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Cheer All Around Christmas

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Meet Charlie the Hamster

Meet Charlie

Meet Charlie and Pip.  They are known as Teddy Bear Hamsters.  They are both available for adoption.  C and P are less than a year old.  Cages are included.  They make great quiet furry friends. Frienship APL in Elyria Ohio. Both these hamsters are very gentle. Love to be held and petted.

Looking for Vintage Gerbil Photos 1950s-1970s

My new project for the 2013 New England Gerbil Show is a collection of vintage gerbil photos dating from the 1970's and back. I found a good collection on Ebay and now I want to expand it.

Did you have gerbils growing up in the 1960's and 1970's? I would love a copy of a photo of your gerbils with a story about them.

I am even looking for old newspaper, magazine, catalogs articles about the "new" pet. Gerbils came tothe US in the 1950's as laboratory animals but people soon discovered how they make wonderful pets in the home and classroom. Many people had "gerbil farms".  One such book is called "The Gerbil Farmer's Daughter". I highly recommend reading this book.

Emal me or comment here if you can help.

New England Gerbil Show 2012 - Winners!

I attended the new England Gerbil Show in Nashua NH May 19, 2012. I entered 5 gerbils in the main competition. All 5 got ribbons!!

First off. The Senior class. This is where gerbils that are 2 1/2 years old and older compete. My wonderful 3 year old Agouti Toby won his second Blue Ribbon.

Next is my 1 year old Lilac Male Bobby that I bred myself. Bobby won his second 2nd Place Red ribbon in the Self Class. It was broken into categories. Bobby was in the Self/Red Eyes.

In the same class, Bobby's brother Rocket took third also. This is his first ribbon.

Last are my two girls Chole and Aster. They are Argente in the White Belly Class. This is a very competitive class. Aster got third and Chloe got an Honorable Mention. This is their first ribbons also. Chole and Aster are from the same litter as Bobby and Rocket.  Maybe I have something here?

I am so proud of my kids. Lastly I brought home a new baby boy to be paired up with Chip. He is a 7 week old Silver Nutmeg. Isn't he the cutest? We named him Dusty.

Sam is a Winner!

On April 1, 2012, Petco was have a Small Animal Picture Day that weekend for two days. They had various backgrounds. All you needed to do was bring your little pet, camera and some props to have fun taking pictures. I brought my gerbil Sam to the local Petco and had some fun. Later, you uploaded one of the pictures to the Petco site to vote. Most votes overall was a $500 Petco Giftcard and the runner up was $250 in each category. Guess what....My little Sam won for having the most votes in the gerbil category! He won me a $250 Petco giftcard to spoil him rotten.  He was a real good gerbil at the store. Kids came up asking to pet him. He  was so sweet. He will be 3 years old May 18th.

Gerbil Fighting and Loss

This has been a week of bad. Sam and his son decided to fight. Result...Sam the dad lost and is now separated from Bobby and Gin. This happened last week.

I lost one of my girls Milly this morning. She had a very bad stroke overnight and could not recover.

Now.....my two young boys. Brothers from birth decided to have a ball fight. I have the bloody fingers to prove it. They are now separated. This happened a little after 10pm tonight. 

I am tired, sad, and frustrated. The only thing good this week is that I am going to the Cleveland Auto show Thursday.

Fuzzy Feet 'n' Furry Tails Gerbils: GIVEWAY!!!!!!!!

Fuzzy Feet 'n' Furry Tails Gerbils: GIVEWAY!!!!!!!!: It's come. Remember this post ?! Well, we now have 15 followers!!! SO, It's time for a giveaway!! Diane Nott's Etsy sh...

Knitted Hamsters

Attempt 1

Attempt 2

Attempt 3

This is my latest knitting projects. I made some knitted hamsters. Not as good as my knitted gerbils but close.  What do you think of them?

Frodo to the Vet

This past Monday I had to take my little hamster Frodo to the vet. He developed a cyst on his neck. The vet prescribed some medicine for him. He is doing just fine. He loves his medicine. Tastes good to him.

