Current Events
Please see the Available page for a current list of available gerbils.
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09/03/99 - Crysania's two sick pups are doing much better - they're hopping around and playing just like the rest, and there's only a little clicking left. That Ornacycline is great stuff! So, now an update on the actual colors of this litter - 1 LCPA, 1 LCPGA, 3 REW/DTW, 1 DEH, 1 BEW (white, black eyes, smoky nose, ears & tail - silver nutmeg?). They are so very cute to watch. The DEH and LCPGA are both the sweetest, I guess because they've been handled more due to my giving them medicine. The DEH especially, will climb up on my hand and stand up, seemingly waiting for me to take her out. I think the BEW is reserved but am not sure. The rest will be up for adoption . . . see the Available Pups page for their genetics.
Ulysses & Selene's pups are really cute and just opened their eyes this week. They are very pretty, and I suppose the really dark-ticked pup is a darker grey agouti, but he is definitely darker. If there has ever been anything called a black/slate agouti, he would probably fit the bill. These are the same parents who produced the DPP dove I have. After asking Julian about the odd coloring, he told me that DPP does have an influence on how colors develop, so that may be a factor in his coloring. So, perhaps he is something a little different. These pups will also be available, but I still need to add them to the Available Pups page.
08/29/99 - Aaah, the site update is done for now. Added a links page, which is something I've been meaning to do for a long time. If your website is complete, send me your address with a small descriptive paragraph and I'll add you.
There's a disturbing respiratory infection that two of Crysania's pups have developed. I've changed the bedding, added Ornacycline and moved the tank to a second shelf, hopefully cutting down on any draft from the air conditioner. Don't know what else to do. I can't help but wonder if dusty tissues could be the culprit, but haven't had that happen before. I'm very concerned - one of them is the 'surprise' DEH pup, who after two weeks already climbs up on my hand and lets me pick him up. He is so very sweet. The other is the only LCPGA that's in this litter. The CP white, LCPA(?) and all of the REW/DTWs are fine it seems.
Ulysses & Selene have an odd pup - something I've never seen before. (That always seems to happen to me!) There are three males; one argente, one light argente spot, and the third was what I thought was going to be an agouti spot, though it was a bit darker. Now that another week has passed, there is no brown undercoat like an agouti, nor is there grey ticking like on a grey agouti; the ticking is almost black (slate?). Its undercoat is dark but just where the hair comes from the skin, about 1/8 of the hair. That extends to greyish-white, which then extends to an extremely dark grey then to black on the last quarter of the end of the hair - a very 'salt & pepper' color! He has the normal white belly but has white nails, unlike a grey or standard agouti. There's a spot on his head, one on his neck, with a very tiny pied area on his back that's smaller than an eraser on a pencil. He has a very distinctive line across his shoulders that looks like a molting line, and there is a very small amount of black concentrated in one spot just below the 'molt' line, a little past the middle of his shoulders. But molting at two weeks? If anyone has seen a color like this please let me know. If you find a picture like this, also please let me know. My camera isn't good enough for closeups that would show any detail. (Next on the 'wish list' - additional hard drive and additional camera!)
08/27/99 - Obviously I've been busy working on the site, attempting at more of a Celtic look to fit our name. Hope you all like it. There's now a guestbook that I ask you to sign and add comments to - something I've never had before.
Update on colors - decisions on the mystery colors are a little more definite now that they're getting older. You can see their descriptions on our Available Pups page. I'm getting a little 'full' with pups and need some assistance in finding homes . . .
All of the pups from Raistlin & Chrysania and from Myst & Shadoe are very similar, and they're all playing and attacking their respective mom & dad constantly. They are extremely entertaining and I find myself lying on the bed watching their antics constantly, chuckling as they 'bumble' around their tanks. One of the funniest things they do is run from one end of the tank to the other, freeze for a split second, then jump in the air and turn around at the same time, and head back the other way. They are definitely entertaining and it's nice to see such happy, healthy little guys!
Ulysses & Selene's pups are growing by leaps and bounds, and are bumbling around their tank with their older siblings. The older guys are so good with them, letting the babies climb all over them and keeping track of them with Selene. They should be opening their eyes soon and their colors are showing nicely. There's an argente, a beautifully spotted, somewhat lighter argente, and an agouti spot that has a tiny bit of pied white on its back - a very, very pretty pup!
08/18/99 - Been upstairs checking out the pup colors in bright light. They're different, that's for sure. Also have been talking with Elizabeth about the colors and possibilities of Crysania's litter, which seem pretty phenomenal. There's definitely a DEH, that's without a doubt, but is quite a surprise! That means that Ulysses, who is Raistlin's father, is probably carrying ee.
The descriptions that I gave to Elizabeth are:
1 F DEH (a definite)
1 M CP almost-white (is more of an extremely pale grey) with dark skin on its tail (very little fur yet), black eyes
1 F CPGA (probably) - lots of ticking, has black skin on tail (very little fur yet)
2 M Red-Eyed - not quite white, no ticking, dark pink tail (very little fur yet)
1 F Red-Eyed - ditto on above
1 M LCPGA - lots of grey ticking, very dark tail, black eyes
After getting these descriptions, she said there is a possibility the 'not-quite-white' pups are extremely light doves and/or sapphires, but we just have to wait a while, possibly until they molt, to be sure. If this is what they turn out to be, they would be AaCc(h)EeggPp x aac(b)c(h)EeGgPp, and could produce more colors than I could ever imagine, including: agouti, black, argente, dove, sapphire, DEH, nutmeg, yellow fox, red fox, polar fox, silver nutmeg, apricot, RESN, and LCP's of those. How neat!
