Gerbil Blog for Twin Squeaks

Featured Rescue Gerbils: Chester & Bryan

2009-06-28T12:46:00.005-05:00

Today’s Featured Rescue Gerbils are Chester and Bryan.

These boys are about one year old and are waiting at CatNap From The Heart in LaGrange Park, Illinois. If you are interested in adopting Chester and Bryan, please visit their Petfinder page for more information.

Hallie & Cassie Are Still Getting To Know Each Other

2009-06-27T22:11:00.006-05:00

We let Hallie and Cassie have some time together with the divider removed today, but Hallie still wasn’t ready to accept Cassie yet. Hallie did let Cassie groom her once, but other than that, things were still awfully rough today. Cassie was a little less frightened during the introduction attempt, but Hallie was still as aggressive as last time.

So the girls have the divider back in the tank, and we’ll give them a little more time. They just aren’t quite ready yet. In the meantime, I’m giving them some time outside the tank and spoiling them. (You can see me spending time with each of them to the right.)

It makes me appreciate how much easier it is to introduce males, though... Especially an adult male to a pup. Gobo and Smurf paired up after only a week, and it was such a peaceful, happy introduction. Females are always more difficult, but I’m anxious for Hallie and Cassie to be friends.

Gobo Emerges After Tunneling In His Bedding

2009-06-23T22:25:00.003-05:00

Just thought this photo was too cute. This is Gobo emerging from his bedding after tunneling underneath it. :)

Happy Birthday, Smurf!

2009-06-23T20:51:00.002-05:00

Today, Smurf turned three months old!

This day marks Smurf’s move from puphood into adulthood. Smurf is now an adolescent. . . a young adult.

We celebrated his birthday tonight with a special treat: miniature popcorn (no additives - just plain corn). This was a special birthday treat and not something the gerbils normally have. I let a bit of it pop in the microwave, but Smurf and Gobo seemed to like the unpopped corn better.

I also gave Smurf a small gift, but he was more interested in burrowing and digging tunnels in his bedding than in unwrapping his gift. I left it in the boys’ tank, and I’m sure Smurf will open it later.

All in all, I think Smurf had a good birthday. :)

Split-Caging Continues

2009-06-23T17:49:00.002-05:00

Hallie & Cassie continue the split-caging process. They’re sleeping next to the divider most of the time, and as you can see here, they often meet at the divider and touch noses.

We’re hoping to try another introduction this weekend and are praying that they’re ready to be friends this time!

Featured Rescue Gerbil: Rosie

2009-06-22T21:24:00.003-05:00

Today’s featured rescue gerbil is Rosie.

Look at how adorable she is! Rosie came to Small Angels Rescue with two other gerbils, but they didn’t all get along, so Rosie now lives alone. She is very hand-tame, though, as you can see from the video on her Petfinder page.

Rosie will need extra love and attention since she lives alone. If you have the time to care for a gerbil who needs a home and love, please visit Rosie’s Petfinder page for more information about adopting her.

If you know of someone who might like to give Rosie a home, please pass the word along. Let’s see if we can’t find a loving home for this beautiful girl!

Smurf In His Wheel

2009-06-20T20:19:00.003-05:00

I snapped this photo of Smurf tonight after moving Gobo and Smurf into their larger tank. (This was their first big tank cleaning after their successful introduction two weeks ago.)

Smurf is very excited to have a wheel! (And so is Gobo!)

2009 New England Gerbil Show Report

2009-06-20T11:43:00.004-05:00

An adorable pile of Kelly’s gerbils from Garden of Eden Gerbils.Finally! I’ve found enough time to write about the 2009 New England Gerbil Show!

We had a great time at this year’s show, met new friends, saw old friends, got to see many gorgeous gerbils, and brought two new pups home to pair with our two lone gerbils.

This year’s show was unique, in that it was the first show to feature blue gerbils, which were previously only available overseas. Blue gerbils are not a “true” blue. They are lighter than a slate gerbil and do have a bit of a dilute blue shade to their fur. Although I’d seen photos of blue gerbils before, it was fascinating to see blue gerbils in person for the first time!

Author Holly Robinson meets HermanAuthors At The Show
This year, there were two authors at the show. First, was Holly Robinson, author of The Gerbil Farmer’s Daughter, a memoir about growing up with an eccentric father, a navy officer with a secret: thousands of gerbils in the backyard.

