The wall

This is my first of many “pet entries” to come. Enjoy!

I have two Mongolian gerbils: a mix of deep brown and white, while the other is a light brown. All the research has stayed true to reality. The furballs are natural explorers, and curiosity gets the better of them most days. I’ve had my gerbils for approximately four months, and I don’t think I’ll be able to live without having some small rodent running around.

I’m now on (hopefully) their third and final cage as they chewed through the first, and the second was too small for them. It’s been an adventure having them as they’re basically children that will never grow up. I’ll find them constantly chewing the cardboard pieces I leave for them, running on the silent wheel, or sleeping in one of their hides. They recognize the crinkle of their food bag, which always perks them up, which I still find cute and hilarious.

Now in their 20-gallon tank, I have fun changing and maneuvering the contents of their tank every so often to encourage exploring and entertainment for the two. Any gerbil owner knows how often they burrow and throw up bedding in the process with their hind legs. Because of this, they will naturally bury their wheel, preventing it from spinning. To combat this, I bought and installed a wooden fence to separate the housing area from the play area. It’s funny; the dark brown gerbil (Chocolate) is bold and adventurous, so she naturally explores both sides of the fence. The other gerbil (Mocha) is the opposite, afraid to explore and afraid to climb the fence. However, she always wants to be with the other, so I found it fascinating watching her figure out how to scale across the fence.