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Post by sweetie on Feb 11, 2005 9:02:16 GMT -8
Hello memebers,
I saw the strangest thing at the pet store yesterday. I went to PetSmart to buy some gerbil food (Ecotrin was on sale) and I saw mini gerbils. I mean they were the smallest things I have ever seen. They were developed to at least 6 weeks but they were smaller than the 3 week old pups I have had. Are there miniature gerbils? What is going on? Are they Mini Me's?
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Post by doomgerbiluk on Feb 11, 2005 9:56:33 GMT -8
Where they mongolian gerbils or another species?
If they where mongs presumably they had a rough start in life or/and where part of a very large litter.
There are smaller gerbil species, for instance I have charming dipodils which grow (excluding tail) to around 3cms.
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Post by moghedien on Feb 11, 2005 13:48:15 GMT -8
I saw some almost that tiny about the same age at a petstore a few months ago. I have to agree with doomgerbiluk, I think that probably means they've been underfed and part of a large litter. I know that when my gerbil had a litter of 8, even though I kept just about stuffing food down all of them, that the litter was smaller at that age than a litter of 5 I'd had experience with previously (though not nearly as tiny as the petstore gerbs). Which actually brings me to a question I'd been meaning to raise on the board... had anyone ever thought about breeding gerbils for size? As in, bigger gerbils or smaller gerbils? Just wondering - it seems like it should be possible!  |
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Post by crazycritter on Mar 2, 2005 19:42:59 GMT -8
My gerbils seem to be small...they have good body shapes, and they're not scrawny, but over the years, Ive noticed that my gerbils tend to be smaller then others. My small gerbils have nothing to do with lack of food though....queenie has one of my pups, Nova, and she said that he's pretty small.
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Post by sweetie on Mar 3, 2005 11:48:34 GMT -8
Hey, I agree that pups of large litters tend to be smaller but these guys looked to be about 6-8 weeks old and they were about the same size as Bandits pups who were 3 weeks old. They were mongolians and they might have had a rough start. I am hoping that it does not interfere with the health of the pups later on in thier lives. It is so sad!  |
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Post by AndreaS15 on Mar 9, 2005 22:09:18 GMT -8
I know with Horses, early abuse can stunt their growth. We had a horse at our barn that for the longest time I though she was a pony, and she wasn't. It was so sad.
I have a male who is alot smaller, just not 'round' like the others. Then i have Gumba who i just adopted from a friend and he's the size of a small rat!
He's GUMBO gerbil! LOL
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Post by sweetie on Mar 10, 2005 11:41:42 GMT -8
Thanks Andrea,
I figured malnutrition would affect it but I was unaware that it could make *that* much of a difference. It is sad.
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Post by lizzy on Mar 10, 2005 12:19:33 GMT -8
Theres a male gerbil at work that was so tiny when he first came in, but hes been there a couple weeks now and d now that hes had plenty of nourishment he's getting a lot bigger and looking healthier!! it makes me mad though, clearly the "breeding centres" or whatever don't take care of them properly, hes not the first we've had :\
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