Memorials ()
Vincent
I will admit that Vincent was my favorite. He worked his way into my heart from the very beginning. I first saw him sitting along in a tank at the local pet store. Pitch black fur, with a sprinkling of white - like stars in a dark night sky. He saw me, and came to the front of the tank to look at me. His eyes caught mine, and I was hooked. I knew I had to take him home. At the time, I had 4 female gerbils at home. I had Lauren, and then 3 sisters: Coco, Java and Lisa. I had gotten Lauren for Cece, and Lisa to be her tank mate but Lauren would have nothing to do with her, so I had gone back and gotten Lisa's two sisters to keep her company, but Lauren was still alone.
I went home without him, but I couldn't get him out of my mind. I kept thinking about how alone he must be, and how wrong it was for him to be kept alone in that tank. I found a way to "need" to be in the pet store a few days later. He was still there. As soon as I spoke, he woke up, and came to the front of the tank. It was like he recognized my voice. I convinced myself that he did. I got a salesperson, and asked for her to open up his tank. He came right to my hand - tame as could be. That was it, I had to take him home. I paid the $12.99 and signed their paperwork. I didn't care that he was twice what I paid for the pedigreed gerbils I had gotten from the local AGS breeder (she has since moved to California to college.)
When I got Vincent home, I realized that he was going to be just as alone in my house as he was in the store. I had not intended to breed, even though I had registered with the AGS. I wasn't sure I wanted to take on the responsibilities of breeding. I went online and read the AGS gerbil care page. Then I got out my copy of Donna Anastasi's gerbil book and read the section on breeding. I knew how few gerbils I had seen in local pet stores, so there certainly wasn't an overload of gerbils in the area. In fact, the breeder I had gotten Lisa, Coco and Java from (and Lauren, too) started breeding because the pet store where she worked ASKED her to breed so that they would have gerbil pups to sell. I decided that there would be enough demand for the pups, especially from just one couple, so I decided to split screen Vincent with Lauren. This would also mean that SHE wouldn't be lonely either if I could get her to accept him. I wasn't sure that she would. After all, I had not been able to get her to accept Lisa, and Lisa was a pup.
Anyway, it was like magic, within two days, they were grooming each other through the screen and trying to share a nest through the mesh. I made a tentative attempt to put them together, and it went swimmingly. I decided that I would put them together permanently the next day, and put the split back into the tank. The next morning, I found that Vincent had bent the 1/4 inch hardware cloth and gotten into her side and they were sleeping together.
Vincent and Lauren gave me several litters. I have many of their pups even now. I did separate them once and then reintroduced them, and he did the same thing - he found a way to bend the metal frame. No other gerbil has even been able to get past that screen - except Vincent. In the end though, I did finally separate them permanently. Vincent stayed with some of his sons, and Lauren with some of their daughters from the last litter. Then he started losing weight. I checked his teeth, thinking maybe it was a mismatch or overgrowth problem, but it wasn't. I started feeding him baby food. He slowly lost his bulkiness and shiny coat, becoming a slow moving, hunched and thin boy, but he always came running, as best he could, when he heard my voice. He still loved time on my shoulders - running from one to the other (neck tunnel), and giving me "kiss, kiss". He would run down to my lap, and just sit while I worked on the computer, then run back up to my shoulders, where he could see better. He was down to 40g the night before he died. I cried for two days, and still cry when I think about it. He was the first of my adult-owned gerbils that died. I had owned gerbils as a child, but this was my first loss since owning them as an adult. I was heart-broken. In fact, it has taken me over a year to bring myself to write this memorial.
I know now that those flecks of white in your coat weren't just a beautiful pattern. They were signs of fights you had been in, and were showing me your age. If I had known then how old you already were, I wonder if I would have still brought you home. I am glad I didn't know. Vincent, I know one can't really love something that cannot love back, but I truly believe that you loved me too. I miss you everyday. I take comfort from your grandsons, Flower and Bambi, who are such good "shoulder boys", and so remind me in some ways of you. They don't sit on my shoulder like you did, but they do love to run from shoulder to shoulder and will stay out with me for extended periods of time. It is soothing to me to have them.
