|
Post by betty on Jul 6, 2022 10:22:23 GMT -8
Bless her - that must have felt so weird in her mouth still while it was loose?
And yes, all my fingers are crossed for a straight new one (although there is the possibility that there was something awry from a pup as they are so young?).
Anyway - glad she's perked back up at least.
|
|
|
Post by LilyandDaisy on Jul 6, 2022 10:34:34 GMT -8
Yes, I have wondered (and worried) that there might be an underlying illness causing weak teeth. She seems healthy otherwise. She was previously gaining weight consistently, and was the second largest in the litter (only beaten by one of her brothers). Astra was always the dainty one. Time will tell but hopefully it was just a random accident.
|
|
|
Post by LilyandDaisy on Jul 8, 2022 12:25:09 GMT -8
Twiglet is doing well. She's back to eating everything and chewing wood and cardboard now. Her weight is back up to 49g. I noticed a new tooth coming in yesterday. It was growing slightly wonky - pointed sideways as if it were going to cross over the other tooth. However today it seems a bit more straight. I hope the adjacent tooth might act as a kind of splint to keep it growing straight? Her other teeth look perfect.
|
|
|
Post by betty on Jul 11, 2022 11:30:18 GMT -8
Glad to hear it has alligned itself with the other tooth - and fingers crossed it will grow as did the original.
Always a worry when something so small (and random) can make such a big difference...
|
|
|
Post by LilyandDaisy on Jul 13, 2022 7:03:05 GMT -8
I'm happy to say Twiglet's new tooth straightened out almost perfectly. I think it's still pointed very slightly inwards (so the gap between the top teeth is not quite as wide) but I doubt it will cause her any problems. It's level with the other tooth so she's wearing it down fine.
I'm so relieved because the prospect of her needing tooth trimming for the next 3 years was not an exciting one.
|
|
|
Post by Markpd on Jul 17, 2022 4:49:28 GMT -8
Sorry to hear about Twiglet breaking a tooth, but glad to hear it's grown back already and near enough straight! I'm so relieved because the prospect of her needing tooth trimming for the next 3 years was not an exciting one., or cheap if you can't do it!
|
|
|
Post by LilyandDaisy on Aug 20, 2022 13:33:55 GMT -8
Astra and Twiglet are doing well. I mentioned that Twiglet was really bold and dominant when she first arrived but that turned out to be quite out of character for her. Maybe she was just overexcited to be in a new environment and reunited with her sister. She's actually a very cautious and sensible gerbil. I don't think I would say she's a scared gerbil but she likes to check things out properly before assuming they're safe. When she was running up my arm having just met me, that was really not typical for her! Astra is the cheeky and confident one. Twiglet is still dominant but in a quiet rather than overbearing way. I think gerbils' characters are affected a lot by who they are with. When Astra was here on her own she was shy, and after Twiglet arrived she went back to being outgoing (as she was with the breeder). Perhaps it's because she has a cautious big sister checking everything out for her that she can afford to be so bold. I had them in a smaller enclosure for a while after they first arrived since they were so tiny and also since they were apart for a few days and then reintroduced, I didn't want to give them too much too soon. A couple of weeks ago they moved into the tank part of the Eco Habitat and today I gave them the first floor of the topper. Twiglet struggled a bit with nervousness when I first gave them more space, whereas Astra takes to everything new and exciting like a duck to water. Astra likes heights and climbing too, which I why gave them the Eco Habitat with the topper rather than the Pawhut which Tilly and Wispa will eventually have. I think Astra will love it when I put all the little ledges and things in. She has already figured out how to use the wheel stand to climb up the mesh the same way Lily and Tilly used to. Some gerbils are just wired the same way I suppose. Twiglet has had no further tooth issues or any other health issues. So hopefully it was just a freak accident.
|
|
|
Post by Markpd on Aug 26, 2022 14:21:14 GMT -8
Glad to hear they're still getting on well , and funny about their character changes!
|
|
|
Post by LilyandDaisy on Oct 19, 2022 11:18:08 GMT -8
Astra is a little carnivore. She loves beef and tuna. I'm going to try her with other meats and fish e.g chicken, lamb, cod, salmon. This is new to me as I've never had a gerbil who will eat meat or fish before. She loves waxworms too. I think all her favourite foods are animal-based (she doesn't like cheese though).
Twiglet is more cautious about food (and everything) and definitely won't be seen eating weird things like tuna. Now that it's getting colder she's obsessed with hoarding. I remember Lily used to go into hoarding mode around October as well. It's probably something to do with the colder temperatures triggering a deep instinct. Twiglet's life currently revolves around the moment each evening when she is fed, and she gets very wound up if it's late.
|
|
|
Post by Markpd on Oct 19, 2022 13:15:58 GMT -8
I would imagine the shortening daylight hours has the greater effect? I assume your house and therefore, they are heated (even though it isn't on all the time presumably). Funny that Astra is into fish particularly! Lol, meat I understand a bit, even though it wouldn't have occurred to me for a Gerbil. But I do remember that a hamster I had when I was young, eagerly and greedily pulled out a worm he had found in his outdoor playpen and guzzled it down!
|
|
|
Post by LilyandDaisy on Oct 20, 2022 11:40:52 GMT -8
It could be the shorter days as well. We don't have the heating on at all yet.
|
|
|
Post by Markpd on Oct 20, 2022 22:24:46 GMT -8
Yea to be fair, although technically mine's on, I've got the thermostat on low, and if it comes on at all it's very briefly (bar the 1 morning we had frost). It has mostly been pretty mild so far.
|
|
|
Post by LilyandDaisy on Oct 24, 2022 7:32:42 GMT -8
We haven't had any frosty mornings yet, just some slightly chilly nights.
Twiglet, having noticed that Astra has not dropped dead in spite of eating tuna, and also being jealous of Astra getting special treats, decided she would try tuna after all, and found she liked it.
|
|
|
Post by Markpd on Oct 24, 2022 11:47:39 GMT -8
Heheh! Funny how when one has something, then the other does, even if they weren't interested beforehand!
|
|
|
Post by LilyandDaisy on Oct 24, 2022 17:27:03 GMT -8
Heheh! Funny how when one has something, then the other does, even if they weren't interested beforehand! Yes, like how Wispa didn't like dried mealworms until she saw Tilly eating them. She also didn't like malt paste much until she saw how excited Tilly gets over it. I think Twiglet is a very wise gerbil. She waits to find out more information before trusting that anything is safe. She's friendly with me now but I had to earn her trust. Astra thinks that everything and everyone is her friend.
|
|