Missing My Boys

I've only been away from my two furry boys (well...three if you count C) for three days, and it feels like it's been a MONTH since I've seen them!

The first time I left the gerbils for an extended time was in 2008. When I returned, Pendy and D took turns scent-marking me! I also got many gerbil-kisses as a "welcome home" greeting. I was worried that they might forget about me, or lose interest, but their love for their mama was still apparent, as was my love for them! Plus, it was not as if they were left entirely on their own. Their "grandparents" and their "uncle" J took quite good care of them, and from what I could see, they had been spoiled!

Pendy and Tig will be traveling by car with C to meet up with me in time for Christmas. Pendy is a pro at riding in a vehicle. We put him in his critter-carrier and carry him out to the car (where his tank is already waiting). There, we place him in the tank, and repeat the process with Tig (in his own tank, of course!) We remove the wheel and the water dish from the tank because we don't want the gerbs to get injured, or have to sleep in wet aspen!

Safety first! Buckle up, boys!

C will stop periodically on the drive to give them water, and their wheel for a little entertainment. Of course, the gerbs will have plenty of cardboard tubes to chew on during the drive.

 

C will make sure to take many breaks, as it is quite a long drive. Tig is an adventurous little gerbil, so I imagine he will take to the drive quickly. Forget Christmas - I am counting down the days until I get to cuddle my three boys again!

Tig enjoys a good book. Perhaps he will read on the drive?

Gerbs Enjoy the Holidays, Too!

I especially enjoy the holidays for it gives me an excuse to make little crafts for the boys!

Last year, I pulled some materials together and painted snowflake ornaments: one for Pendy, one for D!

The boys also needed something to set out for "Santa Paws". We set out some yummy gerbil treats, and I put together a couple of stockings in which to receive presents!

Although D has left us in body, he has not left us in spirit :) We hung up his stocking and ornament in his honor!

Tig, alas, had nothing, so today I painted this ornament for him:

I haven't made a stocking for him yet, but if I run out of time I will make sure Santa Paws knows to drop off some gifts for Tig! Next year, my goal is to create a gerbil tree-topper. The holidays are for rodents, too!

Favorite (Store-Bought) Toy for Gerbs

The boys are pretty fussy with new things, especially Pendy! But there is one toy that Pendy and Tig can not get enough of:

The Super Pet Combo Toy Hamburger!

When we introduced Pendy and D to this toy, it took them a few days to begin chewing on the burger. Once they started, they were completely enamored. Tig took to the burger right away, and now we go through two of these twice a month! (One for Pendy, one for Tig) Luckily, the pet stores around here seem to keep them in stock.

 

D'Agosta with his burger!

 

The burger is made up of a combination of small pet-friendly wood and chewable loofah made from dried-out gourds. It keeps our gerbils' teeth healthy and sharp, and also provides them with a challenge: " How can I get to the delicious loofah in the middle?" 

I was a little uneasy when I saw that the loofah was so brightly colored, but the product is dyed with vegetable dye, an animal-friendly coloring method. The boys have had many burgers already in their lives, and they keep coming back for more, so I figure this toy has been safe entertainment for them.

 

D attacking the burger from behind! Sneak attack!

Cardboard tubes will always be their favorite, but our furry guys can't get enough of Super Pet's burger!

 

The New Set-Up

Our options for the little guys were: 1) Buy a HUGE tank, and split it down the middle or 2) Buy another 20-25 gallon tank so each gerb could have his own home. We went with option 2, and the boys couldn't be happier!

We moved my computer desk out of my work-room (which now leaves me desk-less, but I will solve that issue at another time!). It fit perfectly in our bedroom, and I think it makes the room seem smaller and more cozy. The boys have been running around non-stop since we blew their minds with individual tanks. Gerbs may be social, but these little devils are loving their independence!

And now, some gerbil love :)

Splitting the Tank, Day 13 - No Success

Our conclusions from our split-tank experiment are as follows:

• Tig, while he has begun sleeping near the mesh AND greeting Pendy through the mesh in the morning, continues to attempt to bite Pendy's nose off during all supervised play dates (of which there were few, for this reason).

• Pendy seems to have developed a little bit of  "gerbil depression" from having gone from a full-sized 20-25 gallon gerbilarium to half that. The fact that he is sharing this space with his arch-nemesis is not helping, either.

• Both gerbils seem their happiest when they are out (separately) on free runs, supervised by myself and C. Gerbils are generally social creatures, but these little guys seem very happy with their respective independence.

So what are we going to do?

We've decided to buy another tank, and allow our boys to live peacefully side-by-side...in separate tanks. It's not fair to Pendy to have to wait so long in such a small space, when he is used to a pretty large tank. Poor Tig has always lived in a small space, so hopefully it will make his day when he gets his very own gerbilarium with a wheel, and toys, and places to burrow!

Plus, it is Christmas, so we wrote a letter to Santa Paws asking him to grant this little gerbil wish. It will make holiday transportation of the boys very difficult! But it will be worth it in the end.

Most of the split-tank stories I researched ended up being tales (or "tails", hehe) of success. We followed the recommendations pretty closely, but we still ended up unsuccessful. But just like people, I guess some gerbils will just never get along!

Fail-Whale, Rodent Style