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Post by buckthegerb on Jun 25, 2023 19:55:51 GMT -8
I am just a kid, so please be understanding. It started with 2 gerbils and became 16. Lots of mis-sexing happened. Then declanning. I have 4 boys who are okay and in their own cage. Then, I have 2 boys who are currently in the split cage method. Then I have 1 girl in a large tank who is alone, I am working on setting up a divider to start the split cage method there. Then I have a girl who had 4 pups, they are getting older so I need to separate them. Then the rest of the gerbils are in separate 5 gallons. I'm not allowed any more tanks so I can't separate the pups. And that means once I pair them (hopefully), they just get crammed into a 5 gallon so I can pair the next. Thats not good. I am panicking lots, and crying constantly over my situation. I care deeply for them and am trying my best. My parents say I HAVE to sell some, or get rid of them. I am terrified of them ending up in a worse situation. I have some ideas to sell them to a decent person, like writing detailed care instructions and health stuff. Like how they need a buddy, good food (I feed them oxbow and occasional fruit/veg and treats),lots of attention and care, appropriate bedding etc. So hopefully that would ward off people who buy them for kids who then neglect them. I promise that is not me though. I am trying so much and researching constantly for their care. Or I'll have to euthanize them. So do you guys think I'll be able to get them to a good home or should I just be sure they won't suffer and euthanize them? If it would come to euthanasia, it would be done by a vet. I am crying and I don't know and I'm panicking and everything is chaos. So please help me, help them. If you would take them in, I live in lower Canada. I won't directly tell you where. But if you would take them in then we can work something out. Thank you for anything. I will try to check here as much as I can. Please, please help.
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Post by LilyandDaisy on Jun 25, 2023 20:14:05 GMT -8
Hello, I'm so sorry you're in such a difficult situation. Here is a list of a few rodent rescues in Canada. Perhaps one of those will be near you. If not, maybe there is a humane society near you that isn't on that list? You could try googling "rodent rescues + your town/city" and see if anything comes up. If you need to sell them, you can make sure they're going to a good home by asking for a photo of the enclosure they will live in and asking for a small fee of approximately what people would pay for gerbils in a pet store. Most people who are willing to meet those two conditions will be decent owners. If you're on Facebook you also could try posting in a gerbil group such as this one. I hope you're able to figure something out as this must be so stressful for you.
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Post by TJ's Rodent Ranch on Jun 25, 2023 22:26:12 GMT -8
Hi there,
I'm so sorry to hear about your situation.
I do recommend selling them as opposed to PTS. As LilyandDaisy said above, if you offer conditions of a photo of their future enclosure, as well as a small fee, the majority of people who agree to that will have a good home waiting for them. I understand the fear of them going to bad homes, I have sold many gerbils myself and realized it's likely to have that feeling every time, but you'd be surprised how quickly everything seems to get better with each sale. If you need to put them to sleep, I understand it's very difficult but it's pretty much painless for them. How old are the babies you'll need to separate soon? before the three-month mark, gerbils won't often fight, so introductions are easier to adults and other babies alike, which can help relieve a little pressure if you have to get all the males in one tank, and females in another, or possibly two tanks for each gender, if you have too many. (how many tanks do you have?) Sorting them all into these sections can make it feel less chaotic and a little easier to handle mentally. A good "panic place" you could sell them would be Craigslist, (though you have to be more careful there, and would have to very clearly state the requirements) you could also spread the news in your town/neighborhood, and see if anyone's interested or if any friends of yours would be too, which could be an easy way to sell without risk, since you would already know them and their situation.
I have been in the same place before, sometimes to the point of constant tears and breakdowns. A mistake in sexing is not uncommon, especially if you intended to just have a pet, and didn't ever think you'd have to be worrying about something like that! It happens to the best of us.
