_________________________AGS NEWSLETTER_________________________
Editor: Libby Hanna
____________________________ARTICLES______________________________
- “Letter From the Editor”
by Libby Hanna
- “New England Show 2005”
by Donna Anastasi
Gerbils Health & Education
- “It's Showtime! Getting Gerbils Ready
for a Show” by Janet Morrow
- “Heat and Hypothermia” by
Libby Hanna
- “Quick
Links: Finding a Vet
The Pup Pages (stuff for kids by kids)
- “Ask Ruth” by Ruth H., age 10
- “Classroom Gerbil Art”
by Thomas B., Mary K., Daniel I., and Sarah N.
Getting to Know Each Other
- “El Clan de Houdini” by Laura Pimás
- “Phoebe: Artist”
by Judith Block
Fun & Inspirational
- “Gerbilariums: Recycled
Art for Gerbils” by
Ruth & Libby Hanna
American Gerbil Society
Show Reports
_________________AMERICAN GERBIL SOCIETY____________________
By Libby Hanna, Shawsheen River Gerbils (MA)
Something that drew me very quickly into the AGS was its
strong
emphasis on ethics and standards. To a person, AGS members are
dedicated to improving the characteristics of the breed and ensuring
the well-being of every animal that comes into their lives (and
collectively it seems that is a lot of
animals!)
One way this is accomplished is by an emphasis on goals and specialties. Talk to any AGS member, and he or she will tell you about breeding goals. Some of us are breeding for mottled patterns or stunning self-colored gerbils, others for schimmel, or mainly for temperament. For all I know, some of us may be working on dwarf or mega-gerbils!
Our family’s passion is acquiring, socializing, placing and
supporting gerbils in elementary school classrooms. This started
innocently, as most things do, with three little female pups adopted
into my younger daughter’s first-grade classroom by her extraordinarily
kind and loving teacher, Deborah Davies. After that first placement,
three more teachers quickly joined the classroom-gerbil ranks.
All four teachers speak highly of the calming effect the gerbils have on the classroom. Children visit the gerbils when they are troubled and need someone to talk to. The position of “gerbil helper” is the single most coveted job in the classroom. All the children know the rules of gerbil handling, and the older children in the grade 1 & 2 multi-age class pass down their gerbil wisdom to the younger ones. Teachers even use the gerbils as a way to quiet the room - “quiet, children, the gerbils are sleeping!”
The compassion and caring that the gerbils foster in the
classroom seems to spill over to sweetening the relationships between
children in the room, as well. Everyone shares a concern for the
gerbils’ welfare, and these shared concerns are part of the glue that
holds a classroom together. The classroom gerbils help give these
children the precious
gifts of ethics and responsibility, and let them experience the
satisfaction of working together toward mutual goals.
I'm delighted that the children from Caroline’s class have provided us with some of their artwork to grace this issue of Gerbil Tales. This issue also includes a wonderful article on Phoebe, gerbil artist extraordinare, and a chance to meet Laura Pimás, our dynamic South American AGS leader from Argentina. Please take the opportunity in upcoming months to share your goals, specialties and stories with us through this newsletter!
Sincerely,
Libby Hanna
___________________SHOW REPORTS______________________
2005 New England Show
By Donna Anastasi, ABC Gerbils (NH), Show
Coordinator
This year’s AGS New England Gerbil Show will
be held at the Comfort Inn, Trolley Square, in
The show is Saturday June 11th,
with health
inspections of gerbils and any other animals entering the show site
from
9am-11am. For all those arriving the day
before, there also will be health inspections on Friday evening, June 10th,
from 5pm - 9pm. This year the hotel has
requested that we bring all animals directly to the show site, rather
than to
our rooms.
I encourage everyone to try to arrive the
night before. The hotel has a beautiful
pool and early
arrivers should have time to take a dip. Starting
at 5 pm Friday night, there will be a reception
where weary
travelers can rest and have a bite to eat. This
is a wonderful opportunity to say hello and chat
gerbils with
AGS-ers in person, perhaps for the first time. It
is a time to meet and show-off gerbils and a good time
to look over
and adopt new furry friends: perhaps even the next day’s winners. (Trivia fact:
the best in show winner from the
first AGS show was adopted the Friday night before the show and shown
by his
new owner!)
