(snip)
> I was rather surprised to find a rather larger and furrier ball of
> fur in the tank upon my return! Though I'm still unsure whether he
> classifies as a true Black or a Slate, the only spots of white he has
> is just under his chin, and on the very tips of his front paws. I
> assume this means he is classified as spotted, (which he got from his
> father). :)
I'm glad to hear the single pup is doing great,, being plump is a good sign!
This pup would not be considered spotted. It is very common for solid
colored gerbils to have a bit of white on their chins and across their paws.
>
> Wondering if he would still recognize me, I stuck my hand down in the
> tank. Trinity seemed much less inclined to visit with me than Eclipse
> was. He climbed right up on my hand! He's a very calm fellow, as long
> as you're not trying to give him his medicine, and seems to love
> riding on my shoulder and looking about.
Sounds like you have a very special gerbil. :o)
>
> The big plus is his clicking noises seem to come less and less now.
> I've never noticed any discharge from eyes or nose, but after having
> him make it through the first few weeks as an only pup, I could
> hardly lose him to something as mundane as a respitory problem.
>
> I've also finally gotten up the nerve to change their bedding - which
> hasn't been done since I got Einstein and Trinity, I'm ashamed to
> say. But since it was such a big tank, and nicely aerated, there's
> never been much of a smell at all, nor terribly dirty.
No need to feel ashamed,, if it done smell, don't clean it, the gerbil will
appreciate you leaving the tank alone. When you clean their tank, it has a
tendancy to upset, they have to begin building a new nest and making the
place feel like home again.
>
> I've switched over to aspen bedding, after having found out how
> horrible pine can be for gerbils, all thanks to this list! :)
> Just wondering if there's anything I need to know about aspen? Sure
> it's safe for them, but are there any downers? Such as having to
> change the tank litter more often... etc. They seem to be enjoying it
> a lot more than the pine.
I have noticed some differences in Aspen. It depends on the brand. I have
had some that was extremely dusty. Another brand had sharp shavings, I think
that brand was L&M.
I recommend using Kaytee brand Aspen. It seems the softest and least
dustiest. It costs a bit more, but it is worth it. I have my local pet shop
special order a case of it when ever I need it. It costs me about $35
dollars and lasts about 10 weeks. I have 11 tanks that I currently take of.
>
> Eclipse has reached his 4 week birthday, which means sometime after
> next Monday I'll be splitting him from his mom :( and split caging
> Trinity and Einstein back together. Every few days I've tried to
> introduce the two on neutral ground (ie. the bathtub with plenty of
> toys and places to hide and no scent of other gerbils) Einstein is
> all about Trinity, but she seems to care less. Just tonight though,
> instead of ignoring him, she got tired of him following her around
> and before I knew it I had a gerbil ball. They were quickly separated
> and I've made my shopping list for the weekend of things to get. :)
Usually once they get into a gerbil ball style fight, they will always
dislike eachother. Introducing after this kind of fight is possible, but not
by much.
>
> I was just wondering, is there ANY other way to introduce gerbils to
> each other besides the split cage approach? I'm just curious if
> anyone has tried it a different way.
I recommend sticking with the split cage intro, it is the safest.
>
> When I first got Trinity, I had no idea this was what one should do
> when putting two stranger gerbils together. I'm lucky I didn't have a
> dead gerbil the next morning. Einstein was nipped a bit on the nose
> and paws, but the next day they were getting along great. Took awhile
> before they slept together though. And the next night they were doing
> it like.. well... gerbils. ;)
>
> It crossed my mind that perhaps if there was enough open space, then
> one would have the option of escaping the other. But then I've read
> posts which say the bigger the cage, the more territory disputes are
> bound to arise. This makes me wonder what the natural size of a
> gerbil's territory is? In the wild they have the option of running
> away, but how far away do they have to run? Again, just a curious
> question.
Not sure about those questions,,
>
> Well, I guess that's enough news. I'm just so happy that Eclipse has
> managed to come this far, after all I've read about the problems with
> solitary pups and mama's milk. It makes me wonder, is it just his
> tenacity, Trinity's milk-ability, or something else entirely?
It's probably a combination of those things.
Is a
> pup less likely to survive if he had no siblings to begin with? I
> know Trinity had more than one pup, even though only one was rescued
> from getting eaten by step-dad. Maybe just the process of giving
> birth to that many babies produced enough milk to keep things going?
> Or do gerbils not work like humans? :) Guess I'll never know.
I would think a pup being the only one born would have a harder time
surviving compared to seveal pups being born and all dying except for one.
Maybe in those first few hours, the several pups stimulate the mother enough
before they pass on and leave a single pup?
>
> As I think of them, I'm sure I'll be posting more questions once I
> get the split cage set up and things progress, or not, as the case
> may be.
>
> Again, thanks for everyone's help! Don't know what I would have done
> without all your support and suggestions!
>
> -Jackie & The Copper Dragon Clan
>
>
Good luck with the pup and the split cage,
Ann-Marie
Committee Member of the American Gerbil Society
http://www.AGSgerbils.org
