first couple of days especially. Unluckily with gerbils this does not mean she will welcome a 'replacement', a strange gerbil is an enemy whom she will want to drive away.
A sand bath would be good but you may wish to bake the sand first, just on a baking tray or in a roasting tin..lay it out and bake on a medium heat until all the sand is hot and please remember it is like glass, it holds the heat a long time, so give it time to cool down before using/storing.
I once made the big mistake of only checking the surface before tipping the sand into a plastic tank to use the next day. The next morning the sand was all over the table and the tank had a large hole melted in the bottom!!! Be warned!!!

[toyimp]

:0) thanks for the help. I'll try and get a good pic of her tomorrow if I can. My digital doesn't take very good close ups. I may put up a section on my site as well. Actually if anyone wants to, they can post their favorite gerbil pics here; www.toyimp.com/tiki-browse_gallery.php?galleryId=2

There is a link at the top, upload image. Its just text and kinda hard to find at first.

You don't have to have a username, so upload away.