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Post by PipSqueak on Jul 14, 2021 14:07:34 GMT -8
I am weighing my gerbils now and I try to weigh them every month or so. Last month Pip weighed 68 grams. I just weighed him and he lost 6 grams and now weighs 62 grams. This brother Squeak seems a bit chunkier than usual. He refuses to get weighed but I am trying to. I will update on his weight but I think that he might be hogging all the food. Is 6 grams a lot for a gerbil to lose?
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Post by betty on Jul 15, 2021 2:42:39 GMT -8
At just under 10% of their bodyweight in over a month - it is of note but not overly concerning - especially as you say the other has gained weight slightly - so could also be a change in who gets the best (highest calorie) food.
And with weighing, sometimes you catch them at their heaviest (like me after a roast dinner) and sometimes you catch them at their lightest (like first thing in the morning for me after a busy day) so a few grams up, then a few grams down, can almost balance out that 6g.
However, if this would have been lost in a week or two only, I may have been concerned. But right now, you have no way of telling whether they lost it all recently or gradually? So, perhaps weigh Pip again each week for the next month to make sure he isn't losing any more just for your own peace of mind. Because even if Squeak is getting all the goodies - gerbils don't usually lose more than 20% of their original weight in 4-8 weeks unless they are either changing lifestyle or there is possibly something amuck.
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Post by betty on Jul 19, 2021 15:33:27 GMT -8
PipSqueak - any updates? Did her weight stabalise back out??
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Post by PipSqueak on Jul 19, 2021 16:30:59 GMT -8
I haven’t had the chance to weigh Squeak but just weighed Pip. He still weighs 62 grams which is the same as last time. I will try to get Squeak tomorrow.
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Post by Markpd on Jul 25, 2021 3:34:05 GMT -8
What makes Squeak hard to weigh? He runs off?
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Post by PipSqueak on Jul 25, 2021 6:23:27 GMT -8
Markpd he won’t let me scoop him up as he is the more shy gerbil and so I can’t get him on the scale very easily. I try to bribe him with food but Pip usually gets it first before I can stop him.
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Post by yeti218 on Jul 25, 2021 13:34:59 GMT -8
I weigh my hamsters by putting them in a tall container that they cant climb out of. If I tip it on its side and put some food in it, they'll climb in it willingly and then I turn it upright so they cant escape.
I volunteer at a wildlife rehab facility and have to weigh uncooperative, wild birds. We put them in empty margarine containers and put the lid on (theres a small hole in the lid for airflow). You could probably trick a gerbil into a container by putting food in it.
For gerbils I just put a bowl or dish on the scale with some food in it, they climb in and distract themself with the food. I like to use a dish instead of putting the food right on the scale because they always try to stay half off the scale, or leave their tail hanging off otherwise.
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Post by PipSqueak on Jul 25, 2021 13:47:30 GMT -8
yeti218 I usually use one of the mason jars or coconut hides that I keep in their tank and scoop them up in it. For some reason every time I try to get Squeak to go in he never wants to or he doesn’t get in all the way and I can’t push him into it. I even try to bribe him with all kinds of food but he won’t ever cooperate! I will try something taller possibly.
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Post by yeti218 on Jul 25, 2021 14:04:29 GMT -8
So uncooperative! I know mine love to climb in this teapot, they are obsessed with it. As soon as I put it on a scale with a treat in it, they lose all interest.
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Post by Markpd on Jul 26, 2021 11:50:07 GMT -8
 They're tricky buggers! I tried weighing Blake in a tall container with treats, but he ignored the treats and kept trying to jump out, so I couldn't get a stable reading! lol |
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Post by tanzanyte on Jul 30, 2021 3:46:04 GMT -8
We find it's easier to catch them with something thats new to them as they usually have to check it out. We use empty cube tissue boxes with treats, but they can ignore the treats and will jump to try and get out. However they realise they can chew the edge and that keeps them still long enough to get a reading.
Has there been any other loss of weight from Pip or does it seem to have settled a bit?
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Post by PipSqueak on Jul 30, 2021 4:57:16 GMT -8
I weighed Squeak a few days ago and his weight suprised me a bit. He weighed 74 grams which is actually 3 less than about a month ago. I haven’t weighed Pip again for around a week but last week he weighed the same. I will try to weigh Squeak again since last time he kept moving and so it might not be an accurate reading.
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), late 70s
They're tricky buggers!
