My Gerbils, Past & Present

Al, George, and Scratchy: I adopted these little guys from my Grade 11 Biology classroom. I named Al and George after Al Gore and George W. Bush, as the 2000 US Presidential Election was happening at the time. My brother gave Scratchy his name after his favorite habit - to dig and scratch! They lived (happily, I hope) for about 3 years. I wish I had taken pictures of them!

Pendergast - Pendy is a wild little 1.5 year old guy! He and his brother D'Agosta were a Valentines gift from my fiance. Instead of buying each other gifts, we decided to invest in two furry creatures. Pendy is adventurous and brave. He catches on to things very quickly, and is very observant! He has made several escape attempts during free-run time outside of the tank. We love him for his ability to make us laugh, and how excited he gets to see us every morning!

D'Agosta - D is Pendy's quieter, chubbier, blonder brother. They are both named after characters from the novels of Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child. What a sweet little guy! D was always cuddling into us, and he loved grooming us and giving us kisses. He never turned down a treat! We also think he was training for the Olympics. See the video evidence here! We were devastated when D fell ill with liver complications. We tried two different types of antibiotics, but to no avail. We were with him, cuddling and holding him up until his death. He passed away at 1.5 years in the arms of his Mama and Daddy, and I hope this gave him some comfort. We miss him so much, and his brother Pendy does, too!

Tig -  Tig is named after the character of the same name in the television series "Sons of Anarchy"! Tig is short for "Trigger", and that suits Tig just fine. Tig came home to us at around 6-7 weeks with one tooth missing and the other tooth loose. The first few days were spent nursing him with a syringe and making sure he had enough nutrients. He seems to be loving our home, especially the areas where he can have a free run! He is pretty focused on removing Pendy from the picture, but he may just be trying to prove himself as the "alpha male". Whatever the case, Tig is a riot to watch, and we are hoping that he and Pendy eventually become the best of friends.