Rescues
Quarantine
Warning about "Free to Good Home" Ads
Just FYI - "Free To Good Home" ads are dangerous to your beloved pets.
Though you may have good intentions, please be aware that offering companion
animals as "Free To Good Home" can be dangerous. Many unscrupulous people
pose as loving, responsible pet owners in order to get companion animals for
very little to no cost. Sadly, these pets often meet tragic ends. Just a few
of these include:
- Bait to train fighting dogs
- Bait to train greyhounds
- Sold to research facilities
- Sacrifice for satanic rituals
- Innocent victim for malicious pranks
- Breeding machine if not spayed or neutered
- Fish bait
- Snake food
Rescues in Progress ()
There are no rescues currently in progress.
Rescue Successes ()
Sophia - for those who were following the story of Sophia. She has settled in quite well, and has become very well socialized. She no longer attacks every hand that comes into the tank. If she is startled, she will still nip, but as long as we move slowly, she is very tame and sweet now. She even comes out and "asks" to be held. This has been a very enriching project for me. I am not sure that I will take in any other hammies, but Sophia will always be special to me.
Heather and Ebony - This mother and daughter pair are settled in and very happy in their new home. Heather is a lovely black mottled and Ebony is a solid black. We have had to add stronger clips to Heather and Ebony's tank because Heather was able to escape from the tank.
Gypsy and Penny - Update on Penny - While I typically do not rehome rescues, an opportunity presented itself for Penny to move to another AGS breeder's gerbilry where she would be in a breeding program. So, she has moved to Jovial Gerbils in NC, where she and Flint are paired and expecting a litter. Fingers crossed that they do well. :) Update on Gypsy - she passed away in her sleep last week. She had been battling an infection and even with an antibiotic, we weren't able to conquer it.
Burt and Chip - black and sapphire males - Daddy (black) is Bert and son (lilac/sapphire) is Chip. They made it through quarantine and are doing very well. These two are now living on the "male" side of the room. Their tank is with Charlie & Franklin and Lucky & Albert.
Flora and Fauna - These girls came in from the New Hampshire rescue where over 40 gerbils were taken in at one time in one tank. All are thought to be the children of one breeding pair, but there are no records to substantiate this. All were lilacs.
Rescue Philosophy
In most rescue cases, I do not intend to rehome the gerbils I rescue. I am rescuing with the intention of providing a permanent "forever home" to the gerbils. However, if the gerbils are pregnant females, I will oftend rehome the offspring. In some cases, if the resuce is large, I will rehome some of the rescues via the AGS. This means that they will be rehomed through the AGS mailing list. 99% of the people on the mailing list are AGS members, with many of those being breeders/rescuers or former breeders. Some, however, are just enthusiasts. All are given specific instruction on rescue before gerbils are placed with them, however.
As a general rule, I don't just rescue every gerbil that needs a new home. I have found that indiscriminate rescues tends to encourage "throw-away" pet ownership. However, I will rescue gerbils in certain situations:
- cases where the owner (usually the child) is truly allergic to gerbils. This is a very rare case. Very few people are allergic to gerbils, but it does occasionally happen.
- cases where the rescue is of a gerbil that originated from my own gerbilry (i.e. the person adopted from me, but now can no longer care for the gerbil.)
- cases where the rescue is being handled through the AGS.
- cases where I am notified by a knowledgeable person that the animal is being kept in unfit circumstances.
- cases of extreme need as determined by me - this covers gerbils with special needs, cases where the owner is moving and the new apartment doesn't allow pets, cases where the owner becomes incompetant, cases where the owner dies, cases where the owner goes off to college, AGS kennel closure, etc. I reserve the right to make the determination whether your situation falls under this category.
All rescues also depend on the current availability of space in my gerbilry. I will not sacrifice the health of my own gerbils in order to save another.
If you need to discuss a gerbil rescue with me, please email me.