My Rescued Gerbil Gals

Soo a few weeks ago I posted about some gerbils I rescued. I have had them for a few weeks and thankfully the mom wasn't pregnant again. I decided I was long overdue for good pictures of them, sooo here they are!

Their names are Godiva (burmese mom), Ghiradelli (black one), and Dagoba (spotted black). My boy gerbils are named after cheeses, so my girls got chocolate names









Momma did NOT like the flash...




Soooo cute! They're still really tiny for their supposed age of 10-12 weeks, I'm thinking I got them super young or they're stunted from malnutrition... Either way, they're cute!

Awwww Cute

Not as wonderful as rabbits, but still cute.

OMG! SSSOOOOOO CUTE! :inlove:

They are tiny, and thin. Perhaps I need to take you up on the offer to help formulate a lower calorie food for my boys. They are *coughes* fluffy.

Haha, my boys are hefty too.. Boys are supposed to be naturally bulkier, with females having a leaner appearance. If your boys have sunflower seeds or corn in their food I recommend taking it out and giving flax seeds for treats instead. Much healthier and they like em lots (plus helps their fur!).

These girls are still babies and growing. The momma is on the small-ish side of females but her body type is what a female should look like. Males are supposed to be more muscled and broader in the body, but not bulging with fat. Once my boys hit 1.5-2 years they always tend to plump up.

Aww sweet, I used to raise gerbs when I was little. They are so lively and fun. Good luck with them.

Kim, thanks for the suggestion, I will make that switch. These guys are 3 1/2-4 years old. It's only been recently that I would consider them too fat. I think they are just slowing down. They don't run on their wheels like they did before. Baily recently got his butt stuck in a toy he has had all his life. Realistically, how much longer can I expect?

They do tend to slow down. Their lifespan is anywhere from 2.5-4 years on average. My boys are over 2.5 years old and are pudging out some too. The flax seed has good oils and vitamins to help their coat/skin, and may even help some with movement. I can't say how much longer your boys have, since I've had a gerbil live to 5, and one die at 8 months. So, I'd say they're probably in the last few months of their lives, so might as well make them good with tasty treats and not worry about their weight too much.

My gerbil/hamster food usually has these ingredients:

Yellow millet
Rolled oats
Rolled wheat
Rolled barley
Triticale
Flax seeds
Split peas
Raw pumpkin seeds
High quality dog kibble (for protein)
Vegetable pasta
Kashi puffed rice cereal
Total cereal/cheerios (provides vitamins)
Sometimes I add rabbit pellets, and I give them small handfulls of hay to munch on as well.

Yeah, unfortunately your probably right. Since they have been a good weight up to now it's probably best just to make them as happy as possible. They love to get greens in the evenings when I give the bunn's their salads. I also give them hay. You have some good ideas for treats I might add (cherios and vegetable pasta). They are so cute, when I tap on the side in the evenings they will come out of their bed and beg for a snack. They also know their names. They used to climb to the top of a little stand I had in there, but that's what Baily got stuck in, so I took it out.
They love their pumpkin seeds! That has been the one consistant treat but they only get one each per day.

I will miss my little guys when it happens, but who knows when more girbils will need a home? I don't get them from pet stores, these just happened to need rescuing.

:inlove:

Yeah, I used to breed and rescue gerbils. I bred pedigree colorpoint gerbils, and rescued any that needed help.. I had over 100 at a time in my life, so 5 now is very manageable. I love gerbils annnnd bunnies. They're my two favorites after dogs I also rescued degus, mice, spiny mice, hamsters, the occasional guinea pig and hedgehog, fostered rabbits, and had my own pets on top of that.. Sooo basically I know how to care for most small critters other than rabbits if people have questions.

They are so cute! Growing up, I always heard bad things about gerbils that they tend to bite a lot and are nasty, but I am beginning to learn this stereotype isn't true.

Grace, they are quite the opposite. They are hyper when younger and can be a bit fast to hold for children, but they are quiet, clean, and awake more than hamsters. I've been bitten a few times by gerbils but usually when breaking up fights in pairing them.

Ooooh wow they are cute. What are they like as pets? You can't get them in California so I've never actually seen one in person.

They are very cute, very curious, and like to explore, dig, and chew. They can hold and maneuver things with their paws and often stand on their back legs to look around (like meerkats).

They use their back feet to thump warnings or mating calls to each other, and have a long tail with a fluffy detachable end to escape predators. They produce a tiny amount of urine due to their desert nature, and do well on aspen or paper based beddings. They don't do as well in wire cages since they are prone to sore feet and raw noses from gnawing on the bars, along with kicking out litter, but they do great in a well ventilated aquarium.

They can be very hand-tame and all of mine let me pick them up and hold them, but the younger girls are a bit more skittish due to their upbringing of rarely being held.

They are social, so same sex pairs or trios are required to keep them happy. I could never live in California because I couldn't have my gerbils, along with other reasons (not a fan of the heat/crowds).

I have two boy gerbils as well and they are quite the chunks.. I'll post pictures of them whenever I get around to it

They are adorable! I wish I could have pet Gerbils but you can't get them in Australia as far as I know

Nope, haven't heard of anyone having them in Australia since they are illegal. Hamsters as well. Both are only allowed for laboratory usage and then euthanized.

Buuut you guys have way different animals. Cockatoos and cockatiels are wild whereas here they're considered exotic pets.

The thing I miss the most about Australia is the accents and the Tim-Tams...

LaylaLop wrote:

The thing I miss the most about Australia is the accents and the Tim-Tams...

Click to expand...

Try a Partrich farms outlet. I found Tim-tams there a couple of times.

The one gerbil I had lived to over 7 years old! He was awesome, really sweet, never bit.



Your gerbil girls are beautiful I love their little fists. Gerbils always make me laugh, they are just funny to watch. Congrats!

I can't see myself not having gerbils.. I've had them since I was 8 and only didn't have them for 2 years of college. Guess I'm addicted Was only bunny free for 3 years, so guess I like them lots too

My oldest gerbil was 5. Don't know if I've ever heard of one living to 7!