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Post by buckthegerb on Jun 25, 2023 23:23:03 GMT -8
You guys have no idea how much you've helped me. Thank you so much and I will look into the rescues and start putting up proper ads. If you have any tips on the split cage method then I'm desperate for them. But thank you all, those are all very helpful. And in very quick timing, so thank you so much. And thank you for being kind. It started with getting 2 gerbils off kijiji, after I'd researched them and wrote an essay to my parents on their care and why I should get them. Turns out the guy sexed the pair wrong and it all went downhill from there. Basically babies had babies with other babies then I did get them sorted out, just to sex them wrongly. Then there was declanning, lots. So far no health complications from accidental babies, thank fully. But I have 2 injured gerbils. 1 boy has a severed tail, it is all healed now though and has been doing great. The other one is a girl, she has chunks of hair missing and half a tail left. I know you think I'm terrible, and believe me, I feel awful. So please don't hate. I did find a large tank in our basement, maybe, 50 gallons I'd say. So in total I have 9 tanks and cages. One 50 gal, one 40 gal, one 36 gal, one 26 gal (unsure), three 10 gals, 2 small bar cages (the crittertrail design you always see in pet stores). The split tank is the 26 gal, occupied with 2 boys, 4 boys are in the 40 gal, 50 gal empty, 36 gal has 1 girl, three different 5 gals have 3 different girls, the two bar cages have 2 different boys. Sorry for the rambling on and on, I'm surprised you figured out what I was saying. Thanks again for even bothering to write a reply. And I will work on getting a second divider so I can work on pairing. Thank you both again. The breakdowns can get ugly, I'm sorry you had to go through that. I'm sorry anyone ever goes through that. I get really attached to my little friends and I just hate to let them go. But it's for their own good. With so many I'm giving less attention. And their lonely in their cramped cages. I am trying everything and thank you for not being rude about the tiny cages and everything. I will admit it's very stressful and thank you for both understanding and all my ramblings. I just hope you realize how grateful I am some kind people responded so nicely with really good advice. I'm sorry for the ramblings, it's just like someone finally understands me.
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Post by TJ's Rodent Ranch on Jun 26, 2023 14:17:45 GMT -8
Hi there,
I'm really glad that it was helpful, I was worried about over doing it. I've actually not had to conduct many split cages myself, so I'm afraid I wouldn't be able to give much advice on that. Sexing gerbils, especially the first few times can be very stressful knowing what can happen if it goes wrong. I can imagine how stressful it would be with all that chaos, and that being the first time you had ever done it to begin with. Did the boy and girl get their injuries from declaning? Trust me, I really don't think you're terrible. Horrible injuries like that can happen from a declaning and sometimes it can't be helped. How old is the girl in the 36 gal? Would it be possible to pair her with one of the singles in the 5 gal? If all of them are pretty young you could possibly try an introduction early. You could also (if they all got along well) put the four girls in the 50 gal together, which could free the three 5 gals and the 36 gal. I definitely understand getting attached to them, I've been breeding for about a year now, and have had to make some hard decisions of who to sell and who to keep, it can get difficult. Do you think you'll be keeping any gerbils after you sell them? I know an experience like this can sour the taste of keeping them. Forgive my nosiness, you can ignore that. I really understand how it can get hard to give them all attention with so many of them to care for, and I think what matters is that you really care and are doing the research to make sure they're happy. That's what matters. No worries about rambling 😊 It can help provide a full vision of everything that's going on and be useful. I hope things get better, do keep us updated, and I hope you get some bites for sales!
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Post by buckthegerb on Jun 29, 2023 10:03:47 GMT -8
Hi, sorry for the very late reply. So, I did manage to successfully bond the 2 boys that are in the approximately 26 gal which was a split tank. I am going to keep from 2-3 tanks. I'm not going to sell the oldies and injured ones. The injuries are all healed and everyone is healthy right now. They just have lasting damage, like missing fur and tails. And yes, the boy and girl were injured as a result of declanning.
The way everything began was the guy I bought 'em from was pretty vague on details. He said he sold me 2 boys. They were both adults and had never had a litter, so they were both boys. Turns on 1 girl and 1 boy, next thing I know, there's litter after litter and I just don't understand.
