Wakka Shakka <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote
>Hi there,
>
>I have just joined this mailing list and I thought I would introduce my two
>gerbs, BlackFarI and RedFarI. Both females, twelve weeks old and counting.
>
Hi!
>
>When they are out of the cage they are completely uninterested in food, even
>sunflower seeds. Is this normal? They are just intent on running around as
>much as possible. I have discovered that the only place they are content to
>chill out on and stop running about is on my shoulder, they seem to love it
>there.
Gerbils are driven by a need to explore anything new. They are rarely
still for long unless they are somewhere very familiar.
>
>What is the maximum height that they can safely fall from, cos BlackFari
>especially seems to have no regard for height and will scramble off my hands
>or whatever regardless of height. So far I have always been able to place my
>hand a few inches below to catch them, but I am a bit worried that I am
>training them to think that it is ok to jump from any height which could be
>dangerous if I'm not there to catch them.
Yes, they do not seem to understand the danger of falls! They will
normally be OK from table height. Anything ore than that could be
dangerous.
>
>How long can their claws safely get? Currently they have grown to about 3
>millimeters which seems a bit longer than any photographs I have seen of
>Gerbs. I don't think I could keep them still for even a second to clip them
>and I dont want to chop their legs off. Is there anything I could put in
>their cage that they could use to wear these down. Currently they have a
>hollowed out log to chew and stuff on and plenty of toilet rolls and boxes.
If they are in a tank where they can burrow, they ill keep the length
down themselves. They should be quite long. One of the names for the
species is "The Clawed Jird".
>
>Often BlackFarI's tail feels wet. I haven't been able to keep her still long
>enough to check if it really is, and I don't want to grab the tail too hard.
>I have checked the cage and I can't find any leaking water or anything, the
>water bottle seems fine. Could this be urine? Is that ok?
>
>When I take BlackFarI out of the cage, she drops a lump of faeces quite
>often. RedFarI never does. Again, is that normal?
If it is hard and dry it is normal.
--
Julian
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
National Gerbil Society
http://www.gerbils.co.uk/
