RIP Dusty

We lost our little Dusty today. Parents found him this mornng. They are caring for the gerbils while on vacation. There was red discharge coming from his anal area. I got him a little over a year ago from Donna at the New England gerbil show.  He was not a show gerbil but he made up for that in personality.  I will miss him so much! He was a silver nutmeg. He was1 yr 8 months old. He was a tiny pup. Took him and Chip awhile to get together. Dusty as a pup decided when he wanted to meet Chip. Dusty open the small cage door to let himself out. They have been best buds ever since.

Adopted Pip Today

I have been fostering the little guy for the local APL for two weeks now. He was surrendered to the APL because of too many animals in the home plus he had a bad sore on his behind. It is slowly healing. So after a couple of weeks, we deicided jsut to adopt Pip officially.

He is a wonderful friendly little hamster. He is abut 1 1/2 years old according to the paperwork. he loves to come out and run around in the ball. This picture (above) was taken the day we brought him home November 1st.

This is what he looks like today. Taken 11/16/2013. You can tell by his grooming that he feels much better. Pip is my first foster.

Clarice's Gerbil Cookies/Treats

Handmade cookies/treats for hamsters or gerbils. Cookies are named for my senior mommy gerbil Clarice. Cookies are gerbil approved. These cookies are made from a large batch to order.  They freeze or refrigerate very well.  Made from white unbleached Flour, water, gerbil food, vegetable oil (very tiny amount) and a small amount of honey.

I sent these to many of my gerbil friends and their gerbils love them. I now have them for sale at my Etsy store in 6 and 12 amounts.

These are good for hamsters too. My hamster loves them also.

 https://www.etsy.com/shop/gerbilgal

American Gerbil Society Holds Gerbil Pageant

American Gerbil Society Holds Gerbil Pageant

AGS New England Gerbil Show May 4 2013

Love gerbils? Come to the American Gerbil Society Gerbil Show! Saturday, May 4th, 11am-5pm, Middlesex Community College, Bedford, MA. Gerbil owners and fans are invited to this family-friendly event. Serious gerbil owners and breeders may compete in official judging for the Best-in-Show honors. A fun Pet Class competition for kids gives awards for pets' endearing characteristics. There will be Gerbil Olympics events, exhibits on gerbil colors, gerbil art, other pets, specialty merchandise and a Parade of Gerbils. Admission is just $2.00 (maximum $10.00 per family).

http://www.agsgerbils.org/index.php

Another very sad month

We lost two wonderful little gerbils this month. They were my senior gerbils Toby and Dexter. They would have been 4 years old this May. Toby and Dexter have been for quite some time. Toby had some kind of respiratory problem that he could not shake.  Dexter had a tumor. One was removed and another grew in its place.

Toby was a show gerbil. Just one ribbon away from being a champion. Toby was my ambassador gerbil. He was the one I pick when I want to show a friend a friendly gerbil.

Toby passed first on March 16th at the vet's office. Dexter got really depressed after Toby's passing. They have been together since they were pups. They were very close. They were always happy to see each other. Dexter passed on at the vet's on the 21st. He was very anemic and dehydrated plus I think he missed Toby terribly also. Dexter was on pain meds for awhile. It worked for awhile while Toby was alive. I think Dexter gave up.

Goodbye little ones. You will be missed.

World Spay Day 2013 Pet Pageant

World Spay Day 2013 Pet Pageant

Vote for Toby!

Black Friday Weekend Sale!

Starting today thru Cyber Monday 11 pm Eastern. Use coupon code BLACKFRIDAY to receive FREE SHIPPING on any order.

http://www.etsy.com/shop/gerbilgal

Photo Card

Cheer All Around Christmas

Shop Shutterfly for beautiful photo Christmas cards.

View the entire collection of cards.

Photo Card

Cheer All Around Christmas

Shop Shutterfly's collection of Christmas photo cards.

View the entire collection of cards.

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