I’m reading Holly’s book now and will write more about it when I’m finished. I’ll write more about it when I’m finished.

Author Michael DelaneyAt our banquet after the show, Holly gave an award to a gerbil who touched her heart and “many others around the world.” I was shocked when she gave the award to our very own Herman. Congratulations, Herman!!

Also at the show was Michael Delaney, author of Obi, Gerbil On The Loose!. This is a really fun kids’ book. I have read it but want to go over it again before writing a review. I think a lot of kids would enjoy this book. It’t not 100 percent accurate in its details about caring for gerbils, but it’t not meant to be. It’s just a fun story about a gerbil who must use her own creativity and intelligence.

Madeline of Paprika Card DesignsMore Fun At The Show
There were many other fun things at the show. For instance, Madeline brought a collection of greeting cards, shirts, and mousepads with her own pet-themed designs.

We brought home several of her cards and also several of her homemade gerbil toys, thick cardboard tubes, wrapped in decorative paper, and ready to hang from the lid of a gerbil tank. We have several gerbils who will get these fun toys the next time we clean tanks!

Hamtrack races at the gerbil showIf you’re interested in buying any of Madeline’s greeting cards, you’ll find them in her Paprika Card Designs Etsy Shop. I’ve also put a link to her Etsy Shop on the Gerbil Links page at Twin Squeaks.

As usual, the New England Gerbil Show also featured many fun activities for kids, including the Hamtrack races. Gerbils in exercise balls raced around the track for top honors in the pet class!

There was also a mock gerbil show for pets so that kids could see how a real gerbil show works. The pet gerbils at the show went home with many ribbons and a lot of great memories.

Sebastian with his 3rd Place ribbonShow Results
Our gerbils did very well at this year’s show. Not all placed, but many did.

Sebastian. First, Sebastian got 3rd Place in the Spot Class. One of the gerbils he placed behind was his nephew GEG’s Diamond. (Diamond is Hallie’s brother.)

Hallie did not place in the show, but the gerbils who did place in her class were all relatives! She placed behind her nieces, Sunset’s Annie and Sunset’s Susie, and her uncle BWC’s Keegan.

Polo also did not place in the show, but his brother Marco did!

Marco with his 2nd Place ribbonMarco. Marco got 2nd Place in the White Belly - Dark-Eyed, Non-Agouti Class.

I was really thrilled that he placed 2nd again at this show. (He also got 2nd Place at the 2008 Midwest Show.) Marco is a Light Dark-Eyed Honey, which is not a standardized color, so it really says something that he’s getting enough points for his other traits despite the fact that his fur is a little bit lighter than what the standard calls for!

Marco’s really a very sweet boy, but I never expected him to do well in show. It’s been fun to see him surprise me at each show!

Gobo with his 1st Place ribbonGobo. Gobo also surprised us by placing First in the Pied Class!

We haven’t taken Gobo to the past couple of gerbil shows, because he was slow to bulk up. (Males generally do not do well in shows unless they are larger than the female gerbils.)

However, Gobo’s really grown recently, so we took him with us to this show.

We were so excited when it was announced that he won 1st Place in his class! Congratulations, Gobo!

Toby with his ribbonsToby. Our biggest news from the show is that Toby got 1st Place in the Senior Class, giving him enough accumulated show points to earn his American Gerbil Society Championship!

Previously, Toby won Best of Opposite in the 2007 Midwest Show and 2nd Place at the 2008 Midwest Show. This last blue ribbon gave him the eight points he needed to become a champion.

We are so proud of Toby and feel that this was a real accomplishment for a gerbil who is almost three years old! But we’ve always known that Toby was a handsome boy, and even more importantly, a very sweet and gentle gerbil.

We don’t breed, so I feel very honored that I’ve had two gerbils win championships. (Herman was the other one. He won his championship last year, when he was almost two years old.)

Toby is now retired from show and enjoying his time snuggling with his brother Mike and destroying cardboard boxes.

Best In Show, GEG’s Mark

Best of Opposite, JEM’s CalleighBest In Show
After thoughtful deliberation, the judges selected the Best In Show and Best Of Opposite winners. This year, Best In Show went to Garden of Eden Gerbils’s Mark, a very handsome agouti.

Best Of Opposite went to JEM’s Calleigh, one of the loveliest and most outgoing gerbils at the show!

