Gerbil Blog for Twin Squeaks

Our Blog Is Moving!

noreply@blogger.com (Twin Squeaks Gerbils) — Sun, 28 Mar 2010 04:02:00 +0000

We are moving our blog to WordPress... In order to ensure that no previous posts are lost during the transition, the new blog will be at www.twinsqueaks.com/gerbilblog.

Yes, we'll take a hit in our search-engine rankings for moving the blog... But we'd rather take that chance than risk losing previous posts and comments, and Blogger's migration tool isn't working so great at the moment.

We'll work on getting links redirected to the new blog address, and we hope you'll follow us over there in the meantime!

Happy Birthday, Bach!

noreply@blogger.com (Twin Squeaks Gerbils) — Sun, 27 Dec 2009 03:59:00 +0000

Bach turned three months old today!

We can’t believe how fast the baby of Twin Squeaks has grown up! It seems like just yesterday that he was a tiny five-week-old pup at the Midwest Gerbil Show! We took the photo to the right today.

Bach celebrated his birthday by turning a Pop Tarts box into a new nesting box and by creating a lot of new tunnels in his tank. He’s also been hard at work, gnawing on a couple new chew toys.

The birthday boy is all worn out now and snuggled up for a nap with his tankmate Sebastian. :)

Featured Shelter Gerbil: Robbie

noreply@blogger.com (Twin Squeaks Gerbils) — Sun, 27 Dec 2009 03:53:00 +0000

Today’s Featured Shelter Gerbil is Robbie, a very handsome fellow who is at the Texas Rustlers Guinea Pig Rescue in Double Oak, Texas, waiting for a new home.

Robbie’s adoption fee is $5. For more information, please visit Robbie’s Petfinder page.

Sebastian & Bach “Dance”

noreply@blogger.com (Twin Squeaks Gerbils) — Sun, 13 Dec 2009 21:33:00 +0000

I took this photo of Sebastian and Bach last weekend. It cracks me up. Looks like they’re dancing! :-D

Featured Shelter Gerbil: Reba

noreply@blogger.com (Twin Squeaks Gerbils) — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 02:54:00 +0000

UPDATE: Dec. 13^th - Reba is no longer looking for a home.

Today’s Featured Shelter Gerbil is Reba, an adorable little cutie who was abandoned at the beginning of September. Reba is at the SPCA of Texas - McKinney.

How Do You Clean Your Gerbils’ Tanks?

noreply@blogger.com (Twin Squeaks Gerbils) — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 02:32:00 +0000

I thought it would be interesting to ask all of you how you clean your gerbils’ tanks. Any great tips??? If so, please leave a comment on this post and share with everyone!

I’ll share a few of my own to get things started.

In the past, I used a shop-vac to get the last of the bedding out of the bottom of the tank. It worked really well, but the air in my apartment’s so dry that the shop-vac generated too much static electricity, even when I used a humidifier. But it might be a good tip for those of you who have better climate control in your homes!

One thing I currently do is use a large dog food scoop to shovel the bedding out of the tank. It works great when cleaning tanks that are too heavy to pick up and dump before some of the bedding is removed.

Finally, I’ve only found one thing that works to pick up small bits of gerbil bedding and gerbil food that land on the floor while cleaning. Shark’s cordless sweepers do a great job of picking up loose bedding and food, even along the edges of walls. (Notice: I have no association with Shark whatsoever. I just wanted to share, because I’ve tried so many types of vacuum cleaners and sweepers over the years. Most just pick up food and bedding and toss them back out again.) I think the model I have is the VX3. It’s not perfect, but it does a really good job of picking up gerbil “debris.”

So what tips do you all have? How do you get the bedding out of your tanks? Get the inside of the tank clean? Keep from spilling bedding on the floor? Keep your gerbils busy and happy after a tank cleaning? Please share your tank-cleaning tips here!

Gerbils In The News: Gerbil Agility!

noreply@blogger.com (Twin Squeaks Gerbils) — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 22:44:00 +0000

Just stumbled across this article on gerbil agility training. Enjoy!

