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Post by Markpd on Sept 2, 2020 12:04:54 GMT -8
I weighed my Gerbils yesterday for the 2nd time (only had them a month), I had meant to weigh them when I got them and before putting them in their new home, but forgot!
Anyway, when I weighed them on 15/8 Avon was 63g and Blake was 65g, when I weighed them yesterday Avon was 70g and Blake 65/66g.
I'm not sure at what sort of rate they should gain weight, but I'm more concerned that Blake gained none, should I be worried? Oh, they were born on June 4th, so are nearly 3mths old.
I have been wondering if Blake in particular has a poor sense of smell, I've only really thought that because if he drops a treat I've handed to him he sniffs around trying to find it, and only finds it if his nose is right on top of it! So much for their acute sense of smell! lol
As a result of noticing that very early on I switched from widespread food scattering to putting food into a few clumped areas, and just recently with un-burying the house and adding a new platform, placing the food on top of those so it's easy to find and not likely to be buried (but too early to tell if that's helped of course).
What are your thoughts folks?
PS Do they still count as pups? If so, when don't they?
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Post by gerbilord on Sept 2, 2020 12:39:53 GMT -8
They are still young and will grow at different rates and be different sizes even if they’re litter mates - my pipsqueak is around 70 and Merry is 90 and they have the same food etc.
How many treats do you feed and do you hand feed or scatter? If you scatter then it could be Avon is finding them all and Blake is not fussed/not getting any.
Lol my gerbils also can’t find treats unless they’re right in front of them... I scatter feed their food on platforms , houses, and on the bedding as well so I know they’ll always be able to find something, but they’re not totally dumb and I think they can find food just fine but can’t be bothered if it’s on a platform. I don’t know if Blake actually doesn’t have a good sense of smell, but if you’re worried it’s always best to go to the vet, or work around it using food bowls and/or designated areas for food.
In my experience most gerbil care websites consider gerbils fully grown by 1 year old. I think 3 months is still junior age, just not teeny tiny like they were a few months ago.
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Post by LilyandDaisy on Sept 2, 2020 12:51:37 GMT -8
I weighed Lily and Daisy weekly from 7 weeks of age and looking back at my records, at 13 weeks they were 69g and 63g. Yours being male would weigh a bit more, so their weights sound ok. Also looking back at my records, their growth really slowed down after 12 weeks, so it's possible Blake has just finished the rapid growth phase a bit earlier than Avon. They will probably continue to gain weight for a few months yet, but much more slowly.
Gerbils' weights can also fluctuate a lot over a week, even in the order of 5-8g, so it's also possible that if you weighed them again tomorrow you might get very different results.
I believe up to 12 weeks old is considered a pup.
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Pim
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Post by Pim on Sept 2, 2020 17:57:00 GMT -8
Got one of mine from the pet shop and he was 52 at 12 weeks! they fed them just oxbow though. He gained weight for three weeks after then it slowed down
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Post by betty on Sept 3, 2020 5:59:44 GMT -8
I kept painstaking records of pups growing from birth - but generally when they hit the 3/4 months they tend to settle somewhere - only gaining more weight between the 6-12 months period when most gerbs reached their maximum weight (up to 120g in some cases).
Had several gerbils always staying into the 60-70 bracket as I bred mine for a smaller size anyway - but did still have the odd jumbo one (you know who you are Montgomery).
There is always one heavier than the other in a clan as well, so that generally shows well once they have both/all matured.
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Post by Markpd on Sept 3, 2020 10:22:02 GMT -8
Thanks for your replies folks  . So it seems their in the right ballpark figure then, and Blake's steady weight over 2 weeks is nothing to worry about? gerbilord Wow! Quite a difference in weight between your 2! I feed each of them 3 small treats a day (I've been meaning to check if that's an ok level), e.g 1 sunflower seed, 1 pumpkin seed and a meal worm. (Although Avon has recently gone off sunflower seeds! Is he really a Gerbil!? lol). I hand feed the treats, and try to palm feed them, when I get my hand to the right angle. Oh, and I have to be extra careful doing this for Blake, as he will tend to just nibble the nearest fingertip rather than the food! (adding to my suspicions of his sense of smell). No probs there with Avon, he sniffs around until he finds it, and I don't recall him nipping my fingers. Oh I also feed them a green each, more or less 1 per day, e.g a Blackberry leaf, Raspberry leaf or Dandelion leaf (max 1/week for the latter), although they've gone off the 2 berry plant leaves, so I'm going to have to find other options. As per my op I'm already placing most of their regular food on top of the house and on the platform (but only recently), prior to that I was clumping it in a few places on their bedding that wasn't normally dug up or buried. Do you think the vets could do anything about a poor sense of smell?? (assuming he has). LilyandDaisy Interesting to know that weight gain slows down at about 12wks, and the weight fluctuation, around 10%..... for me that would be about 8kgs! lol, glad my weight doesn't do that!  Pim Wow he was quite underweight then in comparison! Is Oxbow food rubbish then? betty Good to know, gives me a rough idea of what to expect from their weight over time. How come you breed for a smaller size? If I ever breed them I'd be tempted to do the opposite . How big was Montgomery? lol |
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Post by LilyandDaisy on Sept 3, 2020 11:37:57 GMT -8
I feed each of them 3 small treats a day (I've been meaning to check if that's an ok level), e.g 1 sunflower seed, 1 pumpkin seed and a meal worm. (Although Avon has recently gone off sunflower seeds! Is he really a Gerbil!? Avon isn't alone! Mine aren't that fussed about sunflower seeds either. They'll eat them, but only if there's nothing better on offer (they will check my hand to make sure). I think they're overrated. |
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Post by Markpd on Sept 3, 2020 11:45:08 GMT -8
And apparently some Gerbils think so too!  I like the video you did of Lily's favourite game, funny how she sniffed your hand near the end with all that food and didn't want any of it!  |
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Post by LilyandDaisy on Sept 3, 2020 12:06:17 GMT -8
And apparently some Gerbils think so too! I like the video you did of Lily's favourite game, funny how she sniffed your hand naer the end with all that food and didn't want any of it! I love the bit where she dropped the food and looked so worried. That's one of my most treasured videos of Lily. |
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Post by Markpd on Sept 3, 2020 12:34:37 GMT -8
Yea I loved that bit too! I did go aww when I saw her looking down for it |
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Post by betty on Sept 3, 2020 13:58:55 GMT -8
No - bigger isn't always better Markpd! I decided to try to breed them smaller so they had more room to play in a standard enclosure. Not everyone can or wants to buy a 4ft+ deep enclosure, so I thought if the gerbils were a bit smaller, then even an average 'gerbil' tank will give them more room relative to their size? Pipe dream of course. |
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Pim
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Post by Pim on Sept 3, 2020 14:56:00 GMT -8
Pim Wow he was quite underweight then in comparison! Is Oxbow food rubbish then? Well it just isn't the most nutritious food especially for growing pups. I don't think they took the best care of them in the store since the employees are not trained to take care of every animal perfectly. They do source from breeders though so I feel comfortable buying from there. |
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Post by Markpd on Sept 3, 2020 15:22:34 GMT -8
Ah ok. Betty Good point, and size isn't always everything! |
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), late 70s
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