|
Post by Ritzie/Admin on Feb 6, 2004 8:10:42 GMT -8
As you probably know, have I 5 fat-tailed gerbils (or duprasi gerbils)!
I had a brother and a sister living together (thet are from september 2003), but want to breed with duprasi gerbils. SO I had to purchase some more, because I don't want inbreeding.
I had found 3 more at another breeder, they were all three from the same litter! Two males and 1 female. They are from november 2003.
Wednesday I've made two breeding pairs, by introducing the females to the non-related males! So now I had one breeding pair and one female living with 2 younger males.
The gerbils all accepted each other right away! But the next day the group of three were sceaming alot. They didn't fight like Mongolian gerbils do, so didn't make a ball, but were not happy with each other! They stared to sleep each in another corner/ nesting box. And I saw that one of the males had now a small hole (just as the size of the teeth) in each ear. That duprasi gerbil is now living alone in another cage (fat-tailed gerbils can also live alone!).
The female still quarrels with the younger male, when he wants to enter the nesting box, but they are doing fine nowadays!
Just wanted to share this with you all, for who is interested or has (or want to have) fat-tailed gerbils.
|
|
|
Post by Cindy on Feb 19, 2004 14:18:31 GMT -8
Please help! Does anyone know where, in Michigan, I can buy the fat-tailed (Duprasi) gerbil???
Thanks! jjclarocque@aol.com
|
|
|
Post by zoologist on Feb 20, 2004 15:47:45 GMT -8
well I own some gerbils now and I am looking into fat tailed gerbils but I can't seem to find much if anything on them. It seems to me from the info that I have gathered that some sub species are more agressive than others I am by no means asking for one right away actually more like a couple months if ever in the future I just want to do my homework and thought since you look like you know what your talking about and the site link you have is great... if you could answer some of my questions?
|
|
|
Post by Ritzie/Admin on Feb 21, 2004 7:04:24 GMT -8
What are you questions??? If you mean if they are aggressive? I'm not sure, because I don't know what subspecies I have or if I have hybrids. Some say that the smaller Egyptian subspecies (Pachyuromys duprasi natronensis ) aggressive and quite nippy are! However others don't agree. However nowadays many fat-tailed gerbils are hybrids of the Egyptian and Algerian subspecies. I'm not sure if mine are pure, most likely not! These hybrids exist, because breederd first didn't know their were subspecies, and as you probably know they are not easy to find, so most of the times you have to do with the ones you can purchase! Mine are not aggressive! But one (a male) who is still not very tame, will bite when you want to handle him, however he is not as nippy as before! The rest are not aggressive at all, only sometimes a little squabble between the male and female! ;D As you mentioned their is not yet very much information avaiable on this species, because they are new on the pet market! All websites on this species that I know can be seen on my fat-tailed gerbil page. www.petermaas.nl/gerbils/fattailedgerbils.htm
|
|
|
Post by Ritzie/Admin on Feb 21, 2004 7:05:22 GMT -8
Please help! Does anyone know where, in Michigan, I can buy the fat-tailed (Duprasi) gerbil??? Thanks! jjclarocque@aol.com Sorry, I only know breeders in the Netherlands, Germany and the UK. Maybe others here know more!
|
|
|
Post by zoologist on Feb 21, 2004 7:48:58 GMT -8
I have also heard that males make better pets and I have seen a lot if contradicting information.... Like they can live alone or they will be happiest in pairs or they drink less than gerbils or they drink more very hard to know what is going on as the other person mentioned it is very hard to find a breeder in the US I live in South Carolina and can't find a thing...
|
|
|
Post by Ritzie/Admin on Feb 23, 2004 2:02:28 GMT -8
I have also searched for a year until a breeder contacted me. She knew that I was searching for them and she had just purchased some, so I bought two of her first pups. Their is indeed much contradicting information, so I use the info I've found as a basis and try to find out myself what is the best. I've got now two breeding pairs and one male living alone. They all are doing very well. They can live alone, because in the wild they do too! And sometimes they find a group, but those are most likely a mother with pups. If you have question I will answer them as far as I can. I can only you my experiences.
|
|
|
Post by zoologist on Feb 23, 2004 13:07:40 GMT -8
Is it true that they will pick out the larger seeds in their food like gerbils do and that It would be better to feed them parrot food since it has more variety and fruit in it?
will they chose 1 part of the cage for a bath room and is it possible to litter train them? I tried w/my gerbils but it didn't work well...