“How Are You Today?” – The Top 7 Interview Answers | TheLadders

“How Are You Today?” – The Top 7 Interview Answers | TheLadders

That gnawing feeling . . . of love Regional gerbil show offers fun, educational experience - Omaha.com

That gnawing feeling . . . of love Regional gerbil show offers fun, educational experience - Omaha.com

The Ralston Recorder's Article on the Gerbil Show.

Gerbils charm hearts of judges - Omaha.com

Gerbils charm hearts of judges - Omaha.com

I was there and had a blast. My senior gerbil Sam took third and my Lilac Male Bobby took second in his class.

Gerbil Mug Rug

Take a look at this wonderful Gerbil Mug Rug that I received in a Crafster Swap. it is so beautiful. My partner knew I love gerbils so she made me this Mug Rug with a gerbil on it.

Friendship APL Elyria Ohio

I volunteer at the APL.

Little Bear's Time is Short

Little Bear's time is winding down soon.  He barely ate anything this morning. We had him in his cozy on our lap this morning before work. He is so tired. It takes all his energy just to eat a small pea. We even took the skin off for him. Medication doesn't seem to helping much now even the Metacam.  I will be surprised if he lives to the weekend. He is the senior gerbil of  the group.  You should have seen him last night on Steve's lap. He took a long nap in his fleece cozy. Steve radiates heat. Little Bear loves it. Little Bear got some energy and climbed all over Steve. Nose twitching to the sounds of the other gerbils. I know that comforts him.  He knows that he is loved.   This hammock was a craft swap item that I received recently. Little Bear loved climbing on it and just rocked and bonked his head on it.

Little Bear

Little Bear is over 3 1/2 years old. His birthday is in October. He is currently on his third round of antibiotics for his heavy breathing. I know that his condition is probably chronic. I also give him some Metacam every other day to help with any pain. He recently took a fall off Steve's shoulder. Steve was kneeling so it wasn't that far. He hurt his one shoulder. He is still hobbling around. It is slowly getting better. We let him run around the floor this morning. surround by us and other stuff. He can't go that fast. He has fun. He always came back to the towel and his cosy as his safe point. We are just enjoying him day by day. We know his time is limited. There is only so much we can do. He is still fiesty doing normal gerbil stuff.  Eating, drinking and chewing. We are supplementing his diet with small amounts of fruit and vegetables that he loves.  He knows that we love him dearly.

 In the picture above was taken two days ago on Steve's lap. Little Bear loves to lay in his cozy now on Steve's lap because it is so nice and warm.

Dexter is Going to the Vet Tomorrow

Dexter is going to the vet sometime tomorrow. I noticed that he was acting rather lethargic. I was able to pick him up which is not normal for him. He has had a sore on scent gland for awhile. It has not gotten worse until now. He has really started licking it alot to the point of an open sore. It must be itchy to him. I gave him a little Metacam to help with any pain. I also put some of the salve that the vet gave me to help it a little. I know he is going to have to have surgery on it. There is no choice. I have seen this before with Buddy.

The vet office will call me in the morning for an appointment. I will keep you posted on what happened at the vet.

July 6, 2011 Update:  Dexter had 'minor' surgery. His little nipple sore (that he had for awhile) was lanced off. For some reason this time it was really bugging him causing him to lick and bite it. So no major surgery needed. Thank goodness. Dexter is a happy little gerbil now. Sleeping next to his buddy Toby. Vet said that sometimes this happens in male gerbils. Sometimes males get a nipple and becomes inflamed.

Baby Boys are Back and Happy Memorial Day

The boys came back to me last night.  The family is highly allergic to them. They got tested from their doctor to be sure.  They were ok with syrian short haired hamsters. So they are going to get a hammie from a local breeder that I recommended.  They named the boys Cherub and Rocket.  I am keeping the name Rocket but maybe changing the name from Cherub to Chip after my dad. It was his nickname when he was working.

Also, Happy Memorial Day from me and the gerbils:

Two Babies Got Adopted

My two 9 1/2 week old lilac pups got adopted by friends of ours  yesterday evening. They are good pups. Very friendly and tame. The family will take real good care of them. They recently lost their hamster. They  were really looking forward to adopting them. I will miss them. I watched them being born and grow up into wonderful little gerbils.They love to chew and run in the wheel. They also love their morning Cheerio. The family will send me updates and pictures of them once in awhile. I will let you know what their names will be.