Bach Stretches & Yawns

noreply@blogger.com (Twin Squeaks Gerbils) — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 20:11:00 +0000

Stretch. YAWWWNNNN!

Isn't Bach just too cute?? :)

Gerbils In The News: H1N1 & Gerbils

noreply@blogger.com (Twin Squeaks Gerbils) — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 16:58:00 +0000

You may have read recently about cats and ferrets contracting the H1N1 flu. According to this article at NewsWest9.com, gerbils and other pocket pets are also susceptible to H1N1.

If this story is true, what does it mean for our beloved gerbils?

Continue to wash your hands both before and after handling your gerbils. Because our gerbils don’t typically leave our homes, we are not likely to contract H1N1 from our gerbils. Our gerbils are much more likely to contract the flu from us.

It’s good practice to wash our hands before and after handling our gerbils anyway. There are the obvious health reasons, but also, because gerbils recognize each other by scent, it’s important to wash hands to ensure that gerbils don’t smell other gerbils, perfume, etc. on our hands. (Foreign smells can cause two gerbils to fight.)

For the reasons listed above, for years, I’ve kept a bottle of hand sanitizer next to each of my gerbils’ tanks, and I’ve used it before and after handling my gerbils.

If H1N1 can be transmitted between humans and gerbils, keeping hand sanitizer next to each gerbil tank has even more value.

Featured Shelter Gerbils: Crush & Chunks

noreply@blogger.com (Twin Squeaks Gerbils) — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 16:43:00 +0000

UPDATE: Crush and Chunks are still looking for a home as of December 26th! Let’s help them find a home for the new year!

Today’s Featured Shelter Gerbils are Crush & Chunks, a very cute pair of boys at the Humane Society of Sarasota County in Sarasota, Florida.

Crush and Chunks came to the shelter with their mother and sister. The adoption fee for Crush and Chunks is $10, and the boys should be adopted together so they can keep each other company.

If you’re in the Sarasota area and can help these boys find a home, please visit their Petfinder page.

Cassie Follows In Herman’s Pawprints

noreply@blogger.com (Twin Squeaks Gerbils) — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 16:01:00 +0000

You may remember that Herman was a talented show-jumping gerbil.

This week, we let Herman’s great-granddaughter Cassie try show jumping, and we discovered that she has a natural skill for show-jumping, too!

This video was taken less than 10 minutes into Cassie’s first training session. :)

Meet Bach!

noreply@blogger.com (Twin Squeaks Gerbils) — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 23:01:00 +0000

Please welcome Bach to Twin Squeaks!

Bach is a black pup that we adopted at the Midwest Gerbil Show from Donna of ABC Gerbils in New Hampshire.

Bach was just five weeks old at the time, the perfect age to introduce to Sebastian, who had been living alone since his dad passed away last month.

Bach is a great little pup. He’s exceptionally friendly and loves to hop in my hand.

Sebastian and Bach were split-caged for several days, and then, last week, I put on a pair of gloves, just in case, and I removed the divider. Bach crept over to Sebastian, and Sebastian immediately started grooming him! The introduction was very peaceful, and the boys have been doing great ever since!

Sebastian seems happy to have a pup to care for, and Bach is happy to have been “adopted” by an older gerbil.

And I’m thrilled to see Sebastian and Bach have each other to play with and snuggle with. :)

Featured Rescue Gerbils: Beans & Oats

noreply@blogger.com (Twin Squeaks Gerbils) — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 01:13:00 +0000

UPDATE: Beans & Oats are still looking for a home as of December 26th. If you haven’t seen their video yet, please check it out on their Petfinder page.

Today’s Featured Rescue Gerbils are Beans & Oats.

Beans is the black gerbil, and Oats is the spotted one. They are lovely, adorable little boys who are waiting in foster care at Small Angels Rescue in Frederick, Maryland.

The adoption fee is $20 for the pair. For more information about adopting these handsome little boys, please visit their Petfinder page.
If you can’t adopt Beans and Oats, you will also find information about sponsoring them on their Petfinder page (click the Sponsor Me For The Holidays link).

