Hi all, I am new to this list. I just got a pair of female agoutis less than 2 weeks ago, many years after my last gerbil died. They are probably only about two months old, and seem to be adjusting well. I ended up rescuing them from a pet store after a long and fruitless search for adoptable gerbils in the NYC city area. They were the only two left, and fortunately, they did not seem traumatized or unhealthy.
We have been adjusting to each other very well, and they seem very happy. However, I am noticing some things that concern me. The first is that while one sister seems to recognize the water bottle and drink from it normally, the other has not picked this up. She will not drink from it and I am only able to get fluids into her via moist foods and very recently, she will drink from a dropper. I can't figure out why she won't follow her sister's example, and I am worried. I tried putting a drop of yogurt on the tip of the bottle to get her to nibble at it, but she ignored this. Any thoughts? The other concern I have is that neither gerbil takes an interest in their wheel. It is properly lined and safe, but they don't seem to know how to use it. I tried putting them in liberty balls, which they loved, but it took a while to show them how to use them. I never had this difficulty with my last gerbil, who was a born runner. My guess is that these little ones were separated from their parents and siblings too early, and did not learn how to behave. They are very sweet, but they also do not chew any of their wooden or cardboard furniture, only shredding paper and chew sticks that obviously have no other purpose - they are very polite. The use of the balls has not translated to running on the wheel. When I encourage them to sit on it, they raise on their hind legs, and then jump off, disinterested. Also, the sisters have grown noticeably since I brought them home. This could be because they are young, but I don't want them to become obese. If I tried putting them on a letter scale or something, how much should they weigh? OK, sorry this is so long, but I am a new mother after a long time of an empty home, and am very cautious of (ok, nervous about) the health of my little ones. Thanks, Dana :) __________________________________________________ Move your email to a better address. Over 1,000 domains to choose from! FREE! PRIVATE! http://www.MailSpace.com