All in all, we had a great time at this year’s show and can’t wait for the 2009 Midwest Show in Lincoln, Nebraska. We hope to see you there!

A Nice Photo Of Smurf & Gobo

2009-06-18T22:40:00.003-05:00

Herman’s Victorian Portrait

2009-06-17T21:46:00.005-05:00

Last month, while browsing Etsy for crochet patterns, I stumbled upon this fantastic artist, Cindy Jerrell, who creates custom Victorian-style portraits of your pet. I couldn’t resist and contacted her to commission a portrait of Herman.

Cindy asked me to tell her a little bit about Herman. I told her about his charming personality, how friendly he is, how he won an American Gerbil Society Championship, and about Herman’s show jumping. She created a hilarious - yet highly dignified - portrait of Herman, which you can see to the right.

She did a fantastic job with Herman’s portrait, right down to the little details, like the tiny gerbil figure on top of Herman’s trophy. . . or Herman’s initial on the front of the trophy. And, I know it sounds strange, but the wardrobe she picked seems perfect for Herman’s personality, too!

If you want a similar Victorian portrait made of your pet, or if you want to get one of these portraits made for a friend, I can’t recommend Cindy Jerrell enough. She was great to work with, very friendly, did extremely quick work, and created a picture that will make me smile for years to come. You can find information about ordering a custom Victorian pet portrait by visiting Cindy Jerrell’s HotDigitalDog Shop at Etsy.

Hope you got as big of a kick out of Herman’s portrait as I did. :)

Featured Shelter Gerbil: Sammi

2009-06-15T21:57:00.004-05:00

UPDATE - Sammi has found a home!

Today’s featured shelter gerbil is Sammi, an adorable little girl who is at the Capital Humane Society in Lincoln, Nebraska.

Sammi was surrendered to the shelter, because her owner didn’t want her anymore. I can’t imagine who wouldn’t want this girl, with her gentle smile and inquisitive eyes.

I’d really love to see Sammi find a good home! Please help spread the word!

Hallie & Cassie Get Treats From Sharon

2009-06-15T20:45:00.005-05:00

Sharon left a comment today and asked that I give Hallie and Cassie each a treat as they continue life in a split tank, waiting to be friends.

I gave each of the girls a Cheerio for you tonight, Sharon. Photos of the girls enjoying their Cheerios below. Thank you! :)

Tori Featured In A Song

2009-06-15T05:53:00.003-05:00

We got word last week from songwriter Denise Hudson that her latest song contains a sample of our gerbil Tori stomping her feet!

The song is called Anna’s Gerbil And The Singularity, and you can hear it at this link.

Tori’s foot-stomping occurs at the 2:58 mark.

Below, you will see the original video of Tori stomping her feet.

Tip: Pet-Safe Way To Clean An Oven

2009-06-14T16:29:00.004-05:00

It’s not safe to let grease, grime, and spilled food build up on the walls of your oven, but many oven cleaners are also not safe to use with pets in the home. If you care about your gerbils as much as we do, this is a real concern!

Earlier this year, we had to clean our oven, and I didn’t want to take chances with the self-cleaning feature. (I know using the self-cleaning setting can be harmful if you have pet birds. I wasn’t sure about rodents but decided not to take a chance.) Clearly, harsh chemicals that produce fumes weren’t an option either since we didn’t have somewhere to relocate the gerbils while the fumes were in the house.

I found a great tip for using baking soda to clean an oven. This worked like a charm, and I didn’t have to worry about oven-cleaner fumes harming the gerbils either!

To summarize the information in the article above:

Make sure your oven is cool.

Mix baking soda and water together in a spray bottle.

Remove the racks from the oven and spray down the walls and floor of the oven with the baking soda and water mixture.

Repeat the step whenever the last layer you sprayed has dried. Continue this process for several hours.

After letting it sit for many hours, get a pail of hot water and a sponge and wipe down the inside of the oven.

Continue rinsing the inside of the oven until it is clean.

Again, that’s only a brief summary. I’d still suggest reading the in-depth oven-cleaning instructions at eHow.

Split-Cage Introduction Attempt #1

2009-06-14T16:00:00.002-05:00

Well, we made our first attempt today to introduce Hallie and Cassie. At first the girls mostly ignored each other, but then it became clear that Cassie was scared of Hallie, and Hallie wasn’t particularly thrilled about having a new roommate.

