I had noticed the other day that one of their slates had come down with a respiratory infection. It came rather suddenly. I don't know if I just hadn't noticed the signs sooner.
I had to move their tank outside (They were born outside. I have the tank set up in the carport, with plenty of bedding, and out of the wind) as I'm allergic to their feed, so perhaps it was the cold? Or what ever it is that's makes me sneeze every time I've gone outside lately. I'm not sure. So now there's just the 2 pups, both female, one black and one agouti. I've also decided to split up Trinity and Einstein with their next litter, as I believe it is a genetic trait (probably from Einstein, as he seems to have allergies to aspen bedding) and I don't want to continue to breed gerbils with this potential problem. :( It's really too bad, as Trinity is a VERY good mother. I found the little girl buried in the very bottom of the nest, completely unharmed. I assume she died sometime in the past 24 hours, as I was only able to do a spot check yesterday. She will be buried next to her brother Eclipse (from their first litter) who died of the same illness. Just had to tell someone who understood. Thanks. -Jackie & The Copper Dragon Clan
