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Post by lydia on Sept 25, 2004 10:57:21 GMT -8
Hi, I would be very interested if anyone else has noticed these differences between pallids and mongolians.I only have the one pair of Pallids,so don't know if all pallids will demonstrate these differences.Maybe they are just peculiar to mine. 1) Pallids are heavier sleepers than mongolian. 2) When scenting something they don't recognise,they jump backwards.(Very interesting to see,as they approach,cautiously,they will leap or jump backwards a distance that is probably longer than their body length).Straight back,with out turning their head or body,or even looking. 3) Male pallid seems more interested in making a nest than the female. 4) Bolder than the mongolians Some of my mongolians have been very bold,approaching me and sitting in my hand.My pallids come up,climb onto your hand straight away and climb up your arm.I assume they do this more readily than a mongolian,because they like climbing. 5) Enjoy toilet roll munching,but don't seem to be as frenzied as mongolians over it.Toilet roll tubes last days,rather than minutes. 6) Enjoy chewing bark and wood products more (assuming this is to get to the nutrition below the bark). 7) Mine are eating fruit and veg I am really enjoying keeping these little fellas,and would appreciate if other ppl with pallids would reply if theirs also do / do not these things. Lydia
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Post by doomgerbiluk on Oct 11, 2004 3:45:23 GMT -8
mine rarely get fruit or veg BUT they locve carrots i ahdnt noticed the scenting thing yes my mala is very reluctant to 'perform' to and very fussy over beds/tunnels. They are great wood chewers but less so with cardboard, especially if its part of their tunnle structure!! Mongolians will cherw the cardbaord and collpase the tunnels but pallids appear to understand the physics better!!! Pallids are better at climbing and balance.... a nice perch on my head is prefferred!!! And a nap curled up in the hair on the bqack of my neck is not unusual
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Post by andrea on Oct 11, 2004 4:01:57 GMT -8
After seeing your pallids lydia and the behaviour you have describe. I suspect the two you got from Kathryn are slightly more cheesie than pallid..
cheesmans are a lot more volatile in there behaviour towards each oother than the pallids.. have you seen any boxing yet??.
speak soon Andrea
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Post by doomgerbiluk on Oct 11, 2004 4:28:55 GMT -8
Hehe you should see my girls when they get goign Andrea they often have boxing matches (usually over Mauretania, the male)
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Post by andrea on Oct 11, 2004 6:48:31 GMT -8
he he female jealousy lol
The cheesmans are funny little guys, I dunno about the pallids, but the cheesmans have to come out and say good morning evryday or thy get the hump on.. they bounce around the front of the tank in the morning and cos there tanks next to the bed if you happen to wake up in the night, more often than not you will have two cheesman faces staring at you, like they are watching TV or summut.. ;D
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Post by lydia on Oct 11, 2004 16:03:17 GMT -8
Hi Andrea, Mine haven't boxed at all,that I've witnessed,they're cage is next to my comp,so I watch them whilst I'm typing. With the pair we collected on Sat.,the female is not quite as confident as the male with this pair.He spends more time out and exploring,whilst she hides/nest builds.He comes up readily,and climbs onto your hand,she isn't so confident,so you have to pick her up, with the minimum of stress for her. She also nips,I don't get the impression that she is aggressive,more a case of trying something to see if it tastes nice.So far she has tried my nails(quite keen on these),my hands and fingers ( hasn't broken the skin - yet),and whatever clothes I'm wearing (so quite a bit of cotton). Because they are new,so I'm being particular over handwashing etc,I did wonder if our soap in the bathroom,attracts her to my fingers and hands etc. I might buy some different soap,that hopefully smells un-appetizing to a pallid........or resort to a squirt of bleach . I honestly do not know if my four, are pure Pallids or hybrids The pics I find of them, on websites are not clear enough for my in-experienced eyes, to detect the subtle differences. I need a clear pic of a pallid,next to a clear pic of a cheesman,with the differences noted.If I ever get my own website up and running,I would try hard, to put pics of the two species up and show this. Might be asking you Andrea,for pics of your Cheesies (would give you all credit etc.) ......Very long way off though.... Lyd
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Post by doomgerbiluk on Oct 11, 2004 16:25:10 GMT -8
Lydia mine are pretty good pallids but it is unlikely ANY UK pallids are 'pure' as the two species were thought to be one and kept as one resulting in many hybrids. Only the pups will show wether we have 'pure' or near to pure pallids
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Post by Ed on Oct 15, 2004 5:13:02 GMT -8
Hi, Yes there are pure pallids and cheesmans in the UK but i know of only two sources with known provenance of capture. There is also a guide on my website that has good photos showing the various differences in hybrids, their history and development etc. Just go to my homepage, and navigate to the species sections. www.gerbilshowsuk.orgEddie
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Post by doomgerbiluk on Oct 15, 2004 8:24:47 GMT -8
So what did you think of mine Eddie? but then again you've only met Mauretania and that was at Cardiff so its a while ago now. Mauri is one of Katherines while the other two came from her friend in Northampton.
I think Lydias are from Ketherines stock too
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Post by lydia on Oct 15, 2004 16:25:48 GMT -8
Yes you're right Doomgerbiluk,my first pair I did get from Katharine. They probably are hybrids,as if they were pure it would probably make it easier to identify them.Although I'm not that experienced with gerbil species,I do notice differences pretty well.Have to, when I'm judging dogs for example,I also do spend time,just watching what my rodents,dogs,snakes and fish are doing etc.I love watching and trying to anaylise what their body language means. I do find the backwards jump, that both my pairs of Pallids/hybrids do, interesting,as well as very amusing ;D. If their is somewhere safe at Stafford to demonstrate this,I'll try and show you.They only have to encounter a new smell,and they shoot backwards .The risk is obviously, if they end up falling etc. So far they haven't,but once when my first female was on my arm,and my son went to stroke her,she did try to jump backwards through my body luckily,she didn't fall. Lyd
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Post by doomgerbiluk on Oct 15, 2004 16:42:10 GMT -8
it's the vertical jump I love!!! 2 METRES STRAIGHT UP!!!! So funny!! but not to be sought out as its a startle reflex!!! Maybe I should bring my playpen we could have the some pallids on display! I'll talk to Julian and Eddie closer to the time Maybe Eddie could bring Cheesies for comparison!! If hes not showing them all you should be careful I agree. I lost my first female Lucitania through a fall!!!
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Post by Ed on Oct 16, 2004 14:39:22 GMT -8
Hi, Bring them to a show mum. I do know that Kathryns stock has descended from a friend of mine down south. His stock was relatively pure, but even he had trouble discerning which is which between his pallids and cheesmans once they arrived in his collection. He stopped breeding his pallids because he feared accidentally hybridising the two. So i would suspect if there was cheesman blood in there it would mostlikely be for only one generation. Eddie ps. I got a male off Kathryn that has a white spot on the nape of its neck! thx Kath!
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Post by doomgerbiluk on Oct 16, 2004 14:53:13 GMT -8
Will do Ed been looking at getting to Stafford. The train fare alone for two of us is nearly £100 Nige nearly had a fit!!!
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Post by lydia on Oct 16, 2004 18:42:25 GMT -8
What area of the country are you in Doomgerbiluk ? Maybe someone else could give you a lift or something,was the price for the train fare if you pre-booked it ?Sometimes pre-booking is cheaper,especially when done on-line.
lyd
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Post by doomgerbiluk on Oct 18, 2004 8:22:22 GMT -8
yeah that was q-jump and for 2 of us, one with a student rail card Add a B and B (cant do it in one trip ona Sunday) and it starts to really add up. We're in Southampton
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