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Post by RyanF on Aug 21, 2004 5:58:43 GMT -8
My largest and oldest gerbil, Roady, seems to have a problem. For the past few days she doesn't go to sleep until 5:30 in the morning. All night long she is either scratching or chewing. Sometimes her chewing products run out, and she starts biting on the cage. She must have an "obsessive chewing disorder" lol. Anyone know anything about this?  |
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Post by queenofthenile on Aug 21, 2004 16:41:08 GMT -8
Haha, it sounds like normal gerbil behaviour to me! A few of mine like to chew on the bars of their second story, even though they have tons of toys.
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Post by RyanF on Aug 21, 2004 17:15:27 GMT -8
Hmmm... because they KEEP ME UP AT NIGHT!!!  lol  |
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Post by sweetie on Aug 22, 2004 19:10:48 GMT -8
Yup Queenies right. Typical gerbil behavior. Mine only chew on the bars if I put them back in the houses (after free roaming) before they want to go back in. Little buggers. They do not keep me up at night since they are in another part of the house. Is it possible to relocate the gerbil's house? If not you could chase them all day and tucker them out so they are so exhausted, they sleep all night LOL  |
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Post by RyanF on Aug 23, 2004 5:18:36 GMT -8
Well, they did sleep all night last night.  Maybe it was just for a while, we'll see. |
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Post by sweetie on Aug 23, 2004 5:27:40 GMT -8
Ryan, they usually go through periods of about 2-4 hours where they alternate from being awake and then sleeping. They are not usually up all day and asleep all night. Maybe you will get used to the noise. They also go through what appears to me to be days or hours of irritation where they chew incessantly.
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Post by RyanF on Aug 23, 2004 5:46:39 GMT -8
Yes, they do like to sleep in the day, so that may have something to do with it. I couldn't imagine having a hamster or other nocturnal animal in my room... |
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Post by sweetie on Aug 23, 2004 5:52:30 GMT -8
No offense but kids are the same way. Wow, I never thought I would get through the first year with my son. Then, he finally slept through the night and I had a little girl. I was petrified I'd never get sleep again but she slept from 10-4 since I took her home from the hospital. Now that they are 2 & 4, I still get up sometimes when they are sick or have to go to the bathroom. It tuckers me out. It must be really tough for you since your little guys are right in your room and alternate sleep patterns. One may be up then sleep while the other one just wakes up and so on and so forth. Is there any where else you could put them? Maybe in another room?
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Post by RyanF on Aug 23, 2004 6:58:18 GMT -8
Well, I don't really have another location. Which is okay I guess, because I'm the one that wanted them in my room in the first place, lol. |
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Post by sandy2 on Aug 23, 2004 8:48:09 GMT -8
All of mine are in the laundry room. The racket you should hear when everyone gets cardboard the chew! Or how about in the bathroom? Gives you something to look at in the morning when you brush your teeth...
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Post by j on Aug 23, 2004 12:45:25 GMT -8
My gerbils are always up all night chewing and things. I always thought it was because I don't sleep at night.
Most of them sleep in the mornings when I sleep. Others, just chew on cardboard or the couple wheel addicts I have run on the wheels..and that doesn't bother me. ;D
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Post by queenofthenile on Aug 23, 2004 16:15:29 GMT -8
I can hear my gerbils at night and they are one room over! It was particularly bad when Indira had pups, because I didn't give much in her tank. She would take her half-coconut and bang it against the tank wall for hours  . |
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Post by sweetie on Aug 23, 2004 18:19:19 GMT -8
I struggled with a location to put them when I first got them home. I wanted to keep them in the little guys room but they kept him up also. We finally settled on the living room. They can make as much racket as they want down there since the only ones they will wake up are the dogs in the kitchen! Sandy had a great idea. How about the laundry room? Or you could either put them in the hall at night or as a last resort, you could sleep on the couch LOL ;D |
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Post by RyanF on Aug 23, 2004 18:29:17 GMT -8
I can eventually sleep through the noise, but I don't want them destroying the cage. I think that is the main problem. |
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Post by blackie on Aug 24, 2004 11:47:48 GMT -8
It can be a problem if you have to keep your gerbils in your bedroom. I tried that one night and I didn't get any sleep...
I have one gerbil who is called Albin,he is one of two that live in an aquarium, he sits on the home made bottle guard and bites and chews on the roof/lid. I'm going to replace the mesh with something tighter but I haven't had time yet. One morning he was standing completely still there with his teeh in the mesh and I thought he was stuck! turned out he was just taking a break. Sometimes it's hard to tell what is normal behavior or compulsive behavior, but if a gerbil feelsTEXT it will usually be up to no good chewing on things...
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lol 
Maybe it was just for a while, we'll see.
.