I Have a Gerbil
Okay, so he's not magic, but he is a lot of fun. He's not your typically colored one but is the soft grey of smoke. I bought him last year to replace the one that I had inherited from my son who found that it was more work than fun. The old one, Mocha, being five years old passed on, and I missed his company.
So, along came Puff. He's very industrious, always rearranging his landscape and making tunnels and 'mountains' from the wood shavings and timothy grass, as well as from cardboard tubes which he demolishes in minutes. His favorite toy (I think) is a toilet paper tube stuffed with tissues and the ends scrunched. He won't rest until he gets his new 'blankets'. He also has some wooden blocks of various sizes and shapes which he incorporates into his designs, pushing them around and arranging them until they fit the space. His favorite daily treat is a small slice of apple, which he gobbles until it's gone.
I think they live longer when they're not handled, so I keep him in an aquarium with a wire roof, and remove him only to clean his house, which isn't too often as he creates new bedding constantly and doesn't smell at all, and it drives him crazy to have to make everything all over again.
And that's my gerbil story.
Update: July 11, 2010 - Puff passed away last night, after what was probably a long illness in Gerbil time, and I miss him already. There will be no replacement.