Midwest Gerbil Show Report

noreply@blogger.com (Twin Squeaks Gerbils) — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 23:55:00 +0000

I've fallen so far behind on everything recently but definitely wanted to update everyone on the 2009 Midwest Gerbil Show, which was on Halloween, here in Lincoln, Nebraska.

As you know from my previous post, the gerbil show came at the end of a very long and sad week. It helped to be surrounded by others who knew Herman from previous gerbil shows. And it helped to see so many gorgeous and infectiously charming gerbils at the show!

One of the highlights of the weekend was that I got to meet Linette, who frequently leaves comments on this blog!
Linette’s award-winning Halloween decorationsI also got to meet her gerbils, who are every bit as charming in person as I had imagined! (I have a soft spot for Stuart!)

After health inspections and setup on Friday night, most of us gathered in my hotel room to make Halloween-themed tank decorations and have cookies and chips.

Saturday morning, it was time to finish setting up for the show! Jo from Black Wolf Clan Gerbils brought trick-or-treat bags for not only the people at the show but also for our gerbils! We all had a chance to leave treats for both humans and gerbils. Some of the treats in the gerbils’ bags were really imaginative and fun. I think at least two people were leaving treat-filled Halloween ghosts in the trick-or-treat bags. And several of the gerbils also received edible witches’ brooms made from twigs. They were a huge hit!

Katie M.’s great Halloween set-upDuring the show, we let AGS members and the public both vote for their favorite Halloween decorations. Congratulations to Linette, Katie M., and Jo, whose Halloween decorations were selected as the best at the show!

I got a slow start with judging, because just as I started judging my first gerbil, a silver nutmeg, a reporter and photographer from the local newspaper arrived. I think they talked to me for at least 45 minutes before talking to AGS President Donna Anastasi. The reporter also wanted to meet Toby. You can read the newspaper article about the Midwest Gerbil Show here.

We had a decent public turnout for a Midwest Show, especially since this year’s show was on Halloween, when there were many other events happening in town. What impressed me most, though, was that people stuck around for quite a while to admire the gerbils, ask questions, and participate at the kids’ activity table.

Both AGS members and the public voted for the People’s Choice awards. The winners were Black Wolf Clan’s Integrity, a female nutmeg, and Moonstone Gerbils’ Morpheus, an adorable seven-week-old red-eyed silver nutmeg male pup.

One family was very excited about Diane’s knitted rodent necklace. After buying raffle tickets, they went home with the necklace in hand.

Another family was really excited about the watercolor painting made by our own Grace and Tori. And how lucky, their raffle ticket was drawn, and they are now the proud owners of gerbil-created artwork!

Early in the evening, the winners of the show were announced. Four of our gerbils competed in the show, and three of them placed. Hallie received 2nd Place in the Self/Nutmeg Class. Polo won 1st Place in the Other/Honey Cream Class and went on to compete for Best In Show. And Cassie won 1st Place in the Mottled Class and also went on to the Best In Show competition.

Best In Show once again went to one of Kelly’s stunning males from Garden of Eden Gerbils. And GEG’s Cain was indeed an exceptionally handsome agouti male! A big, bulky male with a charming personality and beautiful eyes.

Best of Opposite was our own Squeaks’ Sunset’s Cassie, who was bred by Leah of Sunset Starlet Gerbils. Sadly, Leah was not able to make it to the show, but I’m looking forward to seeing her and more of her very friendly gerbils at the New England Show this spring!

After the show, we had the Pet Class, where gerbils competed in fun activities, such as the Sandbathing Competition and the Cardboard Chewing Contest. Four of our gerbils competed in the Pet Class. Marco and Polo had fun in the Pairs Chewing Competition, Hallie went it alone in the Singles Chewing Competition, and Cassie won points for style in the Sandbathing Competition.

Saturday evening, we were served a fantastic meal from Beacon Hills at the show site.

