Phoenix
Here is Phoenix, one of our two brothers. He is just over three and a half years old now, we got him the day I was going for an interview for my degree :P When he was younger, he was always the more adventurous of the two and often did the dirty work for his brother...just the dumb big one :D
Phoenix and his brother Monaco often used to escape, one time in particular it was during the night, I was woken up by him running across my face. During his escape he'd decided to climb up onto the bed, and then run across my head... how many animals would do that?
Now he's older, Phoenix is a lot quieter, and it's easier to hold him now than it was when he was a little kid.
His favourite hobbies are, chewing plastic, cardboard, eating sunflower seeds... and a lot of them!Phoenix as a young pup:
Now as an adult:
November 2004
The boys are getting pretty old now, they're coming up to three years old around April. Wooo they are doing very well, if a bit fat, but they are oldies bless them.
They were moved out of their large bachelor pad and into a Duna to allow room for the 6 girls. It's nice because we now see them more and can pick them up much more easily than we could before as they had way too many tunnels and often we'd have to demolish it to get them... Or bribe them with food ;)
So here is Phoenix as he looks at the end of November 2004 (basically December, have Christmas MP3's on!)
February 2005As Phoenix is now becoming an old man, I thought that perhaps I should take the chance to take photos of him better, should he sadly die suddenly - He's 3 years old in a few weeks or so!
If only I had known about showing Gerbils when I first got him, he apparently is a very good quality black. All the self colours are prone to having faults - this is where they often have a white bib going down their throat, sometimes as far down as their belly and white on their paws. Our Nutmegs and Saffrons also suffer from these faults because they too are self colours, this means they have a solid colour, no white belly like that of the wild, Golden Agouti colour.
I have considered showing Phoenix, but as he's an old man I'd hate for the stress to be too much for him - although he is looking extremely well for such an old Gerbil, so perhaps he would be fine travelling to a show?? I would only show him at sheffield, so it wouldn't be a very long journey.
Well, onto the photos!
Above you can clearly see that there is little, or no white on his left front paw.
A front shot, showing his general body condition... If a little on the chubby side!
This time, showing his right front paw with little to no white.
Showing that he has no bib, natural light so can get a true feel to his colour. He does have white on his top lip though, which may loose points - I'm not sure though!
This time showing the white on his top lip and no bib from the bottom of the mouth down the neck. This is taken under flash and so causes the white to be more noticable.
September 2005
Phoenix recently had to go to the vet to have his bottom teeth clipped, he has been losing weight recently and now it around the same weight as Monaco, I figured it was due to old age and often when one Gerbil goes, the other follows and so thought phoenix was just following his brother. I have been watching the pair like a hawk, especially Monaco because I suspect he's been having fits every few weeks and takes him a week to recover... So I have been watching them both, making sure they're eating etc. Well one day, for some reason I decided to check their teeth to be sure they were ok - even though I watch them eat everynight! and to my horror, Phoenix barely had any top teeth, he had a small stump on one side and the bottom teeth were beginning to get long - not causing too many problems but I suspected this must be making it more difficult to eat, and so isn't eating as much as he normally would.
I am now crushing their food, to make it easier for Phoenix to eat and mixing it into a paste using olive oil for the first few days to give those extra calories, I'm not sure if I will carry on adding the olive oil though...
So I took them both to the vet, and he clipped Phoenix's teeth, but did not think that was what's causing his weight loss, he thought it was old age but clipped them anyway. So I am going to keep an eye on Phoenix's weight, and if it goes up again we will know if that was the problem.
27th October 2005
Phoenix joins Monaco exactly a week after Monaco passed away.
When Monaco was around Phoenix was fine, he was lively, running around the tank, sniffing, looking for ways to get out, all his normal characteristics, and he was lovely to see his personality was still there - the same with Monaco whenever he showed his characteristics even though he was so ill.
I think it was two days after Monaco's passing that I took Phoenix out of the tank, he just sat there barely moving at all, at this point I knew he had given in and he was at a point where I don't think I could bring him round by introducing a new friend. I think the stress would just be too much, quite a catch 22 situation... But I knew it was too late.
On the 26th I hadn't seen Phoenix around too much, but I had seen him drinking and foraging, the next day I checked his tank and I could see his body laying in a corner... He had gone, I don't think he had been too long gone as rigor mortis had not set in much. He had some bedding in his mouth, bless.
I hope his passing was peaceful.
So the two brothers are once again together, joined on the most beautiful and sunny day in October.
