Well, we just gave away our two oldest female babies - Persian and Tiny (11 wks. old on December 4th). My 7 y.o. son's friend Conner and his 10 y.o. brother came to pick them up. Their mom held the babies awhile & I can tell she's already fond of them. She bought beaucoup stuff at Fox Mill Pets and the manager told her he'd replace the gerbils for free if they died. I thought that was very nice of him. I'm hoping that they'll do fine, though. Tiny was starting to click again today, even though her nose looks lot better. I didn't count the days exactly for the medicine, but I'm thinking she still has about 4 more days to go on it, so I sent the medicine along with her. I gave Conner's mom info. on what type of "cage" to buy (aquarium), how to clean it (hot water & thoroughly dry it), food (she bought Square Meal and seed mix, but the manager told her Square Meal was just a treat (??). I thought Square Meal was healthy and only a step below Ox-Bow Rodent Maintenance.) I warned her against giving the gerbils too many sunflower seeds, picking them up by the tail, etc. I told the boys - again - that *all* gerbils bite on occasion. It's just their nature. But Persian and Tiny are very affectionate, too. Shannon advised them to buy a salt lick, because sometime gerbils nip at your fingers for the salt. I forgot to tell her that the plastic in the aquarium might be irritating Tiny's nose, but now I suspect her nose was red, because she hadn't gotten over the virus - since she's clicking again. I think - at 11 wks. old - she should be able to kick just aobut any health problem. I forgot to tell Conner's mom that she can put a small dab of Neosporin on Tiny's nose if it gets red again, but I can tell her that later on. Tiny's nose looks much better now. That's why I'm surprised that she was clicking again!
It felt a little sad to give away our oldest girls, but I think it'll turn out to be best for them and for us, since it'll mean both groups will have more space now. Now we're left with the girls - Nippy (mom), Tiger (5 wks.), and Speedy (5 wks.) in one 20 gallon tank and the boys - Sue (dad), Scratchy (11 wks.) and Cinnamon (5 wks.). Jade, I hope you don't mind but I gave Conner's mom (Lisa) your e-mail addy in case she has questions and can't reach me. I couldn't recall how I'd subscribed to the list, so I told her she could e-mail you for information, too - although I doubt she'll want to join the list. She has less time than I do. Well, I'm going to try to not feel too sad about giving away Persian and Tiny (who, I'm told, will be renamed). :-( She did say we can come visit them sometime, and she said she won't let the boys play with them unsupervised. Tiny nipped at Conner while he was holding her and he dropped her. Lisa immediately stopped him from moving around so she could catch Tiny. Lisa held Persian and Tiny just right, so perhaps she can teach the boys how to do it. -Jean