It's probably the only time a group of “gerbil enthusiasts” will be served a meal with dimmed lights, candles, and piped-in violin music. Alas, we had to blow out the candles before playing Gerbil Bingo. (Instead of shouting “bingo!”, we thump our hands on the table, to the rhythm of a gerbil thumping its feet. This is not conducive to having candles lit on the table.)

It was fun to hang out with everyone, play Gerbil Bingo, and finally have a chance to relax after the show!

All in all, it was a really good weekend, but it went by way too fast! I wish we all could have had more time together, because it’s always great to see so many friends and all of their gerbils!

To see more photos from the show, please visit my 2009 Midwest Gerbil Show photo album.

Very Sad News

noreply@blogger.com (Twin Squeaks Gerbils) — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 00:41:00 +0000

I’m so sad to have to share this news, but a week and a half ago, we lost our beloved gerbil Herman after a gradual decline in health that started a couple months earlier. Herman’s wonderful vet found the right mix of meds that helped to control his condition and keep him comfortable for as long as possible, and so he got some extra time with us and with his son Sebastian. But even knowing that the end was coming, it didn’t make it any easier for us. . .

Herman was one of the most special gerbils I’ve ever known. It was a wonder that his litter was born, because his mother was quite sick during her pregnancy, and his father died of old age shortly after he and his siblings were conceived.

However, the entire litter survived and thrived. On August 15th, 2006, I adopted Herman from Double Star Gerbils to come live with Buster, a charming nutmeg that I adopted from our local shelter. Herman was only five weeks and two days old when he came home. Barely larger than a peanut but full of energy... and one of the friendliest gerbils I’ve ever known.

As a pup, Herman always jumped right into my hand when I put it in his tank. As an older fellow, even in his final days, Herman would crawl into my hand and wait for me to lift him out of the tank.

Herman had a great show career and earned his AGS Championship at the 2008 New England Gerbil Show.

He also spent a couple of months at Black Wolf Clan Gerbils, where he met a beautiful female gerbil named Kaden and raised a litter with her. Herman returned home with his son Sebastian.

Herman was a great dad when Sebastian was a pup, and he continued to be a great dad even after Sebastian was an adult.

Herman was quite the ham and show-off, always looking for attention. At gerbil shows, he would stop and pose in the judges’ hands. . . or try to jump back out of his carrier and into the judge’s hands if he wanted to be judged some more.

Herman also became a bit of an international celebrity after he learned how to show jump.

Despite all the things that Herman did to get attention, I always saw him simply as my “Hermie,” a friendly, loyal, and loving gerbil who could always make me smile, even on the bleakest of days. Herman always had an infectious grin and these large, beautiful, sparkling eyes. It was impossible to look into Herman’s eyes and not be charmed.

Herman was laid to rest at the pet cemetery, next to his aunt Nellie and his granddaughter Liza. He will always be sorely missed. Herman was truly one of a kind. A very special soul who made many people happy.

We’ve posted a memorial video of Herman on our Smugmug site.

2010 Gerbils Calendar Available Now!

noreply@blogger.com (Twin Squeaks Gerbils) — Sun, 25 Oct 2009 13:22:00 +0000

We’re excited to announce that the 2010 Gerbils Calendar is now available!

The new calendar features our very own Herman on the cover.

The inside of the calendar shows the gerbils of Twin Squeaks in a variety of new, fun scenes.

Join Polo on a search for a haunted house, have a pizza party with Marco, go to the movies with Smurf, and more!

Please check out the new 2010 Gerbils Calendar!

We’d love it if you would comment on this post and let us know which of the scenes in the new calendar are your favorites!

We’ll use any feedback about which scenes are best when we plan new photos for the 2011 calendar!

Featured Rescue Gerbil: Finley

noreply@blogger.com (Twin Squeaks Gerbils) — Fri, 02 Oct 2009 02:05:00 +0000

UPDATE: Finley has been adopted!

Today’s Featured Rescue Gerbil is Finley, a pied lilac boy with a very sweet face.

Finley was rescued from a shelter and is missing part of his tail. We think he’s adorable and perfectly handsome, even without a full tail!

