The Last Post of the Year
What can I say about this year that hasn’t been said?
I leave it with a shrug.
Yes, it is over.
Yes, there is someone who I respected who isn’t around to start another year.
Yes, bad things happened – but some good things did too.
The Kid is alive. The Wife is alive. I’m alive.
And for some mysterious reason we’ve ended up with 7 of these little guys:
Those are gerbil pups – about 11 days old now.
Life is strange and every year it gets stranger still.
cutie pie:
ARRGH!! i spelled my name wrong above this one.
6 May 2008, 12:49 pmcutie pie:
ARRGH!! i spelled my name wrong above this one.
6 May 2008, 12:49 pmcutie pie:
oops sorry i accidentally pressed ‘Submit Comment’ twice
6 May 2008, 12:50 pmScott Kirwin:
CP
I don’t see why not, but seeds would be better.
I’m not big on giving human food to animals; their needs are different than ours.
Try to stick to gerbil/hamster food. It may seem boring to you, but it’s not to them.
6 May 2008, 5:47 pmcutie pie:
ok just wondering but i bought a trail mix that has dried pasta in it so thats why i asked.
7 May 2008, 7:46 amcutie pie:
i just have to say…. I LOVE MY LITTLE FLUFFY GERBIL-BERBILS
😀 
😀 
7 May 2008, 7:48 amScott Kirwin:
Everyone
I’ve added a Bulletin Board/Forum to discuss pets. It’s pretty bare right now, but if you have any questions/comments please visit and post them here.
(http://therazor.org/pets)
This will allow me to answer questions about all the animals I know about including dogs, cats, and fish. Did you know that I started raising tropical fish when I was 9 years old and haven’t stopped? I now have 3 aquariums and a large pond – and have learned quite a bit in the past 30 years about fish.
And cats… The Wife and I have rescued about 30 stray cats – some of whom I’ve written about on this website (click the animals & pets category top right).
7 May 2008, 10:01 pmJennifer:
I have a baby gerbil that looks exactly like the gold ones with dark ears. It is the only one of ten that is not black. The parents are black too. Is it an argente even though the ears are black?
16 May 2008, 10:58 amHarper:
Wow! I havn’t been on this site in FOREVER! Just gonna let you know that i stil have no gerbils. but im still working on it! any more suggestions???
28 May 2008, 8:09 pmJo:
they’re so cute! My gerbil had babies like a month ago and one of them looked like the brown and black one.
6 June 2008, 8:06 pmcutie pie:
HELP
! my gerbil’s front teeth are soooooo short i can bareley see them the bottom ones are fine does she need to go to the vet if she does, how much willl it cost????
22 July 2008, 9:51 amScott Kirwin:
CP
Is she able to eat okay?
If so then I wouldn’t worry too much. Just make sure that there’s nothing in the cage that could break her teeth – no metal for example. Wood’s fine.
As for the vet, whenever I walk into a vet I expect it to cost at least $100. Vets are important, and if she’s stopped eating or appears sick in any other way you should go (the cost is a price we pay for keeping animals. The worst thing in the world is to have a sick pet and not take it to the vet when it needs help just because you don’t want to spend the $$$).
But watch her eat. If she’s eating then she’s probably okay.
22 July 2008, 12:39 pmKiwi:
they are so cute
i want one so bad but my mom says no (she thinks that they will bite) :’(
3 August 2008, 4:19 pmcutiepie:
thank you soooooo much my gerb is fine now i just had to feed her soft foods until her teeth grew back
25 August 2008, 12:19 pmScott Kirwin:
Glad to hear she’s doing better!
25 August 2008, 12:57 pmCutie pie:
hey guys………………. ummmm my gerbil has a HUGE scab and we’re all worried about her. we’re wondering what we can do. I’m goning to post it on the the other picture blog thingy but if we need to take her to the vet, can you tell me what vet you would reccommend best thats in Ohio? Okay, thanks.
2 January 2009, 5:45 pmScott Kirwin:
CP
2 January 2009, 10:34 pmMy feeling is that if you think you need to see a vet, then you should go. It will cost you a little bit of money, but you’ll get piece of mind.
Cutie pie:
but what can i do at home till we find a vet for Sminder? she keeps scratcing the scab and its not making the sitch and better.
3 January 2009, 11:48 amCutie pie:
sorry i meat A N Y instead of A N D
3 January 2009, 11:49 amScott Kirwin:
Is she acting normal? She isn’t stressed out or anything is she?
Take time to watch her and make sure that no one is bullying her. Also make sure she isn’t bored. Sometimes animals will scratch themselves just because they are bored.