Little Bear All Better

Little Bear my oldest (3 1/2 years old) has been real sick since last Wednesday. I took him to the vet Thursday evening.  The vet prescribed Baytril and the pink antibiotic that I already have. So LB has been on two medications twice a day.  He has made a full recovery. He loves his medicine.

I really thought he wouldn't make it Saturday. He was so sick. The Baytril must mus finally kicked in.  By evening he start acting like his normal self.  He is now a happy little boy again doing his normal gerbil stuff.  He will be on the Baytril until tomorrow morning and the other stuff to next Wednesday.

He is a strong willed little gerbil. He refused to give up. He is a nutmeg but no ticking in his fur. He was dark as a pup but his fur just kept getting lighter and lighter.

Gerbil Show Time

April 30, 2011:  I attended the AGS New England Gerbil Show in Bedford MA at the Middlesex Community college. I had a blast at the show this year. It was great seeing old friends and making new ones. The public looked like they really enjoyed all the activities and displays at the show. And of course all the gerbils in all their cuteness. Who can resist all the baby gerbils at the show. The crowd was light but there was always someone walking around. We had two Mock Shows and Tube Chew contests. One in the morning and one in the afternoon. We had gerbil races in the morning. We also had a special new activity this year. Maze timed running's. This was enjoyed by all. I hope it becomes a regular activity at future shows. I even entered my own Clarice in the competition. For fun, I enter my black boy Dexter in the afternoon Mock Show and Tube chew contests. Dexter tied for 3rd in his Mock show category. A beautiful Burmese girl won Best in Show. There was a gorgeous PEW boy that so reminded me of my Bud.

My favorite moment this year was Jennifer's Rafe. Last year was climbing shoulders. This year he wanted to jump. He could not get enough jumping from one set of hands to another. He was having a blast. Of course he got a new cozy for being so adorable. Jennifer was amazed at what Rafe wanted to do. There is no stopping this senior gerbil. He is great in the pet class competitions.

I have all my pictures and videos from the show posted on my showpage. The picture shown is my Dexter.
http://hhgerbilry.com/agsgerbilshowne2011.html

If you attended the show, what were some of your favorite show moments?

Bud has Passed

Our senior gerbil Bud passed on this morning a little after 6:30am. He died in his cozy (bonk-bonk) on my lap. Funny thing is though;  that about 5 minutes before Bud died, Dexter was thumping so loud that we heard it and knew something was wrong. Toby and Dexter's cage is right in front of Bud. They can see and can smell each other all the time. I do believe that Dexter was telling us something about Bud. I also think that these three might have been closer than we thought.

Bud was about 4 years old. He was at first paired with Trixie. He adored her. After Trixie passed, we tried pairing up Toby and Dexter with him. It never worked out so Bud ended up being a lone gerbil. He thrived.  Bud became our "people" gerbil. He answered to his name. Loved getting hand gerbil massages. Shoulder sitter and watch tv while doing it. Loved our laps. We were his clan. There were times that Bud groomed my arm like gerbils do when they groom each other. He was so gentle.  Bud liked being in the ball once in awhile. Wheel runner. Just a big wonderful 100+ gram white gerbil. We loved him so much. We will miss you.

Sam and Clarice Litter 2

"Bobby" (4 weeks old)

Clarice had her second and final litter this morning. So far three little pups. We took Sam and Bobby out last night. Clarice was showing signs that she was due very soon. Milly and Ginger are with Clarice helping to raise the second litter. They will take the place of Sam in the care department. Clarice was such a good mom with Bobby, Milly and Ginger. She will be a good mom to these pups.

Just pray the new litter will make through the next few days. This is the first critical stage of a pup's life.

Clarice had her litter too fast. I was going to clean the tank today. I will wait another week and do some spot cleaning. The wheel seems to calm her down so I left it in this time.  The wheel is raised so the new pups won't get hurt. This is gong to be fun watching these pups grow up with their older siblings caring for them.