What do you mean by "put the four girls in the 50 gal?" I don't really understand that, could you explain it? I did move the girl who was in the 36 gal and put her in a 5gal. And then I put the 5 gal mom with pups in the 36 gal so they have room to grow. When I can, I'll pair the girl I moved into the 5 gal with my old girl in the other 5 gal. With sexing the pups I am completely lost and it's all confusing. I've googled and watch YouTube videos and I still can't figure it out.
You are not being nosy at all. I like that you can relate to my situation. It makes me feel less alone in the chaos. It is overwhelming. And you are so kind, thank you for sticking around, everything you've told me has helped and made me feel better. I will do my best to update and thank you!
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Post by tanzanyte on Jun 29, 2023 13:49:48 GMT -8
I';ll let others explain the tank conundrum but I just wanted to say that I think you're doing an amazing job in what is an awful situation to be put in. You should be proud of yourself for handling it so well and caring about their welfare. Declanning can be nasty, they really do mean to hurt one another so injuries are often sustained and are no reflection on you or the care you are giving. Please don't feel bad or beat yourself up. No one here thinks you are terrible, it's the exact opposite because you noticed it and have done everything in your power to get them sorted and happy and healthy.
I really hope the intro's go well and that you are able to find homes for the others.
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Post by TJ's Rodent Ranch on Jun 29, 2023 16:44:44 GMT -8
Hello again,
sorry for the late response, I've had a hectic day and have had to put several of my cats to sleep in the past few days, including one today, so I haven't been on top of this.
First of all, Tanzanyte really couldn't have put it better. You're doing an awesome job in a horrible situation, and you should be proud of yourself for what you've done. Caring about them, and actually wanting to help is huge, you'd be surprised how many people out there will have three gerbs in a five gal just because they don't have space on that table to fit a bigger tank, or whatever it is. Because they're small animals that aren't as upfront as a cat or dog, a lot of people don't care. No one here thinks you're terrible.
I'm willing to bet the two gerbils he originally gave you were not sexually mature and were not adults, which is why they probably had the litter only after you got them and they had time to mature. When you breed gerbils (whether by accident or purpose) they can breed again very quickly after the litter is born, sometimes even the same day. Most breeders know to expect two litters when they breed since it's hard to separate before the first is born (among other reasons) however if you weren't already aware of this, it could feel like the litters were snowballing with no time in between pregnancies, and it can be really stressful.
Ah, I misunderstood. For some reason, I thought you already had two pairs of bonded girls, don't know where I got that, maybe I was crossing threads. Have you gotten any bites on sales yet? I would take a few myself, but I'm at the bottom of the US, so I don't know how that would work.
Sexing can be difficult. This very forum is actually the way I first did it, by posting pictures of my first baby (the only survivor of a nightmarish mom) and asking for help since I needed to decide whether to put the baby with dad or not. You can do that if you really need to decide soon, and ask for help from others on the forum by posting photos of the babies. The general way to easiest sex them, or I suppose the general rule... is that in girls, the anus and urethra are a lot closer together, whereas in boys, they are much farther apart. You may have heard this before, it's the most common way to sex pups, but you can give it a shot if you haven't already. Boys also have a much larger SG, though that's not as easy to see, and in some pups that develop quicker, you can see a bulge at the base of their tail which is the beginning of their testicles setting in.
How old are the pups now?
I would recommend not putting young ones with older ones you're going to keep, since they may bond with that gerbil, and grow up with that gerbil, making it a lot harder to pair them with ones you'll be keeping, since young ones often won't fight.
I really hope everything works out, just don't be too hard on yourself for what's happened. It really wasn't your fault. And don't be afraid to ask as many questions as you need!