Lauren
You started out as my problem child. You refused to accept Lisa when she was just a 6 week old pup. I thought I would never find you a tank mate. Then I found Vincent for you. The two of you just clicked perfectly from the beginning. You were a wonderful mother, caring so tenderly for your pups. You two provided me with six beautiful litters. Even though you had been separated, you immediately accepted Vincent back when you had the opportunity. I hated separating you the second time, but I also didn't want to tax you too much and stress your body too much.
After Vincent died, I let you sniff his dead body. I didn't know if you would understand, but I think you did. Even though you were with your daughters, you started to slow down. You started to show your age. I think you knew that there wouldn't be another reunion. It was only about six months later, and you passed quietly in the night. There was no advanced warning. You hadn't been sick. You just let go.
Gandalf
Even though I had told myself that Vincent was a once in a lifetime find, I did occasionally continue to check back at that same pet store, just in case. And one day, I saw you. A light grey colored gerbil, with what appeared to be black eyes. I knew that there were no such gerbils. All doves and lilacs had pink eyes genetically. I went home and looked up the color-strips on the AGS site. Doves and lilacs have red eyes. I went back and looked again. Your eyes looked black. And they had you in that tank alone. I hated that they never listened to me when I told them that gerbils needed to be kept together. But I suppose as an adult, they weren't able to put you in with any other gerbils. Both you and Vincent were probably pets that were turned in when someone decided they couldn't keep you any more. I couldn't leave you there, when I had taken Vincent home. He had turned out to be such a wonderful gerbil, that I couldn't leave you alone in that store. So, I brought you home with me. But I ran into the same problem I had with Vincent, you would be just as alone here as in the store. What would I do?
I looked at the colorstrips again. If you were a dove, and it appeared that you were a dove spot, then if I put you with a burmese or siamese, I would get colorpoint pups, well, at least some of them. So, I looked at Lisa, Coco, and Java. Was I ready for a second breeding pair? I decided to take the plunge. I chose Java. She was the most easy-going, laid back of the three. She had a broken tail, but it wasn't genetic, so it wouldn't pass to the pups. Just like Lauren and Vincent, the two of you accepted each other very quickly. You gave me 5 beautiful litters. I did split you up for a while, but once I was sure that Java was no longer fertile, I put you back together. You only lived a few weeks longer. I never really knew how old you were, so you may have been much older than she is. I have given her some young pups to take care of. She is a wonderful mother. She misses you.
Mary Shelley
You surprised us, my dear. You were the first of our younger gerbils to pass. You were in with your mother, Java, and your sisters. Yours was the last litter that Gandalf had. Then, out of no where, there was a declanning. We ended up splitting the group. Marie and Irene moved to their own tank, you stayed with Java and Sally. Things seemed to be going just fine. Then you started to hide behind stuff and in stuff. I didn't think too much about it. Plenty of gerbils like to hide (like Isabelle). As long as I saw you each day, I didn't think too much about it. But, I didn't make you come out each day. I should have. You were slowly wasting away. Then one day, I had to move the log to find you. You were skin and bones. As soon as you were in sight, Sally ran after you to scare you. I didn't know that she had been picking on you. You had no blood on you any of the days. She wasn't actually attacking you. She was just making sure you stayed away from the food. I moved you out and into a hospital tank, but it was too late to save you at that point. You died within a few days.
Amy
You were another one who died way too early. You lived with your 6 sisters for a very long time, then there was a declanning. Catherine and Meg moved to another tank. That left five of you in the tank. That was good for another 6 months, then there was another declanning, so I separated you and Beth from Elizabeth, Isabelle and Mary. You and Beth did fine on your own. But then, you started to lose weight. Like your father, Vincent, you just started to waste away. He had a reason; he was old. There was no real reason for you to be losing weight, that I could figure out. I increased your fat and protein content. That seemed to help, for a while. Then, you started to go downhill again. The second time, nothing I did seemed to make a difference. You slowly got thinner and thinner until one morning, I just couldn't find you. I dug through the bedding until I found you, buried in a corner. You were the only gerbil that was not on top of the bedding when I found the body.