|
|
|
Post by zoologist on Feb 23, 2004 16:22:37 GMT -8
sorry didn't mean to post that twice! Have they ever fallen asleep in your hands? Do they take food from you my gerbils don't they are more interested in my hand. How long did each of them take to not be skittish when you pick them up? wow I have a lot of questions.
|
|
|
Post by Ritzie/Admin on Feb 24, 2004 2:14:44 GMT -8
Is it true that they will pick out the larger seeds in their food like gerbils do and that It would be better to feed them parrot food since it has more variety and fruit in it? will they chose 1 part of the cage for a bath room and is it possible to litter train them? I tried w/my gerbils but it didn't work well... First I thought, what eat they lot, than I discovered that they store also some food in or near their nesting box. They pick indeed first the seeds they like the most. I feed them a complete gerbil food, but feed them extra with mealworms! They are more insectivorous than Mongolian gerbils (see their pointed snout). They really like them! I'm not sure if they urinate in one corner or two, but it might! I shall take al look this evening! So I will come back on that. My Mongolian gerbils use their sand bath as a toilet! So I need only to change their sand a lot, but the bedding stays much longer clean! Maybe the fat-tailed gerbils do this too, but I have not yet baths for them (they're coming soon!). Ive already deleted the message you had posted twice. No, my fat-tailed gerbils don't fall asleep in my hands, however last week one male was sitting on my chest (while I lay at my couch) and I could pet him their for a while. But most of the time they are quite active, they walk around on me and climb on the couch, etc. And some do take food from my hand (mealworms), but not all, because some are more tame than others. My first two fat-tailed gerbils were not very tame, they were affraid and would bite when I wanted to pick them out of their cage. Now after handling them more, the female won't bite anymore and can be handled easy, but the male is still affraid when I put my hand in his cage, than he will bite. However when he is out the cage their is no problem, than also he can be handled easy (only a bit more skittish). I hope this will improve! The last three fat-tailed gerbils are tame! They are not skittish and will not bite. They can be handled easy. Most likely is that because I handled them more when they were very young pups. So I would recommend you when you want to purchase a fat-tailed gerbil, to buy very young gerbils or an adult that is already realy tame. So now I have 4 fat-tailed gerbils who are tame, and only 1 that is still a bit skittish! I hope this is useful for you (and others), and if you have more questions, please ask them!!!! I've made the gerbil website and forum to help others with their gerbils and to answer their questions. ;D
|
|
|
Post by zoologist on Feb 24, 2004 19:27:39 GMT -8
Do you know if shipping them is truamatic for small animals? I would think so, at least to some degree
Have any of them ever escaped? Do they seem to get faster once they have been out a while? I read that you shouldn't catch them with treats because they will then assoicate treats with bad things and you will have to teach them over again...
|
|
|
Post by Ritzie/Admin on Feb 25, 2004 6:26:12 GMT -8
Personally I don't ship gerbils! But some others do!
Shipping gerbils through the United States Postal Service is illegal at this time, and not all airlines will ship them.
You can indeed learn gerbils things by giving them treats, but when they are escaped you won't have always a choice! But if you do that one time, they won't keep escaping all the time.
|
|
|
Post by zoologist on Feb 26, 2004 13:00:06 GMT -8
do your gerbils use a wheel ?
some people say it would be cruel to leave them without one but mine seem to take no interest in one farther than a chew toy.
|
|
|
Post by butsam on Feb 27, 2004 6:28:47 GMT -8
My gerbils (the "regular" Mongolian gerbils) use the wheel to exhaustion! We could seriously power our neighborhood off their exercise! They "fight" over the wheel (ie, jump on each other while on the wheel to take over the exercise duties) and can't get enough of it. I find that feeding them sunflower seeds (or food in general to a lesser extent) while on the wheel gets them to like it even more. I'm beginning to think the cartoons are correct...a perpetual motion machine could be built by dangling a sunflower seed in front of a gerbil on a wheel It depends on the gerbil. I have also heard it depends on age. My 2 gerbils are ~2 months (estimated) old. I'll post more about their wheel usage in the stories section, it's rather humorous at times Anyway, I would never go without a wheel for them...well, a *safe* wheel--solid. Sam
|
|
|
Post by zoologist on Feb 28, 2004 10:42:41 GMT -8
is it true that meal worms BITE They are worms how evil! and what are meal worm bettles?
|
|