Hi all, as promised, here are my two gerbils, Brownie and Parker.
It's after midnight now here in the UK, which means we got Brownie exactly one year ago today.
Our local pet shop runs an adoption scheme for unwanted pets, giving them a chance to be re-homed. When me and my boyfriend went into the pet shop that day - we didn't know exactly what kind of small rodent we were going to get - we just knew we wanted a little fury rodent friend, and I definitely wanted it to be a rescue pet who needed re-homing. I had never had a gerbil before, but Brownie was so lovely we had to take him home.
The staff didn't know how old he was, but he seemed like a young adult to all of us. His previous owner had given him the name "Mr. Brown" - and I didn't want to change it too much as I knew he was probably used to his name, so he became Brownie.
We were told by the man in the pet shop that gerbils are very sociable animals, and that it makes them a lot happier and healthier to live with other gerbils of the same sex, but we were also told that it can be very difficult to introduce new gerbils to each other (without the possibility of a lethal fight ensuing). So the next day, after giving it a lot of thought, we went back to the pet shop and bought a younger gerbil - who my boyfriend decided to name Parker (after Peter Parker from Spiderman). Me and my boyfriend hoped that if we got a gerbil who was a bit younger than Brownie, he might sense that the newcomer was younger/weaker and not a threat to his dominance, therefore accept him a lot easier. I was so nervous about introducing them, because the pet shop guy told us that if we don't do it the right way, they could get very violent with each other, and the thought of that terrified me. But thankfully, the way that we introduced them went well, and they accepted each other instantly. They were actually curled up sleeping together by the end of the day.
They were obviously meant to be together. 
My boyfriend works a lot, and Brownie and Parker have completely saved me from loneliness. They are both little joys to have around, and they mean so much to us.
It's after midnight now here in the UK, which means we got Brownie exactly one year ago today.
Our local pet shop runs an adoption scheme for unwanted pets, giving them a chance to be re-homed. When me and my boyfriend went into the pet shop that day - we didn't know exactly what kind of small rodent we were going to get - we just knew we wanted a little fury rodent friend, and I definitely wanted it to be a rescue pet who needed re-homing. I had never had a gerbil before, but Brownie was so lovely we had to take him home. The staff didn't know how old he was, but he seemed like a young adult to all of us. His previous owner had given him the name "Mr. Brown" - and I didn't want to change it too much as I knew he was probably used to his name, so he became Brownie.
We were told by the man in the pet shop that gerbils are very sociable animals, and that it makes them a lot happier and healthier to live with other gerbils of the same sex, but we were also told that it can be very difficult to introduce new gerbils to each other (without the possibility of a lethal fight ensuing). So the next day, after giving it a lot of thought, we went back to the pet shop and bought a younger gerbil - who my boyfriend decided to name Parker (after Peter Parker from Spiderman). Me and my boyfriend hoped that if we got a gerbil who was a bit younger than Brownie, he might sense that the newcomer was younger/weaker and not a threat to his dominance, therefore accept him a lot easier. I was so nervous about introducing them, because the pet shop guy told us that if we don't do it the right way, they could get very violent with each other, and the thought of that terrified me. But thankfully, the way that we introduced them went well, and they accepted each other instantly. They were actually curled up sleeping together by the end of the day.
They were obviously meant to be together. My boyfriend works a lot, and Brownie and Parker have completely saved me from loneliness. They are both little joys to have around, and they mean so much to us.
"And ye harm none, do what ye will" ~ Wiccan Rede