It sounds to me like she might have a skin condition. Make sure her cage is clean. Also you might want to visit a pet shop – one that sells gerbils and a smaller shop, not Petsmart or Petco. They might sell have a medicated dust bath.
However I would rather you call your local dog/cat vet and ask if they handle gerbs. If not ask them to recommend a vet that does. The vet can tell whether its a skin condition or a wound.
3 January 2009, 7:01 pmCutie Pie:
ok thanks 😀
5 January 2009, 11:47 amCUTIE PIE:
HELP
HELP HELP HELP FAST
!! my gerbils tail is bald in spots she claense her tail alot and may just be pulling out hair… but im willing to spend any money to help her get better…. her tail is normal looking i mean its not bent awkwardly at least…….. but please please please please respond ASAP
! im worrying sick about her
! and im in hyterics
:’(
23 January 2009, 1:06 pmScott Kirwin:
CP
23 January 2009, 3:52 pmSee my comment in this thread:
http://therazor.org/?p=525
sophie.fun@btinternet.com:
i have a gerbil and want to bread him with my friends new gerbil my gerbil is a boy and my friends is a girl our mums say we can but i read some comments and thought twice and i am not sure what to do
2 February 2009, 5:52 amSOPHIE gerbil luvver:
okay im worried my gerbil has a bald patch on his tail what do i do? HELP and QUICK
2 February 2009, 5:56 amScott Kirwin:
Sophie
Please do not breed your gerbils. It’s very difficult to find homes for the babies, and once you have one litter of babies it’s very hard to stop them from having more.
As for your gerbil’s bald spot… See my comment to Cutie Pie on this thread. She had the same problem.
Good luck!
2 February 2009, 6:39 pmKayla:
kallie:
Megan,
A well suitable home for a hamster cage, is to place a good layer of wood shavings on the floor of the cage. They need a water bottle with water, at height that the hamsters can reach, or even a dish of water is okay for them. Always check the end of the water bottle to make sure water is delivering out of the spout. If it isn’t, make sure to give the water bottle a little squeeze. Place any cage accessories in suitable positions within the cage. Placing a handful of nesting material in the cage or inside the hamster’s “house” is always good. If you are breeding your hamster(s) then make sure to take the nesting material out, when the babies arrive. This is so they cannot get tangled and break any thing. It’s good to have a wheel for your hamster, so they can get suitable excersise. I know not all of this was part of your question, but it should help you still, and others!
30 January 2008, 10:58 am ********************************************************
Ok for one never use wood shavings as a bedding for small animals. Did you knoe the oils in pine and cedar beddings actually cause upper respitory infections and takes off your family critter’s life span? use a bedding like fresh world bedding or care fresh that is made up of recycled newspapers and magazines with baking soda the safest stuff you can use. And Second it is very unsafe to use a bowl of water in a hamster/gerbil/mice/rat habitat think about it if we can drown in a teaspoon of water what about them? i have been dealing with animals all my life and work in a pet store use to own a pet store at that maybe ome of you need to actually look up a caresheet and i recommend getting several and comparing what they say to do and not to do that is more useful than a forum…..
on the other hand very pretty gerbils i actually have 3 breeder pairs of my own and at the moment i have 12 babies nursing 2 in which look like yours in the pic they are so cute i had never seen one look like that so i am glad i got them in my litters as well…. gerbils are really neat creatures mine has never bit let me hold them all the time and everything…
14 March 2009, 1:29 amhollie:
arrhhhh I so want 1 i’m 10 and at the moment im begging my dad to get me a gerbil
17 March 2009, 3:20 pmcutie pie:
Hey. havent been on in awhile. Belle’s tail isnt bald anymore
shes happy with Cinderella and Ariel. (can you tell we stick with similar names 
) my only brother wasnt too keen on naming our gerbs after princesses, but my sister and i overruled him, but to make him feel better we gave him first pickc on a princesses’ name for his gerb.
ps belle is mine ariel is my sisiters’ and cinderella is my bro’s.
7 April 2009, 12:37 pmcutie pie:
AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!
MY GERBI LOST ONE OF HER FRONT TEETH AND THE OTHER TOP TOOTH IS LOOSE!! WAHHHHHH!
IM SO SCARED SHE MIGHT DIE OF STARVATION PLEEEEASE HELP :’( :’(
FAST PLEASE!
ps
7 July 2009, 9:53 pmi put this on the other site too
cutie pie:
AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!
MY GERBIL LOST ONE OF HER FRONT TEETH AND THE OTHER TOP TOOTH IS LOOSE!! WAHHHHHH!
