Please take this as just one guy's experience, starting as an absolute
novice 13 months ago with three "female" gerbils from a pet store plus a
skinny book about their care. We swelled to 33 gerbils and I've had my
share of bad things happen.
GML advice is wonderful but it isn't your first resource. The websites of
GML experts handle almost all common questions and emergencies.
I found GML and subscribed after acquiring gerbils. Unsubscribed after a
few days, thinking my skinny book would handle what the new trio needed.
Subscribed again after they demolished an aluminum pie plate, and got
reassuring advice from GML experts. So I stayed here except for a 6-mos.
vacation. It's one of the nicest communities on the Net IMHO. A tribute
to the old-timers.
Learned that the books aren't very reliable, so I took the time to read
every word in Michelle's Gerbil FAQ at
http://www.netherworld.com/~mhaines/gerbil.html
and also through links from many other gerbils websites. I still quickly
re-read FAQ every 2-4 months.
Found Julian's astoundingly complete NGS Index at
http://www.gerbils.co.uk/
with its additional links to important and fun gerbils sites.
As I learned, I saved things so I could find them again. Kept GML email
in a folder so I can Find things in it. Kept a Gerbils folder of
Favorites/Bookmarks that now has about 40-50 links in it, for fun and for
info.
Also noticed that sometimes keepers post a GML emergency question in wee
hours of the night. I'm no expert, but I tried to help in those
emergencies. I only hope I didn't do more harm than good.
Moral: You can head off a lot of keeper problems if you take a little
time to read in advance. Know where you can get an answer at any time,
even if most of GML is sleeping. You will find your own favorite
resources to do that, and I've mentioned only the two that have served me
best.
Go forth and multiply. (*smile*)
