The Memorial Page
We've lost many pups, mostly newborns, in the past couple of years. At times we'd lose a full litter, which seemed to happen as the mother got nearer to breeding retirement. It's always a sad occasion, but is to be expected when you breed any type of animal; sometimes there are some that are just not born healthy and sometimes accidents happen, which are things that can't be avoided.
It's harder, though, when you lose a gerbil who has spent time with you and is an adult. This Memorial Page is dedicated to those gerbils.
July 13, 1999 - Celes was a pretty Dark Tailed White who was born on July 23, 1998, and was paired with Gawain, a ColorPoint Slate, on August 22, 1998. They had four litters, the last of which was born March 14, 1999, and contributed some beautiful Siamese and LCPAs to The Circle. After many, many matings, she did not have any more pups, though she was very big and looked pregnant. Her death is being attributed to a possible intrauterine tumor for these reasons.
Celes' death was the hardest I've had to deal with because of her wonderful nature. She and Gawain were the most affectionate and loving pair I had, and luckily all of their offspring have the same disposition. Gawain is living with his son Spanky, a Siamese who's just like his mom & dad.
April 11, 1999 - I brought Avery home from a pet store on June 7, 1998. He was a molting Nutmeg pup and a relative of Cameron, who you can read about below. He was paired with Hannah, a DTW, and they had three litters of pups. Cameron began suffering from really severe seizures and was separated from Hannah so he wouldn't produce any more pups. I believe this family had been inbred for more than several generations and were suffering from seizure disorders due to the fact that Cameron also suffered from seizures, though not as badly as Avery.
Avery was such a sweet boy and was very friendly to everyone. He was never startled by a hand in the tank and looked forward to his treats by standing up when anyone would walk by his tank. I believe he had a stroke, just as Cameron did.
September 13, 1998 - Cameron, a beautiful pet-shop Nutmeg had come home with us on May 2, 1998, and after an odd attack on his mate, Skye, they had to be separated. I had attempted to pair him up with another male, whom he also attacked. So, Cameron lived by himself and seemed to be fairly happy about it, though he got extra attention since he was a bachelor.
Cameron had been fine earlier in the day, but after returning home from out of town I was feeding the gerbils and found him curled up in his little nest in the corner - he was cold. There were no physical signs of any problems and he had been fine in the morning. I assume he had a stroke; he was seizure-prone and extremely excitable, so this is the only conclusion I can make. He was a wonderfully affectionate boy who loved to ride on my shoulder while I fed the other critters, and he never minded my kisses.
April 13, 1998 - The first pup I lost was from Cloud & Guenevere's second litter. It was 10 days old and obviously had a broken leg when I found it in the middle of the tank; there was no blood. Can't figure out what could have happened since it was not quite a newborn and definitely not a 'weanling' yet. I'm still questioning why . . .
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