Sam and Bobby are dong just fine. Bobby didn't know what do with his dad all by himself. He was used to his sisters around. They cuddled up last night in their new house. I saw Bobby eat out of the food bowl this morning. Bobby does know how to drink from the water bottle. I will probably put them in a 15 gallon later. Right now they are in a 10 gallon. They will be gong to the gerbil show in little over a month. Sam and Bobby will be competing.

Pups Now 3 weeks old

The pups are 3 weeks old as of March 14th. Their eyes are open. They are very active learning to be gerbils. They started sampling their parents food and chewing bits of cardboard. Their little teeth are coming in. So far their favorite is rolled oats. A nice soft food they can eat. The pups favorite place to play is in the chube.  They will be learning to use the water bottle soon as mom will start weaning them from the milk. Sam and Bobby will be in their own tank at the five week mark. Clarice is expected to have her second litter by then (if she is pregnant)..  The girls will stay with mom to help with the second litter and keep mom company. Milly is the calmest of the pups. She likes to be held. All the pups will be going to their first gerbil show to compete in the pup class April 30th in Bedford, MA.  Sam will be competing as well as my agouti Toby.

Big Day for the Pups

This is a big day for one of our girl pup. She opened her eyes today. We decided to call her Milly. She has a straight tail while her twin sister has a kink in her tail. That is the only way I can tell them apart right now. Bobby and his sister should be opening their eyes in the next day or two. They move so fast that it is hard to take a good picture. This was the best picture I could take of Milly today. She looks just like her daddy Sam.

12 Day Old Pups

The pups are now 12 days old. Fully furred in their premolt colors. Two orange girls are possibly argente and one gray boy probably sapphire. Sapphire is a beautiful color. It is lighter than lilac but darker than dove. The mom Clarice is a Dove.

6 Day Old Pups

The pups are starting to show their fuzz colors. One is clearly grey while the other two are orange. They are dark eyed. The grey will probably be either a grey agouti or a siamese. The orange ones have a few possiblites still. They could be nutmegs, DEH or others. Please let me know what you think. I won't know their sex until they are 7-10 days old.

4 Day Old Baby Gerbils

I just took this picture a few minutes ago. They are so cute. They are going to have dark eyes for sure. Can't determine colors yet. The skin tone is looking dark so their fur will be in the darker range. I think the fourth pup is gone unless hidden real well. They look strong, fed and healthy

.

2 day old Gerbil babies

Here is a picture of my little babies. Only two days old. There are four in there. Count the paws.

Clarice and Sam - 4 babies born today

Born today. 4 little baby gerbils. Parents Clarice and Sam

Snow and Knitting

I really hope we have a snow day tomorrow. I want to do some knitting and play with my gerbils. I heard and saw on the radar that is going to be bad. I heard on the scale of the 1978 blizzard. I vaguely remember that as a kid. We had no school and my sister and I had a blast outside in the snow. Mom took pictures. I live in Northern Ohio so it is coming. Be careful tonight and tomorrow if you are on the roads. I would avoid going out unless you really really had to.

HHG February Pet Photo Contest - Need Entries

I am going to start back up the photo contest for February. I only have 3 entries. I would like at least a few more. I am accepting entries until January 31 at 11pm. Open to all pets. Please email them to me directly or  gerbilcontest@hhgerbilry.com

http://hhgerbilry.com/gerbilshow1.html

Thanks!

Meet Becca Rose

This is Becca Rose (formally Adora from previous post). I adopted her from the APL Friday, January 14, 2011. I visited her the night before and I had to adopt her. I estimate her age to be about 8 months old. She is a PEW (Pink eyed White). She is family to my older PEW male Bud. She is so sweet. Loves to chew. We got her a wheel yesterday and loves it. We also found out that the petstore that she and Bud came from no longer have white gerbils as all the white gerbils from that store are Bud's descendants. So now she is the last. It was fate that I got her. She is currently in a 5 1/2 gallon tank until we can get her into a 10. She loves her new home now since her old home was 1/2 that size and it was one of those all plastic Habitrail type cage with a wire bottom.  The names comes from the character Rebecca (Becca) from the HBO show Californication and Rose came from my sister and mom. Since she was family to Bud, "Rose Bud". She has a mangled ear probably from squabbling with her tank mates at the store. She might also have a dust problem as her nose is very red.

