thoughts on me getting a gerbil.

[Ripley7t]

Gerbils are great, but I would look for a private breeder that hand raises them. Get a few and a 20 gal aqu. and mix potting soil, peat moss and some aquarium charcoal together and fill it half way. drop in some sticks and watch them build their tunnels and socialize.

From time to time drop in a paper towel roll and maybe a few sheets of tissue paper. Just make sure it is the tissue that doesnt have lotion in it (puffs plus).

The are very social creatures and if hand raised love to be held. I had one that loved my shirt pocket. I would throw in a tissue and watch the shredding begin.

My cat finally got jealous and figured out how to open the aquarium and ate them. She did leave the heads on my pillow as a warning though.

The very first thing that came to mind when I saw them was the Godfather scene with the horses head. Be careful, cats are smarter than we all think.

[Firebird V]

My cat finally got jealous and figured out how to open the aquarium and ate them. She did leave the heads on my pillow as a warning though.

yikes...


Leave the gun... take the Cannoli.

[stevoc]

Skip the gerbil, get a rat...they are cleaner and don't smell like other little rodents.

I had a pet rat I got from a school science experiment....we had two rats: fed one fruits and veggies, the other only junk food. (chips, candy, etc) The candy fed one lost all it's fur and ran in circles constantly. The veggie fed one (the one I kept) was very calm and content. Plus, being in a classroom of 2nd graders for 30 days submitted it to loud noises and cage banging, so it never got flustered.

It learned how to open its cage when I brought it home and would walk around the house as it wanted. It always wanted to be around people, so it didn't try to run away. It would let itself out of its cage at night, come down the stairs and "watch tv" with the rest of us. Then it would give itself a bath, find the nearest lapt ot crawl into and fall asleep...sometime with the dog. Heck, it got to the point I never closed it's cage door. It went to it's cage to eat, sleep, poop, etc., then would come out and be part of the family.

Extreme example I know, but the rat was pretty cool.

[Spivonious]

I've had many gerbils over the years. They're low maintenance, but if you don't give them attention and take them out fairly often, they won't like coming out and will probably bite your hand if you stick it in the cage.

They're very social, so get at least two.

They like to dig, so definitely get a glass aquarium and not a wire cage, unless you like wood shavings all over the floor.

They like to chew. Anything plastic will be gone within a week. This includes tubes to crawl in, food dishes, houses, etc. I've had best luck with ceramic.

Get a wheel with a solid bottom. Their tails can get caught and broken in the wire wheels.

They are smart and will figure out how to escape from the aquarium, so get a screen top that can lock closed.

I've heard that they're allergic to pine shavings, but I've never had any evidence of this in mine.

If you do let them out in your room, make sure all small openings are blocked off. They can fit through some very small spaces e.g. under the door, inside cabinets, etc. Once they're inside something it is very difficult to coax them out.

I'd do some more reading on the net and then if you're still interested, take the plunge. They will normally live anywhere from 2 to 5 years. Oh, and make sure they're the same gender, unless you want baby gerbils every few months.

[Spivonious]

My gerbil story.

I use to own a Python and a Ferret... I use to feed the Python gerbils. One day I had this very aggressive gerbil that was biting the shit of my python. Sooooooooo after I thumped the gerbil on the head with my finger... knocking the little bastard out. I put him in a box and as he regained conscious an Idea popped in my head. Why not put the ferret in there with him...and so the gerbil had some company. The ferret attacked that gerbil
like it was it's mortal enemy. In fact being the sicko that I was.. I video taped it... I have it somewhere. Maybe I will convert it over to digital format and post it.

Dude, you seriously need some help. That's just sick.

[JetFixxxer]

Dude, you seriously need some help. That's just sick.

I'm not going lie to you.. at the time it was funny as hell. That was a lot of moons ago. Now I have a zoo in my house.. 3 Turtles, 1 Tarantula, and 1 Boxer... If it wasn't for my wife I would be having another python so I could feed gerbils to them.



If you think that was sick.. Check these pictures out

Do not make a nest in a lawn mower

This summer I went to start my lawn mower and it wouldn't start off of first pull so I tried 3 more times and then it finally turn over and all I see is stuff go flying. I was WTF and turned off the mower.. I went to investigate and notice pieces of baby mice all over the place and then I notice momma and I thought I disemboweled her because there was stuff hanging off of her. As I moved closer she takes off, she is dragging whatever is hanging out of her and then it falls off. I notice it was another pinkie and in her haste to escape they fell off. So they ended up becoming turtle food.







Turtle Hatchling

[destructin_od]

[Super_shredder]

fucked up man

[Firebird V]

wow it looks like this thread took a turn eh?

[SouthPlatteDemon]

Nice! Gory animal pictures!

[Strat God]

Two gerbils walking by a gay bar - one says to the other:
Hey, you wanna go in and get shit-faced?

[JetFixxxer]

Two gerbils walking by a gay bar - one says to the other:
Hey, you wanna go in and get shit-faced?

:ROTF:

[toddstaples]

Not Cool

[mm2002]

Not Cool

And why do you say that?

[kelly user]

I'm not going lie to you.. at the time it was funny as hell. That was a lot of moons ago. Now I have a zoo in my house.. 3 Turtles, 1 Tarantula, and 1 Boxer... If it wasn't for my wife I would be having another python so I could feed gerbils to them.



If you think that was sick.. Check these pictures out

Do not make a nest in a lawn mower

This summer I went to start my lawn mower and it wouldn't start off of first pull so I tried 3 more times and then it finally turn over and all I see is stuff go flying. I was WTF and turned off the mower.. I went to investigate and notice pieces of baby mice all over the place and then I notice momma and I thought I disemboweled her because there was stuff hanging off of her. As I moved closer she takes off, she is dragging whatever is hanging out of her and then it falls off. I notice it was another pinkie and in her haste to escape they fell off. So they ended up becoming turtle food.







Turtle Hatchling

there is something very wrong with you.......... nice baby turtle. i don't like the way this thread is going....