Hi again, Just an update from the tickled owner of the Jeu-jeu Gerbils ... :-) My new gerbil playground is finally up and running. It�s really nice too, my dad did a really nice job (and he said he didn�t care much for them� ha!) The envisioned wooden/cardboard see-saws, swings, merry-go-rounds, etc, will have to wait till later, but at least the walls (collapsible) are made, and right now they�re fine with tubes and boxes in there. Poke-poke and Little Guy were so excited the first time they were placed there - a frenzy of gerbil scurrying and exploring and looking and� Actually, I don�t know whether it was my parents or me or the gerbils who were more excited� On Saturday, my dad, my sister, and I fed them treats (yogurt, sunflower seeds, rice, fresh corn) without knowing we�d all fed them, and lo and behold, they were on an extreme sugar high come play time. Two crazy little gerbils in the playground, then they proceeded to try and jump the walls. Smart little creatures! First Poke-poke tried to jump (only made it half-way). Little Guy copied him after a while (the first few attempts were funny summersaults -- he didn�t realize that when you jump, you have to keep your body over your legs :-) ). He stopped, and you could see the wheels turning in his little head. Then he climbed up onto a box and tried to jump (pop!) from there. Didn�t work. So then he got off, turned around, and tried to push the box over closer to the wall! Poke-poke ended up trying to copy Little Guy instead! It was so enchanting, but now that means I have to get a screen to put overtop whenever they�re in there unattended. And never feed them before they come out. That night they were non-stop in their cage. For the first time since he was a baby, Poke-poke raced on the wheel with relish. ALL NIGHT! I could hear the whole CAGE moving from my room upstairs! Little Guy just scooted from here to there to there to here to up and down and side to side� Of course, the next day there was not a peep from them� hee hee, two totally pooped little gerbies sleeping peacefully in their bed, only two tiny noses sticking out. Another proof of their smartness -- last week their treat dish went missing overnight after I left it with them holding some carrots. I searched all through the cage with no luck. Well, when I cleaned out their cage on the weekend, I found it� it was at the bottom of their nest! Directly under the little indent they sleep in! Smart little critters, they made themselves a waterproof bed!!! Hhhmmm, and the last time they were in the makeshift bathroom playground, Poke-poke kept trying to groom my hair. It was thoroughly endearing and comfy and ticklish. I was leaning against the bathtub rim, and he repeatedly climbed up my shirt, scampered behind my back, and proceeded to groom my hair right at my neck! Little Guy, on the other hand, kept perching on my knee or leg in a stance that shouted �I�m King of the World!!!� Now, as soon as I step into their playground, they rush right up and attempt to scale my legs before I�m even sitting. And nose my hands for treats. Greedy little gerbies! Oh, I now officially have "Chinese" gerbils. Yup. My dad did it. He�s been feeding them plain white cooked rice every time he�s having rice, which is lunch and supper everyday. I didn�t know. Now, Poke-poke refuses EVERYTHING except rice after coming out to play! Even sunflower seeds! And they knock each other over in their haste to grab the most rice from my fingers now. Literally. Bump, nudge, wiggle, jump, scamper, BONK!!! My dad has even taken to leaving me little notes bragging about how he fed them and they came right up and didn't bite him at all, etc etc etc. Sigh. That's all for now, thanks for reading all this! Amy The Jeu-jeu Gerbils __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Get email alerts & NEW webcam video instant messaging with Yahoo! Messenger http://im.yahoo.com