Featured Shelter Critter of the Week - Adora the Gerbil

This is little Adora. She came to the Friendship APL on the weekend of January 8, 2011. She is a cute ruby eyed white gerbil. She is an adult. She looks like a very sweet little girl. She current resides at the Friendship APL in Elyria Ohio. Would you consider giving this little girl a home?

Details about Adora can be found on Petfinder.com

Simone has passed

We got little Simone when she was 5 weeks old.  She turned into a a girl at 6 weeks old. Her first partner was Mona. After a little more than 2 1/2 years with Mona, she passed. Simone was then paired up with Sam. Sam adored her. Sam took real good care of her. Simone showed Sam the art of bed making. Simone was a sweet and gentle soul. She loved to be picked up. A shoulder sitter. Simone would have made a good show gerbil but she had nose allergies all her life. She loved her peas and corn. She was on metacam the final two weeks. It helped her much especially when Sam was ill over Christmas. Simone was well enough to take care of Sam.  The last couple of days Simone was on the decline. She had a bad tumor. Simone passed at the vet this morning. She will be buried next to Spot in my parents backyard.  Sweet Dreams little Simone.

Simone is Still Here

Simone is still with us. She is on metacam. She gets a dose everyday now. Her tumor did go away once but it came back with a vengeance. Her normal weight was 75 grams. Her heaviest with the tumor was 90 grams. She is now down to 85 grams. She still eats when we feed her and sometimes from the food bowl. She still drinks when we offer her the water bottle. She has not really chewed anything in over a week. I hear her grinding her teeth. She likes to sleep in a fleece cosy on our laps. She does sometimes get a small burst of energy but she is sleeping more and more. She is peeing but I have not seen any poop. She is peeing where she sleeps but Simone is still keeping her underbelly clean. Sam is taking good care of her by sleeping close to her and groom her when needed. Her coat is becoming raggy looking. She still has the lip problem.

Simone is over 3 years old. Is there anymore I can do? Should I take her to the vet to at least get her teeth checked? She is day to day.

Take a look at her last few pictures here:
http://picasaweb.google.com/gerbilgal/Gerbils2010

The pictures are the few last ones in the folder.

The Christmas Wish

Simone is a spotted Siamese. 3 years old.  Sam is a yellow Fox one year old.  Simone has been ill since early December. She has an abdominal tumor. She is currently on Metacam. She is back to her fiesty self. Doing all the normal gerbil stuff. Not 100% but she is happy. My first miracle this Christmas.

 

Sam got sick Friday morning on the 24th. We started him on antibiotics.  He did drink and ate very little all day Friday. He did take one or two long drinks Friday if I held the water bottle. This morning he was not looking good at all. Sam would not eat or drink. I did give him his medicine. The vet told me yesterday that I doing all I can for him. I even have a small reptile heater to help keep him warm. I was very hesitant to leave this morning to go spend Christmas with Steve's family 2 hours away. There was nothing else we could do for Sam so we left.  I did make a wish for Sam before leaving that he will be ok. We got back home about 5:30pm expecting the worst.  When there in the tank we saw Sam running about being a perfectly normal gerbil. The medicine worked! I have my Sam back. My wish came true. My second miracle.  

Sam is so happly that I have seen him sitting in the wheel twirling and swishing his tail. I have only seen this behavior done only once or twice before. I got some wonderful gifts for Christmas but my best gift was my little babies.

Merry Christmas One and All!

Gerbil Lovers Descend On Tulsa For Show - NewsOn6.com - Tulsa, OK - News, Weather, Video and Sports - KOTV.com |

Gerbil Lovers Descend On Tulsa For Show - NewsOn6.com - Tulsa, OK - News, Weather, Video and Sports - KOTV.com |

This looked like so much fun. I usually go to the the New England Show in the Spring.  Gerbils Shows are so cool.

Happy 3rd Brithday to Spot and Simone

Halloween Gerbils!

This is Spot and Simone. They were born on Halloween 3 years ago today.  I got them when they were just 3 weeks old. Tiny little pups. Spot is a 2 time blue ribbon AGS winner. Simone is just a sweet little girl that loves to be picked up. She is my last little girl out of 7 gerbils. I know have 4 gerbils that are seniors.