So, at this point we wait . . . impatiently . . . as these pups grow and change. Will keep you all updated as the colors come in.
08/15/99 - Updating pages; seems like a never-ending process! Ulysses & Selene's three new pups are doing well - one's turning dark, probably Agouti, and the other two are going to be light - either DTWs or Argentes. They're extremely vocal little things!
Some of Raistlin & Crysania's pups' colors are still somewhat of a mystery to me - it's so hard to be patient sometimes, especially with the highly-anticipated first litter!
The chubby, bumbling litter of Myst & Shadoe are all so very pretty. Their eyes should be opening in the next day or so. I really love the CP colors, and half the time you can't figure out just what they are because they're so close in color. Nessa, Carlin & Leana are all helping take care of the babies, taking turns keeping them warm and cleaning them. They are adorable to watch, and I'm so glad they've inherited the affectionate caring of their grandparents, Gawain & Celes.
08/14/99 - Ulysses & Selene are new parents of Litter #6 - 3 new fat pups, that were born last night sometime. It's always fun to wake up to baby squeaks! These three are the survivors of a litter of five. =( Perhaps Selene is in the beginnings of her retirement period - her litter sizes normally are fairly large.
Crysania's newest litter is getting fur and there are some odd ones in there! Male CP White (for lack of a better name); 2 Female DTWs; Female LCPGA; a Male that's an extremely light greyish/tan; and a Female that right now looks like a DEH with the blackest points I've ever seen. She has 'stripes' from both of her eyes down to her nose. Other than the extremely black points and the stripes, she looks about like the DEHs I used to raise.
Myst & Shadoe's pups born on August 1 are little furry fat things - looks like there's 2 Female DTWs, 2 Males that look like DTWs but are a little more grey/tan than white, and 1 Female LCPGA/LCPA. The three 'older' pups, born on June 29, are 1 Male LCPGA/LCPA named Carlin; 1 Female LCPGA/LCPA named Leana; and the third, a Female CP White, is Nessa, who I'm planning to keep. They're all beautiful and healthy, and Carlin and Leana are available to adopt. Please check the Available Pups! for these and other available pups.
08/12/99 - Oh, pooh, the pictures are blurry - I've got to get the hang of this new camera! I always seem to want to get too close.
Raistlin & Crysania's pups are all doing well - getting chubby and getting fur. There are some colors that I am completely unsure of - one's turning dark and has the blackest points I've ever seen, some look like they have pink eyes and are light. Hmmm . . .
The two LCPGA/LCPA pups from Shadoe's previous litter are no longer reserved, so they are available for adoption. The newest litter contains a lot of white and a smokey grey. Not sure until they molt (if they do) what colors they actually are.
08/09/99 - Crysania has FINALLY had her pups! She had a whopping 10 in the litter, but one was stillborn and we lost two more within an hour. So, she has a smaller (luckily) and healthier (probably)litter of 7. They are pretty darned small, though, since they were so packed in her tummy! There's film for me to pick up, but it's 'pre-baby,' but at least you can see how big she actually was.
As far as Shadoe's pups, looks like three may possibly be LCPDEHs - they look really white, but they're still very young. The other is dark with dark eyes - Siamese? Hmmm. Two of her older pups, a female and male LCPGA are no longer reserved and are up for adoption. They are so cute!
08/04/99 - I can't believe Crysania hasn't had her pups yet - she must have a litter of 9 stuffed in her belly, which is absolutely tremendous. Check out a past picture of Rosie when she was huge. I do believe Crysania's bigger than that!
The new pups are growing and there are just beginning of fur - but shoot, I can't tell what it is yet. Out of the five there are 4 light dark eyed ones and 1 dark eyed one who is showing a darkening body. Hmmm . . . a Siamese? None of them look extraordinarily white yet, though I hope some turn out to be LCPDEHs. Of course, it might help if I give them about another week to really see what colors they will be. :-) Just impatient, I guess.
Selene's pregnant and beginning to get a little round. Her last litter was born on June 21, so obviously the first couple of matings didn't work. So, she may have more pups at the end of this week or sometime late next week. If it's this week, though, either there aren't many or they're very, very small.
08/02/99 - All five new pups are doing really well. I can't wait to see what colors they turn out to be . . . LCPDEH would be nice.
Crysania is getting absolutely tremendous, but I still can't see any babies moving. Another day or two, I guess.
08/01/99 (Later) - I've been taking pictures of the gerbils, so hopefully I'll have some up next weekend! Checked on Shadoe and pups, and found that she probably won't have any more than the five she has. She and Myst were mating, so I could only assume . . .
08/01/99 - Late this morning I was adding a new tank for older pups and checked in on the other gerbs. To my surprise, Shadoe was having babies! :-) She had one in the nest and was in the process of giving birth to the second. I just left her alone for a while, checked an hour or so later, and there were 5! She still looked a bit big, so I'm giving her more time . . . she still acts as though she's not through. They all have little white tummies, so I know they're all eating; they are small, though.
I had no idea she would have them so soon - she's not due until August 6th, so this came as quite a surprise. I may be updating this page again before the day's over to include another pup or two!
For previous news see
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