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Post by buckthegerb on Jul 1, 2023 1:13:47 GMT -8
Thank you guys so much. I've never met more understanding people. And I'm very sorry about your cats. You seem so wonderful and I've only talked back and forth with you for like a week. So I'm sure you did the right thing. That is a very hard decision that not many people can't even face or think about. I'm sorry if I'm making it worse or invading. But you guys should just know how awesome and kind you've been to me. So just take your time and everything is alright, I don't mind late replies at all since time slips for me too. On another note, I haven't posted any ads quite yet. I couldn't figure out the uploading photos but I can work on that. I'm MY eyes all the pups looked identical in the spacing and everything. I got so caught up with all that was going and and didn't take note on their age. I'm guessing they're around 2-3 months, I have really no idea. They are still fairly small, but kind of big as well. They eat lots of solids, they are very active and are completely covered in fur and take sandbaths. So does that help determining their age at all? The pups color coating does not help at all when it comes to looking at photos. I have 3 identical black with very small white markings on chin and paws, then a tan one with red eyes. The 3 blacks are seriously identical, you can only tell by their white paw markings, it's crazy. But I am so thankful for you all. Thanks for sticking with me and thank you for reassuring and not minding my dumping of everything. It's a lot to process and even bothering to read it at all. It means a lot that you guys are still replying and being so kind. Thank you so much, I'm sorry if I'm coming off as an attention seeker, but I swear, you guys are so kind and understanding. The world really is better with you guys in it. (That made me sound even more like an attention seeker) I struggle with some things, but you random people who decided to reach out and completely help me are so generous. I just don't really know how to express my gratitude, so instead I just type thank you a million times lol. And I am truly sorry about your cats, you did what was best. If you ever need to talk or anything, it's the least I could do, even if this is a gerbil forum 😉. I hope it all works out and I don't mind late replies at all, from anyone. I always am late with my replies. But seriously thank you guys so much, you are so understanding and aren't remotely quick to judge, so thank you. I will try to get those pup photos up.
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Post by TJ's Rodent Ranch on Jul 2, 2023 9:50:43 GMT -8
Hi there, Thank you for everything you said, the kind words really help me right now, it means a lot. And no, you're not invading, or attention-seeking. I understand how you must feel right now with all the chaos, so really no worries. ImgBB is a good way to post photos that I've used on many occasions. I've been having trouble getting a link to work, but possibly this one will? imgbb.com We'll see once I post! If it works... when you click on it you should see a big page that says "upload and share images" on the top, followed with a button (after some other text) saying "start uploading" click that button and it'll take you to your computer files. Any images you have saved on your computer will be available to you there, as you know. Click the one you would like, then click upload, and then it'll give you a link to copy, copy that and paste it in your post, and you've got a link to a photo! ibb.co/J7hWwTVOne way you can tell their age is if their testicles have already dropped (if you have boys in the litter). Can you determine that yet? If they haven't then they're probably still within the second month. If they have, it's very easy to tell boys from girls which is one upside, but you'll want to separate them asap. Lol, I know exactly that faze where they are stuck right in between adult hood, and still being a baby. It feels just like, I don't know how to describe them... big or small? They seem exactly like that, because compared to adult gerbils, they're small, but to compared to what they were, they're huge! I understand the chaos of the litters, especially if they're constantly coming in like that, so no worries if you can't remember their age. I usually attempt to differentiate other things about them when they're like that. I actually had three identical blacks in my last litter (with the white on their chin and paws). I started looking for other things about them, for example, one had a shorter tail and another was really small, and on the third the white on it's chin reached all the way to her chest... little things like that, but even stuff like that can be very difficult so I totally understand. If I remember right, the 50 gal is empty? If so, you could sort all the babies (once you've sexed them) and put whichever gender has more into the 50 gal and keep the others where they are. Girls can stay with mom, and the boys can stay with dad, if he's still available. He's usually really chill and won't fight with the pups even after a long absence. I'm very sorry again for the late reply. I've been meaning to respond as soon as I see the post. I started this yesterday when I saw your post, and then all hell broke loose in a my household. Followed by having to put two of my best cats down, one that's been with me twelve years, and my special boy that was only able to spend three years with me, now, just yesterday we got a call informing us that my grandfather has been bitten by a very poisonous snake, and probably won't survive. Not the best month for me, I'm kind of suffering through it but I'm really glad I can help you. As always, best of luck to you and the gerbs. I hope this post has been of some help!
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Post by TJ's Rodent Ranch on Jul 8, 2023 9:56:46 GMT -8
Hey, buckthegerb!
How are things going? Hopefully, the chaos has improved some?
