Persky, Hilary <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote
>I noticed a ref. on a gerbil site that some gerbils may suffer from
>respitory problems if they are near a heat source. I was very distressed to
>see that, as we kept an electric blanket around the gerb cage (at one end)
>during the winter, when it would get quite cold in the house.
>
>Does anyone know anything about this?
Gerbils don't have to worry about getting too cold as long as they are
indoors and/or have a lot of bedding to bury themselves under to keep
warm. Gerbils come from an area where the temperatures get as low as -40
in winter. They have hairy ears, hairy tails and even hair on most of
their feet. They burrow to keep warm but do not hibernate.
We keep gerbils in a draft-proofed garage that gets sometimes gets as
low as a degree or two above zero for a day or so at a time in winter.
We have never noticed any health problems as a result. In fact. The
gerbils seem healthier than the ones kept indoors.
It is possible that heaters will reduce humidity that could be a
problem. Also if they get too hot they will need to drink a lot.
--
Julian
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* Jackie and Julian *
* [EMAIL PROTECTED] *
* National Gerbil Society *
* http://www.gerbils.co.uk/ *
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