Wish my little ones a Happy Birthday!

Happy Halloween!

Happy Birthday Little Bear! 3 years old today

My Little Bear turned 3 years old today. I had him since he was a young pup at 7 weeks old. A big boy at 120 grams.

Sad, Sad, SAd Day

At about 4:50am this morning, Spot and Little Bear Declanned.

Steve was sleeping on the sofa chair last night because I am still getting over a cold. Steve heard a commotion. They were banging the plastic house around. It didn't stop. Steve got up and found them in a ball. Steve had a hardtime separating them. He got bit hard. He called for me. There was blood on LB and Spot. Spot immediately went into the 5 gallon. Started looking them over. Spot got the worst of it. His paw got bit hard. I cleaned them up the best I could. This happened about 4:50 in the morning. Thank god Steve was sleeping next to them or I might have had a dead gerbil in the morning. I think LB was the aggressor.

This morning. Not a scratch on LB. Spot on the other hand. His paw has swelled up a little. I put some Neosporin on it. He is not a happy gerbil right now. Little Bear is fine.

 Steve thought it was his blood on the gerbil but the proof was this morning. It was theirs. That means they cannot be together anymore.

If I wasn't sick and  if I didn't put that noisy plastic house in the tank, I hate to think of what I would have found in tne morning. Spot is now in a 10 gallon and recovering well.

Guinea Pigs Up for Adoption at the Friendship APL in Elyria Ohio

The shelter recently had a hording case and rescued 60 guinea pigs from a Lorain County resident. The pigs are all in good shape and ready for adoption. There are males & females and colors galore. Adoption fees for the guineas will be only $10.00. If you think a dog or cat is too much trouble and your child wants a pet, try a guinea pig!

Currently there are about 25 piggies that still need adopted. Go to the Friendship APL web site for more information, They are also on Facebook.

Friendship APL

Friendship APL Facebook

Toby and Dexter went missing

Dexter and Toby

I had a major scare when I got home today. Dexter and Toby were missing!  One of the tubes came off. Dexter somehow got into one of small trash cans that was next to one of the sofa chairs.  Toby was more difficult. We spread food everywhere and looked everywhere.  He was in the kitchen all this time under the cabinets. There are openings under the panels. Luckily I was able to scoop him up. Dexter was so happy to see his buddy again. I thought Toby was gone. Toby is so tired. He is sleeping. It was almost an hour before he ventured out. Toby must have smelled the sunflower and pumpkin seeds.

The loose tube is now taped up real good. It will not come off again. They were probably out all afternoon. We found signs of Toby in Steve's computer room. Poopies everywhere and found gerbil track on some of the dusty stuff. He was everywhere in that room. I am just happy that he is safe and sound and pray that he did not eat anything bad for him. We look around. I think he was safe but who know what is behind the panels. We are going to get those taped up tonight so it will not happen again.

Bud had a Fall

Bud was having some out of cage time with us last night. He was having a blast running all over our laps and on the sofa chair. He got to the top of the chair. Either I slightly moved the chair or something on TV startled him. He took a flying leap off the chair and landed right into the wooden magazine rack that is next to the chair. I am not sure if he hit the magazines or the wood part. He was pretty dazed.  Mostly likely in shock of what happened. We put him back into his cage ever so gently and let him recover. Steve stayed up with him for an extra hour. He did eat and drink but he definitely was not his normal self. This morning he looked better. We had his food and water bottled brought down to the first level. He ate his food and his morning cheerio. He was chewing some and even jogged in his wheel for a few seconds. We drove home for lunch to check on him. He is doing better. His side is a little sore. I had some leftover Metacam which I gave him. It is just going to be day by day. I read online that something like this takes 2-3 days before he is back to his normal self.

Little furry frenzy

Little furry frenzy

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One Week Until I Leave for the Gerbil Show!

One week until I leave for the gerbil in Nashua NH. My gerbils are all ready and cute to win ribbons. It  is such a fun event. Meeting gerbil people from all over.  The show is on May 1st at the Holiday Inn in Nashua NH. Click on the link in the title for details.  Who is coming? Look for me. I am the one that will be selling the knitted gerbils.

