Ask The Gerbils

Herman and Hallie are happy to answer your questions about taking care of, playing with, taming, or getting to know your gerbils. However, if you have questions about breeding or gerbil babies, you should ask an experienced breeder, not Herman and Hallie. For breeding questions, please see the American Gerbil Society or a site such as the Gerbil Breeding & Development page.

Monday, July 2, 2007

Dear Herman,

I have not yet thought of a name for my new gerbil, though my sister has been calling her “Tinka.” Do you have any suggestions? I'm not so sure about the name my sister has given her.

From,
-S.



Dear S.,

Do you have any favorite books, movies, or TV shows? Those are great places to find ideas for gerbil names! For example, another gerbil here at Twin Squeaks (Pippi) was named after Pippi Longstocking, and one of the first gerbils at Twin Squeaks was Ramona, who was named after Beverly Cleary's character Ramona Quimby. The youngest gerbil at Twin Squeaks is Gobo, who is named after Gobo from Fraggle Rock.

You could also give your gerbil a name that reminds you of where you adopted her. For example, our friend Jo has gerbils named Dallas and Chicago. You could name your gerbil after the street of the shop where you found her.

Another idea is to look at the color of her fur and think about what the color or type of fur reminds you of. This could give you names like Butterscotch, Bunny, Night, Oreo, Golden, Fudge, or Cotton.

You can also watch how your gerbil acts and name her after something she likes to do. Popular gerbil names include Digger, Peek, Thumper, Jumper, Chewy, and Dasher.

I hope one of those ideas helps you find the perfect name for your newest family member. Tell her that Herman says hello!

Your good buddy,
Herman