IM SO SCARED SHE MIGHT DIE OF STARVATION PLEEEEASE HELP :’( :’(
FAST PLEASE!
ps
7 July 2009, 9:54 pmi put this on the other site too
Scott Kirwin:
CP
How did she lose her tooth? There must be something in the cage that is hurting her teeth. You must figure out what is damaging her teeth and remove it from the cage.
In the meantime try feeding her soft unshelled seeds like unshelled sunflowers and fruit like bananas.
8 July 2009, 8:10 amThe good news is that a gerbil’s teeth regenerate: they will come back – and she will eventually be able to eat hard seeds again.
Scott Kirwin:
CP
How did she lose her tooth? There must be something in the cage that is hurting her teeth. You must figure out what is damaging her teeth and remove it from the cage.
In the meantime try feeding her soft unshelled seeds like unshelled sunflowers and fruit like bananas.
8 July 2009, 8:11 amThe good news is that a gerbil’s teeth regenerate: they will come back – and she will eventually be able to eat hard seeds again.
Harper:
gerbils totally rock i want some so badly i’ve wanted a pet for so long and three of my cousins have some and they absolutely LOVE them. though i’ve heard that they dont really like to be held. i want a pet that will love me as much as i love it so if i do get one i’ll make sure i get a friendly one
. but honestly, as AWESOME as gerbils are, i think i might choose having a ferret or rat as a pet over gerbil. can any1 give me their honest opinion which one is best and if gerbils really are good pets? Maybe some1 who’s had all three? thanks in advance
11 August 2009, 3:05 pmron:
Those babies are adorible
13 October 2009, 1:26 amrotem:
Beautiful creatures, love the pic.
13 October 2009, 8:32 amcutie pie:
PLEASE HELP things had been going ok with our gerbils, but now the really fluffy one is lighter than they crazy active one and shes not moving mery much her eyes are almost alyaws closed or half closed and if you lay her on heer side, she just lays there instead of flipping right side up like she used to PLEASE HELP WE’LL TAKE HER TO A VET IF WE NEED TO PLEASE GIVE ADVISE ON WHAT TO DO UNTIL WE CAN GET HER TO ONE!! PLEASE
17 November 2009, 11:44 amcutie pie:
we’re worried it’s her leg or spine shes still putting out waste, but not eating. shes trying to move but she cant she could move yesterday. shes drinking though we made sure we’re really worried since we’re first time gerbil owners and we just wanna know shes ok
17 November 2009, 11:56 amcutie pie:
its ok shes gone to heaven now. shes ok
17 November 2009, 3:23 pmScott Kirwin:
CP
As you will find on my website I have had many pets and many of them “have gone to heaven” too. It’s part of owning and taking care of animals. Some people feel sad so much that they never have pets again. That way they cannot be hurt. Others like me lose old pets and gain new ones. I don’t feel alive unless I have other living things around me: cats, dogs, gerbils – even plants. Sometimes they make me worried. Other times they make me happy. And unfortunately sometimes they make me sad.
But I never stop loving animals, and I never forget each and every one of them. Gidget. Brandy. Maggie. Wendy – and more recently Curly and Chalupa. I loved each one, and each one made me sad when it “went to heaven.”
I learned that when one pet goes, it just makes room for another that needs a good home. Hopefully you will see that in the end you are better off with pets than you are without – and that you will have many, many pet friends in your life.
Take care,
17 November 2009, 5:21 pmScott Kirwin
cutie pie:
thanks and we still have MY gerb, ithat was my brother’s and now were gnna get new gerbs, 2 so she wont be lonely were going to do the split cage introduction method
18 November 2009, 5:27 pmND:
Hi! I don’t think anything is wrong, but I was just trying to introduce my almost 3-year-old gerbil (female) with two not even one-year-olds (I think they are about 4 months old, both female. They’ve been with each other for about two weeks, using the Split-Cage method of introduction, and they did NOT fight. However, one of the younger gerbils, just one, started squeaking at the older gerbil when there was nothing going on. They were just sniffing/tasting/grooming each other, not fighting, I know the difference between fighting and grooming, sniffing, and tasting. The other gerbil was completely fine with the older gerbil, as was the older gerbil with theboth of them. I don’t know why that one gerbil was squeaking, but I need to know whether or not it is something to worry about.
Thanks!
6 December 2009, 5:30 pmScott Kirwin:
ND
7 December 2009, 5:24 pmJust watch them carefully. Back away from the cage so that you are out of sight and then watch them. The young gerb might be scared of the older one, or she might be just making noise. If you don’t see any signs of fighting, then I wouldn’t worry. Just be on the lookout for the telltale signs of aggression – like the young one not moving from a corner of the cage (pinned) or if she shows any wounds, missing hair, etc.
ND:
Thank you!
9 December 2009, 10:49 am