Woolly Knitted Gerbil

I think it is time for a blog update. I recently was in a Craftser swap and got some beautiful homespun yarn. Wool/Angora Blend 3 ply. I asked for gerbil colors. I knitted up some knitted gerbils from my pattern. I went down a needle size since the yarn was a little thinner. They turned up great. The angora really brings out the gerbil. I might enter this little guy in the local fair in the fall. They look so real. What do you think? I am slowly trying to wean myself off all acrylic and go for more wool or wool blend yarns. I am planning on taking these guys to the gerbil show in May.

I am On a Knitting Podcast!

I was interviewed via phone a couple of weeks ago about my knitted gerbils for a knitting podcast. Since they do have gerbils on the show occasionally. It was perfect. She found me through my Etsy store. The podcast is called The Savvy Girls Podcast. This was first interview ever!

My interview is about 10 minutes into the podcast. Her gerbils do a a little bit close to end of the podcast. It was Melanie's Birthday so she could do critters to her hearts content.

Listen to Episode 15 also. There some very cute gerbil bits.

Check it out and let me know what you think.

My New Gerbil Esty Store

I just opened my new store today. I have 3 of my knitted necklaces for sale and my hamster keychains. Go take a look. I will be having more items in the next few days. Excellent Holiday gift items and stocking stuffers.

Store Name: Squeaky Knitting Designs

What do you think? I welcome opinions and suggestions.

Gerbil and Hamster Update

Just an small update on my babies.

Sam is doing fine alone. He does get a little bored. He recently started purring when we take him out to play.

Bud is thriving on being alone. Not at all depressed.

Spot and Little bear now a tad over 2 years old. Starting in the senior realm of gerbils. Spot recently started jumping into my hand and climbing onto my shoulder without any bribery. Little is starting to do the same.

Toby and Dexter are doing just fine. We still need to work with Dexter more. Still a little skittish. Toby is as friendly as he can be.

Mona and Simone are also a little over 2 years old now. Simone still has her nose problem but it is under control. Mona is now a good friendly gerbil. I can pick her up with no problem. Simone loves to be picked up.

Fred the Hamster is now abut 1.5 years old now. He is still going just fine. Still loves his ball. Loves to be brushed. With his long hair. He needs it.

Bud and Sam Not Meant to Be

Poor Bud and Sam. Putting them together was not meant to be. Their personalities clashed. They won't even interact when I held each one in my hand. They have been in a split since the end of the July.

Last night Bud went to his own digs. I took the divider out and gave Sam the big 20 gallon for now. I will just have to give them extra toys and stimulation. Bud was always good with the ladies. I might get him a senior female to love. I might do the same with Sam later on. Male to female bonding seems to always work better.

Bud is about 1 1/2 feet away from the other two boys. At least he can smell them and know they are around. I am planning on putting Sam in the 15 gallon (where Mona and Simone are currently located) and give the girls the big 20 gallon to romp around. That sounds like the best option I have right now. This is my first failure in try to put two gerbils together.

Also, while I was cleaning an extra small cage, I found Trixie's last thing she chewed. A partial paper plate. It brought sadness to my heart.

Bud and Sam Intro Round 2

Well...this past Saturday on the 29th I tried another intro.

It went a little better. I managed to keep them together for about 1 1/2 hours before they wanted to hurt each other. I really thought it might work today. The split tank was cleaned out. It had to be cleaned. A tiny bug problem. There are wheels on both sides of the 20 gallon split now.

They seem to want to be together. They sleep in each others beds. They like the scent of the other gerbil but when face to face. Nope. They are both dominant type gerbils. One of their fights, I got bit hard with the gloves on from Bud. I think Bud got bit in the rump. No blood but it is tender to the touch.

The neutral territory seems to work for the short term. What do think? If anything, the split can be permanent so at least they won't be totally alone. I will still do the flip flopping and the butt sniffing.

Will keep on trying every weekend. I have never had failure of putting two gerbils together.

Gerbil Updates

It's been awhile since I posted. A bunch has happened over the month. A couple of days after this last post, Trixie passed on. She developed pneumonia.

