Featured Shelter Gerbils: Pepper, Popper & Pipper

UPDATE - May 17th: Pepper, Popper & Pipper have found a home! Thank you to everyone who helped in any way!

This week’s Featured Shelter Gerbils are Pepper, Popper & Pipper, an adorable set of gerbil brothers. Pepper and Popper are black, and Pipper is lilac. One of Pepper’s front paws is upturned, but he doesn’t let it slow him down!

These gerbils are staying with the volunteers of Small Angels Rescue.

These three boys are great buddies, so they must be adopted together.

Mike Is Doing Great After Surgery

Only an hour after I got home from the vet, Dr. Katie called to say that Mike had come out of surgery just fine. When I went to the office to pick him up, he was up and around, busy chewing on a cardboard tube with his brother Toby. :)

When we got home, Mike went into the corner and collapsed, exhuasted from his busy day. He was obviously a little bit uncomfortable after surgery, but after sleeping through most of the afternoon, he's up and around. He's busy eating snacks and chewing on cardboard tubes tonight.

He's a little curious about his shaved belly, but the vet used internal, self-dissolving stitches, so he can't tear them out.

I took the photo above about 20 minutes ago. You can see that Mike is up and around. A few minutes ago, Mike and Toby took turns grooming each other. Right now, Mike is happily chewing on a cardboard tube. It looks like his recovery is well underway. :)

Mike Is In Surgery

Mike is in surgery this morning for a scent gland tumor that appeared and grew very rapidly.

It's troubling that it grew so quickly, but I have an excellent vet, and the prognosis is very good for gerbils who have surgery to remove their scent glands due to tumors.

I'm sick today, so I guess Mike and I will be recovering together this afternoon.

Right now, I'm waiting for the call from Dr. Katie to let me know that Mike is done with surgery, out of recovery, and ready to come home. I'll post an update when Mike and Toby are home, and I know how Mike did.

All thoughts and prayers for Mike would be appreciated.

Farewell To Liza, Our Sunshine

It always takes me a while to write about such sad news. A week and a half ago, we lost our beautiful gerbil Liza after battling a respiratory infection for five days. Her illness came on very suddenly. Despite daily trips to the vet, hand-feedings to keep her hydrated, a warm lamp in one corner of the tank, and treatment with vet-prescribed antibiotics; Liza did not make it. :(

The day before her death, she seemed to be feeling better, which makes her loss that much harder, because I had hope that she would pull through. On the other hand, I'm so thankful that she had a good day and that I have some good memories of her feeling better.

Liza went downhill in the last 15 hours of her life, and despite another trip to the vet and lots of care and attention, she passed away in my hands at 9:23pm on March 23rd.

I put together a little memorial video for Liza last Tuesday, and last Wednesday, Liza was laid to rest next to her great-great aunt Nellie at the pet cemetery.

It has been such a sad couple of weeks. Liza’s sister Hallie is doing well, though. Most days, I think she’s handled Liza’s death better than I have.

Goodbye, sweet Liza. We didn’t have nearly enough time together. I will always miss you.