Phoenix March 2002 - October 2005
Monaco
This is Monaco, an Agouti, brother of Phoenix. Of the two brothers Monaco was always the scared one and often used to run away like lightning, although he was scared, he was the mastermind, the brains behind the outfit :P Just like Phoenix he has mellowed during his old age ;) Like shown in one of the top images, he used to dig at our hands and REALLY didn't like being handled, this may be due to the breeder not handling them as pups... Anyway, now he's really happy to sit in our hands, and sometimes purrs. I love being able to stroke his head or feed him seeds whilst he sits there being a good little boy :)
The following images were taken in February 2004, see how massive Monaco is now? Sometimes we question whether he is actually a Shaws Jird rather than a Gerbil :)
He and his brother are actually coming up to almost 2 years old now actually... It was around this time 2 years ago that we bought them, I'm sure it was in March just before I went to my interview for Uni. (especially as I think it's interview time again now, our Tutor has been showing new ppl around the studios)
November 2004
Monaco and his brother Phoenix are well on their way to being 3 Years old... Around April they will be three, and so they certainly are becoming old men. If they were humans they'd be collecting their pensions by now, they are still both very healthy with shiny thick coats and no sign of aging other than a widening waist.
Here are some photos of Monaco during the end of November - basically December as it's the 29th.
February 2005
Monaco is now coming up to three years old, I never dreamt that he and his brother would both still be around to hit three! They're doing very well considering their ages! Our first pair of gerbils and they've managed to hit three, plus they're from a petshop, lol well. That's not something I would expect, especially as so many people find their gerbils die too soon. Three is good for a Gerbil, generally you'd expect them to live to two, but five isn't unheard of either.
Well, here are some photos of Monaco, still looking good if a little too over weight...
June 2005
A quick update on Monaco, unfortunately I think he is getting close to the end of his life... Over the last week or two I've noticed a massive change in him, he has got very thin and doesn't like to open his eyes much. Whenever he gets up to eat etc, he will sit there with his eyes almost totally closed, he also tends to walk around quite tentatively, and he has lost his *roundness* with his spine and hips being quite noticeable. Phoenix however remains very plump, and seems massive compared to Monaco - who was always our largest Gerbil. Poor Monaco, I can't see any obvious signs of illness.. Most likely *old age* and at three and a half surgery isn't viable.
Poor little Monaco
But who knows, he may still live a long while yet and it could be he is just showing his age.
September 2005
Well, I didn't realise these problems began back in June!!! Monaco has certainly managed to keep on fighting!
I suspect he suffers from strokes every few weeks or so because he will seemingly get better, and even begin to put on weight and look less skeletonal and then *wham* the next few days he looks like he's dying again. I've never seen the stroke happen, so perhaps it is something else??
At the moment, Monaco is doing well, he even attempts to jump out of the tank when I open it - he doesn't manage it because he is so wobbly he ends up falling over when he stands on his back legs! But it is just nice to see his personality again.
I have to be honest and admit that I can not see him surviving for another 6 months like this, but who knows... I didn't expect them to live until they were 3 never mind being over 3 1/2, being petshop gerbils.
It is just so destroying seeing Monaco when he is very ill, the last time he made himself a little dugout in the bedding and just lay there breathing hard... I really couldn't see him surviving that and thought he had moved away from Phoenix because he too knew he was dying (they will often do this). But he survived the night, and the next and then seemed to be better again!
October 2005
A very sad update unfortunately...
Monaco has taken a distinct turn for the worse, as he has slowly been getting thinner and more wobbly on his back legs, and all of a sudden he can no longer walk. I think one of his back legs is just now too weak and thin. So instead he has to shuffle around the tank, dragging himself.
Heart breaking.
We're suspecting that he may have diabetes, which could explain what is happening. So we're going to start him on a no sugar diet, that similar to a Degu diet, which is Guinea pig pellets. For Phoenix we will give him treats seperately so that he still has some niceities.
I just don't know what to do, do I let him live out his life naturally or do I do the 'humane' thing and end his suffering?
20th October
Monaco has finally been freed from his suffering, he died sometime in the early hours, perhaps maybe even later than that.
At around 1am I noticed Monaco having a little move around the tank, so I thought I would give him some water (I do this fairly often as because he can't walk anymore it makes it difficult) He had by this time, pulled himself back into his nest, I sat and waited for him to come back out for water, he didn't. So I picked him up and discovered he was very cold, I wrapped him in a tissue to help warm him up and held him for a couple of hours, offered water which he would take...
Eventually I needed to go to bed, and by this time he was breathing more and more shallow, almost nothing.
It was at this time I knew and placed him back with Phoenix, so atleast he could pass on with his brother, in the comfort of his nest.
By morning when we checked, it was obvious he was gone, I think Phoenix is a little confused because he was obviously still nesting on him.
Monaco never moved from where we left him.
Good night sweetie, I hope whereever you are is a better place.
Monaco, March 2002 - October 2005.
