Jump to content
The mkiv Supra Owners Club

Gerbils!!


Faye

Recommended Posts

I know they aren't most peoples cup of tea, but I haven't got the time nor inclination for dogs and Keith doesn't like cats.

I had two gerbils before I met Keith, sadly one died on Friday night after two and a half years. (RIP Britney) :cry:

 

Yesterday we wandered into a pet shop and found these little fellas. :ecstatic:

 

http://www.toplessdriver.com/gallery/albums/boys/SUC30785.sized.jpg

From 12 o'clock its :

John, Bruce, Will, Vin and Samuel. (Blame Keith for the names :) )

 

So far it looks like Vin is the boss, he keeps barging the other out the way when it comes to food and god help anyone else if they try to take a drink.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Having seen how much fun my mum has with all her Roborovski (sp) hamsters I thought it would be nice to have more of a "family".

There were actually 6 in the cage in the petshop but one turned out to be a little girl. Poor thing will probably be on her own for all of her life now as gerbils generally don't like being introduced to others unless its from a very young age.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I kept gerbils for years. They each have their little personalities. I used to own 'ThreeFoot', who would insist on sitting with one back paw raised off the ground :)

 

Tip: get some coconut shells and saw the ends off (not in half, just the end). Scoop out the coconut (and give them some) and then put the empty shells in with them. They love sitting inside as it's like a little cave. :thumbs:

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Guest Sakura
You can have the one that lives in my attic if you like.

 

You can also have the ones that keep invading my garage - and which ATE the soundproofing and most of the wiring on my other car during the winter! :D

Link to comment
Share on other sites

If youre into rats, you could have the one our cat brought back.

 

Unfortunatley though the cat was reluctant to see it re-located to the local rats home (sewer) and decided to expertly and very loudly shred it with its claws.

 

I think the rat lasted about 30 seconds. Of course when all the fight had left the disease spreader our hero moggy decided that we needed a reward for feeding her so often. It was at that point I interviened and put a very large, very dead rat in our bin.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

 

http://www.toplessdriver.com/gallery/albums/boys/SUC30785.sized.jpg

From 12 o'clock its :

John, Bruce, Will, Vin and Samuel. (Blame Keith for the names :) )

Our son and his fiancee have 2, got them 18 months ago and they're just like the ones above at 1 o'clock and 8 o'clock. They're called Woody and Buzz and they're spoiled rotten by all of us.

Aerotop Dave, thanks for the tip re the coconut shells; that might save some money on replacing their 'houses' every month or so because it's been chewed to bits (even the so-called indestructible ones!).

 

We've always had a variety of pets, but ours are indoor cats so the hunted 'gift' they present us with is usually a pair of socks (sure they put up a good fight though! :fight: ).

Link to comment
Share on other sites

that might save some money on replacing their 'houses' every month or so because it's been chewed to bits (even the so-called indestructible ones!).

 

 

Whitney and Britney (recently deceased) ate their way through at least 5 wheels and an actual hamster cage. I then thought I'd get them a vivarium, which had a mesh lid. They ate the wire mesh lid so I had undertake some serious DIY to fix that. Next were the water bottles, can't remember how many of those have been had. Then there were the water bottle defences which my brother constructed using weights and placcy milk bottles. The little darlings had an insatiable need for plastic.

Old age caught up on them though and the last time they destroyed something was March. :(

I'm looking forward to these chaps being a nightmare :)

 

How_Supra - I think rats are great, I just don't have enough time to give them though. Gerbs seem fairly self occupying and very entertaining.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Whitney and Britney (recently deceased) ate their way through at least 5 wheels and an actual hamster cage. I then thought I'd get them a vivarium, which had a mesh lid. They ate the wire mesh lid so I had undertake some serious DIY to fix that. Next were the water bottles, can't remember how many of those have been had. Then there were the water bottle defences which my brother constructed using weights and placcy milk bottles. The little darlings had an insatiable need for plastic.

Old age caught up on them though and the last time they destroyed something was March. :(

I'm looking forward to these chaps being a nightmare :)

 

How_Supra - I think rats are great, I just don't have enough time to give them though. Gerbs seem fairly self occupying and very entertaining.

 

Sounds like a lot of fun.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Whitney and Britney (recently deceased) ate their way through at least 5 wheels

 

I kept this picture as it always makes me laugh. :)

 

It's a side profile of a wheel that Britney and Whitney trashed. I have no doubt that only the spindle would have been left if it had stayed in their cage much longer. :cool:

 

image

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Rats are misunderstood. LOL. I know I'm on my own with this one. :D

 

You're not alone, I think rats make great pets too (not that i've ever had one of my own). They can get really tame and usually live a bit longer than other small furries. Never seen one bite either.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

You're not alone, I think rats make great pets too (not that i've ever had one of my own). They can get really tame and usually live a bit longer than other small furries. Never seen one bite either.

 

Thank you. I used to be the same and think of rats as nothing but vermin [sp]. Then my friend got one, one soon multiplied to 2 and I realised that they are really sweet. Very tame, intelligent and great company, as well. If I had the space I would get one.

 

I do understand why people have their opinions about Rats aswell. But once you have seen had rats you soon change you mind. :)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I used to have some gerbils. They had a massive tank filled with pete stuff and they loved it, my friend had them in a cage and they never seemed quite as happy. Mine would dig tunnels in it and make little rooms, sometimes next to the glass so you could see all the routes and stuff it was very cute!!

 

Love the names, sounds good that Vins the boss :eyebrows:

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Yep, the glass tank + peat/compost method is best. I had my tank specially made, it was quite unusual being 18" high so you could put about a 10-12" of peat/compost in and watch them dig a series of burrows. Put some straw in and they'll chew it all up and make a nest in one of the chambers.

 

Awwww... I want some again now.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Restore formatting

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

We have placed cookies on your device to help make this website better. You can adjust your cookie settings, otherwise we'll assume you're okay to continue. You might also be interested in our Guidelines, Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.