We didn't want Bud to be left alone. So we got three wonderful 8 week old pups on July 24th.. We thought we might make a foursome. It wasn't to be. The pups were all too old to be put together. So we left two pups together. The other pup we are split caging with Bud. The pups names are Dexter (after the tv show), Toby, and Sam.

Bud and Sam have been in a split cage for almost 4 weeks. I swap sides regularly. I tried an intro last week. They ended up in a gerbil ball. No blood drawn. Alot of back arching and shoving and
tense nose to nose sniffing. Lucky I was wearing gloves. These two want to be dominate gerbil. Sam is over 12 weeks old now and Bud about 2 years old.

I know they want to be together but someone has to be the boss. Bud needs the company of another gerbil. Bud started purring in my hand when I take him out now. He really wants company. Even little Sam sometimes purrs when I take him out to hold.

I try using "hand" intros but they seem to don't want to really interact in my hand. There is plenty of butt sniffing though. They are both sleeping near the wire almost everyday now.

Any suggestions to help? By now, they have to smell alike. I want to try again this weekend. Would doing brief intros at night for a few minutes help? I have never had a split cage go this long.

Trixie's Weekly Update

Trixie is holding on. She still weighs about 60 grams. She has slowed down. Breathing is becoming more labored. She is still eating and drinking on her own with supplement food from me. She starting to like bread crust. So I have been feeding that also. She now likes to sit in my lap in her pouch where it is nice and warm. She is losing some muscle mass.

She still likes to chew on paper plates. She still grooms Bud. Bud grooms her and trys to keep her warm. I am still giving her twice a treatments. She is still peeing and pooing. The poo is getting a little less. Trixie will tell me when it is time to go. Not today.

I have not seen her in the wheel in the past couple of days. She is still very spunky. Eyes and ear bright as ever. Still purrs when I hold her. She still likes to sit on my shoulder when she wants to. She will sit there for minutes. My shoulder must be a warm place.

I know her time is coming soon. Her fur is starting to shed a little. Why do gerbils have such short lives? I wish Trixie could live to four (December 8 birthday) but I know that is not to be. I will cherish everyday that she is here with us. Trixie loves being with her people.

Send her comforting wishes.

Trixie - Weekly Update

I am going to keep a weekly posting on Trixie's progress of her condition. She did well this past week. We are still feeding her the extra food she needs to stay active so she can do as near normal gerbil stuff as she can. Trixie is still eating, chewing, playing a little with her buddie Bud. She gets cooked noodles everyday (one noodle at least 3-4 times a day) with a little bit of her favorite baby food. Gerber's Oatmeal, banana and apple.

She is still getting her twice a day treatment of her medicine and the Povidone Scrub for her sore. She still loves to come out and climb all me. Lately, she has been loving just to perch on my shoulder. She purrs more often now.

I think she is losing a little bit of her muscle mass in her back legs. She has to struggle just a little to climb on their wooden house. Trixie does not climb the Crittertrail tubes anymore. She trys to jog in the wheel a little.

I weigh her every week now. She is still maintaining her weight around the 60-62 gram mark. She has not lost weight since I started feeding her the extra food. She does eat her normal gerbil food when hungry. She loves her pumpkin and sunflower seeds (unshelled). I did see her drink from the water bottle so I know that she is not getting dehydrated.

Trixie Update

It's been a little over 2 weeks since Trixie was diagnosed with cancer. She is doing well. She is still a very active spunky little girl. She is thriving on the extra food we have been feeding her. She gets cooked elbow noodles everyday. At least 3 times a day. Trixie also gets a small portion of baby food at least 3-4 times a day. Her favorite is Gerber Oatmeal, Apple and Banana. She gobbles it right up. She has also been gaining some of her weight back. She is about 62-63 grams now.

I took her into the vet for a quickie checkup. I was concerned because her sore was a little redder than usual. Nothing to worry about. He said to continue the same treatment. The vet said he had seen sores on gerbils like this one last for months. Because it is cancer around the sore, it can't heal properly. Trixie is helping also by keeping the area around the sore clean.

I can't wait for my current craft swap package from Guam. I asked her if she would make Trixie a little play pouch for when Trixie comes on my lap to play. She is still purrring.