Finley is at Small Angels Rescue in Frederick County, Maryland, and his adoption fee is $10.

Toby Comes Through Surgery Fine

noreply@blogger.com (Twin Squeaks Gerbils) — Tue, 29 Sep 2009 22:34:00 +0000

Great news! Toby came through his surgery just fine! I took the photo to the right tonight. As you can see, Toby’s doing well!

Dr. Brad didn’t have any trouble removing the mass from his scent gland, and after the surgery was over, Toby woke up right away.

There was one complication: Toby tore his stitches out shortly after surgery (before he even made it home from the vet), which was quite a feat, because the vet used internal stitches! Toby was very persistent. :-/

However, his incision was small, and so we’re going to try to let it heal without giving him more anesthesia and more stitches. He’s been on Baytril for over a week and will continue to take Baytril to prevent infection. He hasn’t touched his belly since tearing out the stitches, and his belly hasn't bled, so the chances are good that he’ll heal despite messing with his stitches. We just have to keep a close eye on him just in case.

The mass was sent for a biopsy. We should know by the end of the week if the mass on Toby’s scent gland was cancerous. But we caught it early, and the vet said it looked like he got all of it. So we’re very optimistic that, even if it was cancer, Toby’s odds are really good.

It’s amazing to watch Toby tonight. You’d never know that he had surgery today. He’s doing all his normal gerbil activities: chewing cardboard tubes, digging in and under the bedding, etc. And he has a good, healthy appetite, too. He eagerly takes every treat I hand him. :)

Toby is doing great. Thank you to everyone who kept him in your thoughts today!

Toby Goes In For Surgery Tomorrow

noreply@blogger.com (Twin Squeaks Gerbils) — Tue, 29 Sep 2009 01:55:00 +0000

Tomorrow morning, Toby will go to the vet to have a probable scent-gland tumor removed. (We’ll have it biopsied so that we know for sure.)

You may remember that in April, Toby’s brother Mike had his scent gland removed due to a tumor. And I received word today that Mike and Toby’s brother in Oklahoma will likely have a scent-gland tumor removed tomorrow as well. . . So it seems that it’s something that runs in the family in older male gerbils.

Although I’m saddened that Toby needs to have the surgery, I am very optimistic that he will come through the surgery okay. Nothing is certain, of course, so I will be worried tomorrow... But Mike did beautifully after his surgery, and Toby’s tumor is growing much slower and is much smaller. Mike was over 2 1/2 years old when he had his surgery. Toby is now just over 3 years old. So a bit older... But Toby’s odds should be very good. Just the same, it will be difficult to drop him off for surgery on my way to work tomorrow, and I’ll be waiting nervously to hear that he came through the surgery okay and that I can come pick him up.

Please wish Toby luck tomorrow and keep him in your thoughts!

Deadlines For Midwest Gerbil Show Approaching!

noreply@blogger.com (Twin Squeaks Gerbils) — Sun, 27 Sep 2009 21:48:00 +0000

Just a reminder: If you are planning to show any gerbils at this year’s Midwest Gerbil Show in Lincoln, Nebraska, you need to be a paid member of the American Gerbil Society by Wednesday, September 30th. Also, quarantine will begin this Friday, October 2nd!

If you are not planning to bring gerbils, you are still more than welcome to attend! You do not need to be an AGS member to see the lovely gerbils at the show! Admission is just $1, with a $5 per family maximum charge.

In addition to the show itself, there will also be activities for kids at this year’s show, including help making tank backgrounds and fun treats and toys for gerbils! (Since the show is on Halloween, expect to make a few Halloween treats for your gerbils!)

To learn more about the Midwest Show, please click the banner below or read an earlier blog entry about the show.

Smurf Joins Hallie on Ask The Gerbils

noreply@blogger.com (Twin Squeaks Gerbils) — Fri, 25 Sep 2009 00:12:00 +0000

Please join me in welcoming Smurf to the Ask The Gerbils page!

