NEW GERBIL

Sadly most of my old mice have passed away at this point. In fact, the only remaining survivor from my bin cages at this point is Perfume, a black mouse, who really didn't want any new company. Thankfully Filo and Raphtalia were more accommodating, but this left me with a little quandary. What should I do with their 20 Gallon Tank Long. And while I had thought about getting some more female mice. The only ones in stock were white so I decided to purchase a new gerbil instead. Though, I'll admit I should probably look into getting her a new companion in the coming weeks. Though it looks like my state is heading back into lockdown. So that might be a while.



Yeah, I know it's not the best photo, but it's kind of hard to take a picture of a constantly moving target. Snowball really wanted to get a feel for her new home when I took this photo.

P.S.: I'm hoping the name Snowball doesn't prove to be prophetic. After all, I really don't care for snow after being a paper delivery boy in my youth.

author=Sooz
Gerbils are freakin speed demons!

Yeah, they really are speedy little devils. They also like to exercise a lot if Frank, my first gerbil, is anything to go by. Though, I really don't like to think about how irresponsible his previous owner was. Apparently she'd forget to refill his food and water bowls on a regular basis. Probably why he developed a reputation for being a mean little blighter.

author=Sooz
Looks like you've got quite the playground for her, too. Hope she enjoys her new home! :3

Hopefully. Though she kind of ransacked the place. She's basically pushed over the egg carton as much as she can at this point. It's just barely avoiding laying against her silent spinner. And she absolutely demolished two of the chew toys I gave her.

Though I suppose I can reset the divider later. And for those that are curious I put in the divider so I could put more bedding on the side with a wood piece for her to sleep under so I could put more bedding on that side. And yes the divider does have a hole in it for her to go between the two sides. It was mostly an effort on my part to make sure she couldn't jam her water bottle in the open position. Which is something Frank did as soon as I gave him a water bottle. It's also part of the reason I decided to take his water bottle away and just stick to giving him a water bowl.

Well at least Frank is in a better home now. Though, I definitely have to feel sorry for her dogs considering I've been told she regularly forgets to feed them as well. And how you just casually forget to feed man's best friend on a regular basis is beyond me. If anything I'd suggest she just give up on keeping pets if she isn't going to take care of them, but I really can't do that myself. I never asked for her phone number and she moved onto a new job awhile ago.

And I imagine she already knows that to a certain extent considering she was willing to stop by our workplace on her day off in order to give me Frank, his Exo Terra Tank (24 x 18 x 12), and all of her remaining mouse/rat food. Why she hadn't picked up a feed specifically for gerbils is beyond me. Since the only store that carries that brand in my experience is Petco/Petsmart. And I assume she got him at Petsmart considering most of the ones nearby carry male hamsters & gerbils. I had to go out of my way and get some help from my brother in order to find a Petsmart with female hamsters.



In fact, the only hamster I ever got from a Petsmart is Sassy and she was so mean I really didn't like trying to handle her. I still remember throwing her on accident one time when she bit me. After she delivered the bite I quickly tried to withdraw my hand in order to get out of striking range, but I did it so fast that Sassy didn't have a chance to let go before I started moving my hand away. As a result I managed to impart enough energy to her to toss her almost a foot into the air. Though, I suppose this is a solid reminder of why people usually prefer Syrian hamsters. They tend to be a little more chill when it comes to being handled.

And for the curious Sassy managed to make me, my mom, and my youngest brother bleed on one or more occasions. I suppose in a way she really managed to live up to her name.

On a less depressing note I'm probably going to keep Frank and Snowball separate. After all, I really don't need a bunch of little Snowballs and Franks running around. Though, I suppose some would consider that decision pretty mean, but I'm really not interested in becoming a gerbil breeder. Though, I wouldn't be surprised if I end up going down that road if my MTS kicks in again.

Sadly it looks like Snowball might be taking after Sassy. She bit me so hard yesterday it actually drew some blood.

Though, I suppose on a brighter note I did upgrade her 20 Gallon Long to a 29 Gallon Tank. This doesn't improve the width and length dimensions of the tank, but it does mean the tank is an additional six inches taller. Which means I can put even more substrate in there while not having to worry about her being able to reach the plastic frame of the tank. Which is something she was chewing on in the 20 Gallon Long while the cardboard divider was in there.



Though I'll admit, this tank really feels like it's missing something.

author=Sooz
Be careful- now she has a taste for blood and will hunt you!!!

Maybe, but I probably won't be dumb enough to let her pull my finger towards her mouth again either. Though, I'll probably get bitten again at some point while trying to take her out of her tank in a bid to clean it in the future.



In more depressing news it appears Ahsoka is either starting to show the wear and tear that comes with old age or managed to injure herself while moving about her tank somehow. Sadly, she tends to be so elusive that I only see her every few days or so.

For the curious I've had her for 13 months at this point, but I really can't say how old she was when I bought her. I know stores like Petco tend to sell their hamsters while they are on the young side so they can house them together. So my best educated guess would be anywhere from 14 - 15 months. After all, it tends to take around a month to wean a djungarian hamster and if they are housed together after a certain point they will start to point. This point tends to be around 8 - 10 weeks of age.

Oh I've used that technique many times in the past. Though I sometimes find it easier to get Frank, Sakura, and Ahsoka to climb into one of those tanks they usually advertise for emergency fish transport. Of course some people are crazy enough to use those small transport units as a permanent home.

Though in more positive news it appears Ahsoka is back to her usual fast self as well.