A couple of good things happened before we had to split them, though. For instance, a couple of times, Cassie hid in a toilet paper tube with just her head sticking out and let Hallie groom her nose, neck, and forehead. However, if Cassie came out of the toilet paper tube, Hallie sprung at her.

We gave them a time-out for a bit and tried again, but the results were the same: Things were fine, and Hallie would even groom Cassie as long as she didn’t come out of a cardboard tube. But when Cassie tried to emerge from her hiding spot, Hallie fluffed up and sprung at her.

Both times, I had gloves on and got them out of the tank and into separate carriers before anyone was hurt.

The good news is that they did seem to recognize each other by scent. Both girls sniffed each other and then went about their own business without any aggression. The bad news was that Hallie just wasn’t willing to let Cassie walk around on her turf.

I think given enough time in the split tank, though, they’ll be ready to introduce. In my experience, females are only occasionally ready for an introduction after only two weeks in a split tank. I’ve also had better luck with intros when the girls are closer to the same size. Currently, Hallie’s quite a bit larger than Cassie, who is still a pup. So today’s intro was only an attempt and not something I thoroughly expected to work.

(Speaking of split-cage introductions, right now, I’m watching Gobo groom Smurf. You may remember that the boys were successfully introduced just last weekend! So there is hope for Hallie and Cassie to have a successful introduction as well!)

Please wish the girls luck in another week or two when we try to introduce them again!

Interview with Gerbil Farmer’s Daughter Author

2009-06-14T15:15:00.003-05:00

Holly Robinson, author of The Gerbil Farmer’s Daughter, meets Herman at the New England Gerbil Show.

Reuters ran an interview with Holly Robinson, author of The Gerbil Farmer’s Daughter.

I’m reading this book now and will post a review of it when I’m finished. In the meantime, you can read Reuters interview with the author.

Featured Rescue Gerbil: Ohanna

2009-06-14T13:59:00.003-05:00

UPDATE - As of June 27th, Ohanna is still looking for a home. Can you help?

Today’s Featured Rescue Gerbil is Ohanna, a female gerbil who is either spotted black or spotted slate. (She reminds me a lot of our late gerbil Nellie!)

Ohanna lives with her friend Olivia, a black gerbil, and it would be great if they could be adopted together!

They are at EARPS Exotic Animal Rescue in Brownsburg, Indiana. If you live in the Brownsburg area and are interested in adopting these two lovely gerbils, please visit Ohanna’s Petfinder page for more information.

Video of Gobo & Smurf

2009-06-13T15:58:00.002-05:00

I’m posting this video for Sharon, who asked about the size difference between Gobo and Smurf. You can see it pretty clearly in this video. (Gobo is two years older than Smurf.)

Sorry that neither of them roll in the sand bowl in this video, but I think it’s still cute!

Gobo & Smurf Together. . . And Awake!

2009-06-13T11:25:00.002-05:00

Finally! After a week of attempts, I managed to get a photo of Gobo and Smurf together and awake!

Photos from the 2009 New England Gerbil Show

2009-06-08T13:22:00.002-05:00

I’ve posted some photos from the 2009 New England Gerbil Show online!

Hallie & Cassie Are Doing Great

2009-06-07T14:01:00.001-05:00

The girls are sleeping next to the divider most of the time now. Looks
like the split-caging is going well!

First Nap Together

2009-06-05T23:16:00.002-05:00

Gobo & Smurf Are Friends!

2009-06-05T17:38:00.002-05:00

Gobo and Smurf seem to be getting along! They’re in the middle of a split-cage introduction right now, but as you can see from the video below, Smurf is happy to let Gobo groom him, and things are going well!

New England Gerbil Show Column In The Huffington Post

2009-06-05T05:53:00.004-05:00

Yesterday, there was a column in the Huffington Post about the New England Gerbil Show. It even includes a mention of our own gerbil, Herman!

I know I still owe everyone my own update on the show. I promise it's coming soon! (We did have some exciting news, in addition to the adoption of Cassie and Smurf. I'm anxious to tell you about everything!)

In the meantime, please check out the Huffington Post column by Holly Robinson.

Article About The 2009 New England Show

2009-06-02T21:34:00.003-05:00

The Lowell Sun published an article this weekend about the 2009 New England Gerbil Show. The article tells a little bit about what went on at the show, as well as tells the tale of how blue gerbils found their way to the United States.