Introducing my gerbils

Norbert Wrigglebottom said:
How dreadfully sad for you. Sometimes there simply are no answers, and no matter what you do or how hard you try, the outcome can not be changed. There can be problems that date back generations, but they simply lie dormant , then without any foreseeable reason, they suddenly rear up. You clearly loved and cared for your little ones, and gave them lives that many, many animals can only ever dream of 💜
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Thank you. I've accepted now I probably won't ever have an answer, which is hard but it is what it is.

My other gerbils Astra and Twiglet are still well, though very upset that I'm not giving them the attention they're used to. Most germs don't live more than 2 weeks in the environment so I'm going to give it that long before handling them again. My hamster Kebab is also well. He's very old now so doesn't often want handling anyway.
 
Aw how old is Kebab now? Very pleased Astra and Twiglet are fine. Although it's hard for them not having the attention, they will appreciate it after the wait :)
 
Maz said:
Aw how old is Kebab now? Very pleased Astra and Twiglet are fine. Although it's hard for them not having the attention, they will appreciate it after the wait :)
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About 2 years 8 months now. He has some trouble with sticky eyes and I think his kidneys are failing (he drinks and pees more than he used to) but otherwise he seems relatively well.
 
Astra and Twiglet are still well so I feel able to put the whole horrible episode behind me (while still missing Tilly and Wispa terribly). And, they're going to be aunties!

Their breeder has paired Wispa's sister with Astra and Twiglet's brother. Pups are expected in a week to ten days, plus a second litter in February due to the way gerbils breed. Gerbil mothers struggle to raise a first litter alone, so it's better to leave the father in to help. Since they mate again immediately after birth, this means a second litter. Male gerbils tend to be very attentive parents, sometimes moreso than the mothers.

I'm hoping to adopt a pair from these litters in March or April. It will nice to have gerbils related to Wispa, even though she can never be replaced. I hope they will inherit some of her soft and gentle temperament.
 
I am happy to hear Astra and Twiglet are doing well. How lovely you will soon have another pair to love and cherish.
 
Hi Daisy, so pleased to hear Astra and Twiglet are doing well. Hope your breeders litters go well, it would be lovely to have a new pair of gerbils related to Wispa.
 
How lovely they are going to be aunties! And interesting to hear how gerbil pup raising is done. That will be lovely if you have a pair of pups from the litter. A new beginning helps I think.
 
I just need to decide what enclosure to use. Tilly and Wispa lived in a Pawhut which I still have but I don't know if I can bring myself to use it again. I never found out why they died, and I don't see how it could have been the cage but I can't be sure. The Eco Habitat is £200 on Amazon. I might buy another one of those (Astra and Twiglet live in one). It's a lot of money but I think I would be constantly on edge using the Pawhut again.
 
I know what you mean about reusing a cage so soon. I struggled with that once and did a totally different set up in it instead. That kind of worked for me - except the set up wasn't as good as the one I'd liked to have done! An eco habitat sounds lovely though. A great habitat for gerbils. Such a shame they are so expensive now. The 100cm one used to be £135 and I thought that was expensive!
 
I placed the order for the Eco Habitat. It's not worth feeling on edge for the sake of £200, and my other one has lasted a few years now so it should be good value in the long run (I found the Pawhut poor quality).
 
I have heard that. Although they do seem popular these days. Maybe just extra work to get them right. The visuals will be very nice in an Eco Habitat as well. I'm just glad it's still available. At one time it seemed to disappear entirely.

Me - I'm looking forward to the 120cm Savic Plaza being available! Trouble is, by then, Raffy will be about 18 months old and I'm not sure upgrading him then would be the best time.
 
I adopted Kebab when he was 2 years old and if I had known then how much longer he would live (9 months and counting), I might have given him a bigger cage than the 80x50cm he has. I think 18 months is still only middle-aged for a Syrian hamster so a bigger cage could still be worthwhile, depending on the individual hamster of course.
 
Kebab is doing amazingly!

Yep - I'll see how he is by then. He's happy in his 100cm Plaza but if he is awake he wants to be out. He's the only Syrian I've had who I thought might need more than 100cm cage. Mind you the Barney would have been better as it's deeper! Sometimes by 18 months they need a different set up anyway if climbing becomes an issue.
 
Maz said:
Kebab is doing amazingly!

Yep - I'll see how he is by then. He's happy in his 100cm Plaza but if he is awake he wants to be out. He's the only Syrian I've had who I thought might need more than 100cm cage. Mind you the Barney would have been better as it's deeper! Sometimes by 18 months they need a different set up anyway if climbing becomes an issue.
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The past few days he's not looked very good. I think he got dehydrated because he pees so much due to kidney failure, but getting up to drink was too much effort. Today I made his cage all one level and gave him a water bowl right outside his house which hopefully will help.
 
Oh wonderful!
 
Hope all goes well and the babies will thrive.

Do you know anything about duprasi?
Breeders who advertise them say they can live alone or in pairs but a rodent rescue i know says they need to live in pairs like other gerbils.
 
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