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Post by buckthegerb on Jul 31, 2023 10:44:48 GMT -8
I've been in a rut for a while. Im so sorry for not updating and everything. Do you remember the 1 male in a cage? It's been a while for him alone so maybe he's depressed? Note: he is in a small plastic crittertrail cage, that is just temporary! Well, now he's lethargic and has his eyes closed. His coat is also puffy. I have seen him groom himself, but not much. He still has an appetite and he seems to drink. He's a bit wobbly when he wants to move. His breathing is quiet but whenever he takes a breath he looks like a cat coughing up a hairball, then he shivers. He just sits on plastic. He doesn't want to sleep in a nest or anything nice like that. He isn't keen on moving lots. He looks just so terrible and I don't know what's going on. This just breaks my heart I was looking at him eating and he looked at me and winked and I just burst out crying. I don't know how he winked though because his eyes are shut but it was a clear wink. Still all of that is happening and he's sick but he just wanted to give me one wink. I think he's going to die soon. My parents won't take him to the vet since its an hour away and they don't want to waste money on tiny pests. I am nit old enough to drive either. Im going to put this on another thread so more people will find it. Please anyone help, any and all advice is worth something.
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Post by buckthegerb on Jul 31, 2023 10:57:52 GMT -8
Oops I just read the how to create your thread title. And I literally named this thread the bad example. So, sorry and thankyou for clicking on this. My bad.
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Post by TJ's Rodent Ranch on Jul 31, 2023 11:07:30 GMT -8
Hi there,
No worries about not updating, I know it can get very busy and chaotic. I'm so sorry to hear about the little guy. How old is he? Then you might be able to determine if he is simply like this due to old age, and something specific to him, or if he has some sort of disease. This is a thin line, of do you handle him and make him really happy, possibly in his last few days (I'm certainly not saying he will die, I think he may still have a good chance) or do you try to isolate him from the others, in case of disease. Make sure to wash your hands anytime you handle him or interact with him, or even just put your hand in the tank. I don't know if it's possible where you are, or possible at all but you might be able to talk to a vet over the phone, or even a Zoom call (or something like that). They might be able to give you an easy diagnosis if you just tell them the symptoms. Until someone who could tell you more about this replies, I would try to keep contamination as low as possible. Give him his favorite foods, and make sure he's not losing weight, and you see him drink on a regular basis.
I'm so sorry again, it's always so hard to see one of them sick. I hope it works out. By the way, how are the others working out? Has it gotten at all under control?
Edit: No worries, there are lots of other threads like this so there are many examples. You can also edit the thread title still. If you go to the very top right of your post, you should see four buttons. One says "quote" the next one says "edit" and the last two are a thumbs up (click that to like the post) and a setting drop down. Click on the one that says "edit" and it'll allow you to edit your post. Since you're the creator of this thread you should also be able to edit the thread title. However, to edit the thread title specifically, you have to go to the first post you ever created on this thread, otherwise you won't be able to.
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Post by buckthegerb on Jul 31, 2023 13:03:09 GMT -8
Good news about my little friend lethargy here. I did a bedding change so he opened up his eyes to look around. I also set up his playpen. He ran around lots! He's still really puffy and bony but he's moving around and not wobbly! So he's not lethargic anymore, or wobbly. He's confirmed Drinking and eating. I don't know what happened and what happened suddenly for him to perk up. I looked at 3 threads of people having this exact problem of lethargic and wobbly gerbils who lost weight. All 3 got many replies that the gerbil must have seized so it'll take some time to regain balance and strength. So my gerbil has regained balance and is no longer lethargic. He is eating lots. Thank you for your advice and kindness. He is inbred so a seizure would make sense. I'll keep watching him for further updates. As for all the other gerbs, they are still a mess. My friend took a male that was lonely,and I was able to rehome my injured female. They are both going to be paired up at their new homes. So now I have 2 females in separate gals. 1 male (sick one) in a plastic cage. 5 gerbils in a 36 gal, that's the mom and pups, I was wrong about their ages so now I'm waiting for when they're old enough to sex them. 2 males that were paired last I the bowfront 26. 4 males in the 40 gal. I think that's all. Thanks for just staying around checking on us.
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