Sondra Dorsey <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote
>My female gerbil sometimes makes this odd chirping
>noise. It doesn't sound like a typical gerbil squeak,
>but a muffled bird chirp. She doesn't do it all the
>time, only once in a while, so it seems intentional
>rather than unconscious. She'll do it "at" things
>sometimes...right after you put her down, if she bumps
>into her cage mate, etc.
>
>Any thoughts? I know that a repiratory infection is
>indicated by clicking sounds, but I have never heard
>those and don't know whether what I am hearing might
>actually be clicking.
>
>Thanks very much,
>Sondra
Some gerbils do talk like this. It seems to be genetic and probably
represents a minor respiratory abnormality. All the talking gerbils we
have had have lived normal lives.
Gerbils actually make a lot of noise, but all but the occasional
squeaking is ultrasonic and cannot be heard by humans. Even normal
movement makes ultrasonic "calls" due to compression of the rib cage.
--
Julian
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
National Gerbil Society
http://www.gerbils.co.uk/