Hermes
My sweet runner. You loved to run in that wheel. You would push your brother Apollo out of the wheel in order to get in for your turn. It was funny to watch the two of you, sparring over whose turn it was to run. You had a small tumor on your ear that I had been watching for several months when it just disappeared. I never figured out what happened with that. My guess is that Apollo amputated it for you. He really did love you, you know. He misses you so much. I have put a small solid black pup named Lucky in with him. Lucky was the only pup in his litter. I was lucky to have even found him. I saw a movement in the bedding and investigated. I didn't even know his mother was pregnant - she never showed. But, she was mated to your other brother, Albert. He was a litter off yours. So, Lucky is your nephew, and Apollo is taking such good care of him. Maybe he thinks it is you reborn.
Annie
My dear Annie. Your life was never easy, was it? You started life with seizures. I worried about you so much. I would hold you and stroke you and talk to you through the whole seizure until you would come around again. I knew from that very first seizure that I would never let you go to an adoptive home. You would have a forever home with me. There was only one other female in your litter - Mira. She is a beautiful golden agouti spot, and she loved you. Even the time you bite her while in a seizure, she stuck by you. She had an ovarian cyst this past April (2009). You took such good care of her. It eventually ruptured, and she was fine. I was so happy. Then, a few weeks ago, when you started to show signs of the same type of cyst, she started to take care of you, just like you cared for her. I knew you would be okay. This past week, you got enormous. I knew you would be rupturing any day now. You looked so uncomfortable. But it all worked out for Mira, and she was taking care of you. If I knew that yours wasn't going to work out, I would have taken you to the vet.
SandDrifter
My first pup. You were the runt - maybe you were smaller to start with, maybe it was the RI you got. You touched our hearts and we decided that you would live with us forever. From a runt, you blossomed into one of the heftiest boys I have ever seen. You might even have taken a show on White Bellies. I matched you up with Reggie, a brother from a following litter. Having two golden agoutis in the tank was a challenge at first, but it was soon obvious who was who. My son adopted you both and you moved to his room where you thrived on his attention. Then college came, and you were moved back with me to the office. You moped for him for weeks. You didn't want to come out of your jar. But eventually, you started to accept me again as your momma. Your death was really hard on us as our first pup. It meant the beginning of the end of an era. Sure, we had some deaths, but they were from health issues, now we were going to start to have deaths of our pups from old age. RIP SandDrifter. You will have to wait for Reggie. He is healthy and going strong.
Mira
You never really got over losing Annie, did you? You searched for her and mourned. Even when I gave you two new pups to care for (Ellen and Eloise), you still kept looking for Annie. Sure, you groomed them, and slept with them on top of you, but it didn't fill that empty spot. I could tell. You had no interest in the wheel, you picked at your food. You'd take a pumpkin seed, if I handed it to you, but mostly, you just sat in your nest and watched their antics. I knew it wouldn't be long. I am glad you are reunited with Annie. You were the best two sisters.
Honeysuckle, Thumper, Lucia
My sweet Honeysuckle. You just won a 2nd place at Mid Atlantic, and you are gone. You caught a stomach virus, and before the antibiotic could take effect, you had slipped away. Less that 48 hours. I did all I could to get you to take KMR and karo, even baby food, but it was just too aggressive. We buried you with two grandchildren that died as well. What a hard week that was. Thumper and Lucia, you both were struggling as well, but without being able to drink from the bottle, I had to also try to hydrate you by spraying the sides of the tank. You both tried to lick the antibiotic from the glass, but it wasn't enough to save you either. Burying three at the same time was heartbreaking.
