My Nephew Giggles At Maeby & Nellie

I had to share this video of my nephew watching my gerbils. Watch how when Nellie stops running in her wheel, he makes a running motion with his hands. :-D

My Nephew Meets Maeby & Nellie

This weekend, my nephew was in town.

He is almost 10 months old, and this was the first time that he's been old enough to notice the gerbils.

He was completely enthralled by Maeby and Nellie. When Nellie would run in her wheel, he would shriek and giggle. :)

So the bad news for my brother is that it looks like his son takes after his aunt just a little bit. I think he likes gerbils as much as I do. ;)

Can You Help Princess Find A Home?

UPDATE: June 15th: Princess has found a home! Thank you to everyone who took the time to visit her Petfinder page and learn more about her. We hope she’s very happy in her new home!

Original Post Below:
Today I saw this photo of Princess on Petfinder.com. From her photo, she looks like a pied lilac gerbil. She’s still very young and sounds wonderful. Princess is very active and playful and is looking for a new home. Her previous owners received her as a gift but did not want to keep her. (It’s very sad.)

If you live in Howard County, Maryland, please visit Princess’ Petfinder page or her page on the Animal Advocates of Howard County Web site to find out how to adopt Princess.

Sonja’s Gerbils Kökö & Binki

We have a new Gerbil Picture Of The Week! This week’s photo comes all the way from Sonja in Germany! These are her gerbils Kökö and Binki.

Kökö is a lovely agouti gerbil, and Binki is a very handsome burmese gerbil. Thank you, Sonja for sending this great photo of your gerbils!

If you would like to see your gerbils on our Gerbil Picture Of The Week page, please send your gerbil photo, and we will consider putting it on our site. :)

Dahlia: Today's Featured Shelter Gerbil

Update: June 15th: Dahlia has been adopted! Thank you to everyone who took the time to visit her Petfinder page and help spread the word that this sweet girl needed a home. :)

Original Post Below:
Oh, what a cutie this girl is! Dahlia is an adorable little pied black gerbil who is in Evergreen, Colorado, waiting for her first real home!

Dahlia was rescued from a pet store where she was getting bullied and picked on. She currently lives alone but enjoys running on her wheel and chewing cardboard and paper.

The Evergreen Animal Protective League, the shelter that is looking after Dahlia, says that she is overwhelmed by small children. Therefore, the shelter will only adopt her to a home where all of the children are over 10 years old. Dahlia would make a great pet, though, for an adult, a teen, or a tween.

You can find more information about adopting Dahlia on her Petfinder page.

What It Means When Your Gerbil Stomps His Or Her Feet

The video to the right shows my gerbil Tori thumping her feet. This is a sound you will probably hear your gerbils make at some time in their lives.

This is something that gerbils do to warn other gerbils of danger. It's similar to when prairie dogs bark to warn other prairie dogs of danger.

You might hear your gerbils thump their feet if you make a sudden movement that scares them, if they see a shadow move across the wall (they might think it's a bird), or if they hear a scary sound.

Male gerbils may also thump their feet before mating with a female. Although both types of foot-thumping may sound the same to us, gerbils can distinguish between a warning foot thump and a mating foot thump.

Sometimes very young gerbils will even thump their feet for no reason at all. They are just practicing and learning how to be adult gerbils. :)

In this video, Tori is thumping her feet because I stood up from the couch quickly and startled her. You can clearly see and hear how she warns her sister (and any other gerbils who might be within earshot) of potential danger.

Chocolate & Swirl: Today's Featured Shelter Gerbils

This is the third day of our new project to find homes for gerbils in shelters across the U.S.! Today's featured shelter gerbils are Chocolate and Swirl, two female gerbils who are best buddies. (Because Chocolate and Swirl are such good friends, they should be adopted together to the same home so that they can stay together.)

It looks from the photos on Petfinder like Chocolate is probably a lilac gerbil (a lovely grey color) and like Swirl is probably a spotted lilac gerbil. In Swirl's photo, you can see the cute little white strip on her nose, the white spot on the top of her head, and part of the white spot on her neck.

Both of these lovely gerbil girls are waiting at 3R Rescue (Raleigh Rodent Rescue) in Raleigh, North Carolina. It is a shelter that is devoted to finding homes for rescued or abandoned rodents. You can learn more on Chocolate's Petfinder page, on Swirl's Petfinder page, or on the Raleigh Rodent Rescue Web site.

If you are near Raleigh, North Carolina and have the time, space, and love to give to Chocolate and Swirl, please contact Raleigh Rodent Rescue for more information about a possible adoption.

April 19th: Chocolate and Swirl are still looking for a home! If you are interested in adopting them, there is still time to contact 3R Rescue.

Cute Photo Of Herman & Sebastian

I just had to share this adorable photo of Herman and Sebastian. Here they were, all worn out after having some playtime outside of the tank one night last week. :)

Libby: Today's Featured Shelter Gerbil

UPDATE: Great news! I have heard from the Brookings Regional Humane Society, and Libby has found a home! Congratulations, Libby!

Today's featured shelter gerbil is Libby, a beautiful red fox gerbil who is at the Brookings Regional Humane Society in Brookings, South Dakota.

Libby is about 3 1/2 months old. She came to the shelter with her brother Digger and is currently living alone.

UPDATE: April 19th: Libby has been adopted! Congratulations, Libby, on finding a new home!