Smurf has been wanting to answer questions, and Herman has decided to let Smurf try his paw at answering kids’ gerbil questions. Smurf will join Hallie, who is already answering questions on Ask The Gerbils.

Herman wants to let everyone know that he’s still going to be around, but he wants to let Twin Squeaks’ youngest gerbil have a turn answering kids’ gerbil questions. :)

Once again, please join Herman, Hallie, and I in welcoming Smurf as our newest letter writer!

New Picture of the Week Page

noreply@blogger.com (Twin Squeaks Gerbils) — Thu, 24 Sep 2009 21:29:00 +0000

We’ve relaunched the Gerbil Picture of the Week page with a whole new look.

A while ago, I thought it might be nice to set the Picture of the Week up similar to a blog, so that you could see more than one week’s featured gerbil photo on a single page and so people could comment on others’ gerbil photos.

(Comments you leave about others’ gerbil photos may take a while to appear, because I plan to moderate all Picture of the Week comments. I don’t want someone who sends a photo of their beloved pets to ever be subjected to rude remarks or comment spam.)

Let me know what you think about the new Gerbil Picture of the Week format!

Brad Pitt Reportedly Builds An $80,000 Gerbil Home

noreply@blogger.com (Twin Squeaks Gerbils) — Mon, 21 Sep 2009 13:48:00 +0000

Usually, I don’t report on celebrity gossip, and in fact, I’ve sat on this news for a couple weeks. But as it is gerbil-related, how can I not post about this??

Last month, Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt adopted an unknown number of gerbils for their kids. A couple weeks later, reports appeared, stating that Brad Pitt had taken his love of architecture and built the gerbils an $80,000 home.

True, most of us don’t have $80,000 to spend on our gerbils. But the Gerbil Tips page has some ideas for ways that you can keep your gerbils happy and entertained, even without tens of thousands of dollars!

Good News About Sebastian

noreply@blogger.com (Twin Squeaks Gerbils) — Mon, 21 Sep 2009 01:37:00 +0000

We have some very good news about Sebastian! When he went in for his surgery, the vet discovered that the growth on his lower lip had gotten much smaller while he was on antibiotics, so he delayed the surgery to give the antibiotics more time to work. He went back on Friday for his follow-up appointment, and to my complete amazement, the growth was gone. I knew I wasn’t able to see it anymore, but the vet couldn’t find any sign of it either, even when using his surgical lamp. It seems that the thing that two vets initially believed was a tumor was just a horrid abscess!

Sebastian will continue what’s left of his antibiotics, and then, unless the growth comes back, he’s done with treatment. It’s amazing, because a couple weeks ago, we were all but certain that he had oral cancer, and today, he’s a perfectly healthy gerbil again! Miracles do happen! :)

Please Keep Sebastian In Your Thoughts

noreply@blogger.com (Twin Squeaks Gerbils) — Sun, 06 Sep 2009 22:27:00 +0000

It’s been a rough weekend here at Twin Squeaks. On Friday night, Sebastian was diagnosed by a local vet with oral cancer. Our usual vet gave the same diagnosis yesterday morning. Tuesday morning, Sebastian will have laser surgery to remove the growth from his lower lip. At that time, it will be biopsied to confirm the diagnosis. Dr. Brad will also check during the surgery to see if there are visible signs that the cancer has spread or if it’s still contained to the mass on his lip.

Sebastian is taking Baytril to treat any secondary infections he might have before he has surgery on Tuesday. He’s also on Metacam, a painkiller that is effective for gerbils when used in the right dosage. It’s made quite a bit of difference for Sebastian in the past couple days. He is much more active than he was Friday before his trip to the vet.

I’m baffled about Sebastian’s illness, because I’ve never heard of another gerbil with oral cancer, and he’s less than two years old. I guess you never can predict these things, though.

I’d really appreciate it if you would all keep Sebastian in your thoughts. Everything hinges on whether the cancer has spread. If it’s still contained, Dr. Brad felt that he should come through the surgery and have a full recovery. If it’s spread, though, there won’t be much more that we can do.