The judging starts at 12:00 noon, so each
gerbil needs to be
registered, put in a labeled show pen, and placed on the judging table
before
then. Avoid the late fee, and plan to
register the gerbils on-line at least a week before the show. Last minute registration is available, but is
really intended for last minute entries (for example, the lovely pup
you
adopted the night before).
After first-place ribbons are awarded, the
top gerbils move
into the nail-biting best-in-show competition with the best gerbil and
best of
opposite sex winning show case rosette ribbons. I
hope you will go home with a ribbon (or several), but if
any gerbil
doesn’t do as well as you expected, please discuss him with the judge after the competition. Many
times we see a gerbil who is a little
too young, a little under-handled, a little too thin, or in the middle
of a
major molt (all things that can change!) but has the potential to be a
top
winning gerbil. Often judges say, “I
hope I see this one again, when….”
Then, everyone heads over to a local
restaurant to
celebrate, converse, and laugh (a lot!) late into the night. My daughter who loves to tell me little known
trivia facts tells me that laughing burns off calories. If that is
true, I
probably
lost a few pounds in the last AGS Gerbil Show dinner!
(Make sure to ask attendees from the Mid-West
show to share the “secret” AGS handshake).
We have a nice team of volunteers, which I’d love to see grow into an even larger team. With more people, we can do even more! A couple of possible additions to the show would be:
- An exhibit table: Extreme mottles? Inexpensive housing setups?? Colorful dwarf hamsters??? Last year Judith exhibited her gerbil Phoebe’s artwork
- Mini courses, e.g., basic genetics or how to build a split cage divider.
- Activities for those staying over to Sunday.
I’d love to hear from anyone with an idea to make this year’s show even better and the willingness to take charge and make it happen. Contact me at: necoordinator@agsgerbils.org with new ideas or volunteer for one of the jobs below.
On-line advertising – Luana
NE show coordinator – Donna
Assistant show coordinator – Christine
Show secretary – Jo
Animal Health Supervisor – Barbara
Pet class organizer and judge – Aryka
Raffle – Libby
Judges – Janet, Kat, Donna
Judges Assistants: Morrow family (additional volunteers welcome!)
Security – Roy Wolcott and Tom Rock
Selling AGS Merchandise (AGS Table) – Kathy Dykeman and Carole Lafond
Setup/Cleanup – Cara-lee, Roy Wolcott, David Beiliski, Carole Lafond
Drivers/Runners – Roy Wolcott
Driver/Runner – David Beiliski
Driver/Runner – how about you?
Reception organizer – how about you?
Greeter – how about you?
Assistant Health Inspector – how about you?
Assistant Health Inspector – how about you?
“I’ll do whatever else needs do-ing” – how about you?
__________________GERBIL HEALTH & EDUCATION__________________
It's
Showtime! Getting Gerbils
Ready for a Show
by Janet Morrow, Mountain Ash Gerbils (ME)
With the temperatures warming and the snow
beginning to
melt, many begin to think and long for spring. For
some of us crazy gerbil people, our thoughts turn to
the next New
England Show! Yes, we are just two
months, nine days and ten hours and forty-six minutes away. Not that
I’m
counting.
Getting Started
- Juvenile: pups between the age of 6 to 11 weeks
- Adult: gerbils between the age of 12 weeks and 2 years
- Veteran: gerbils over the age of 2 years
If you don’t know the exact date of birth, give the month and year to the best of your knowledge. Next, you will need to list the sex and ‘standard’ color of your gerbils. Hopefully determining the sex will be easy, but knowing the ‘standard’ color has proven a challenge for many members. You might not know the standard name for the color. A classic example of this is the Algerian Fox, Sooty Fawn, whose ‘standard’ name is Dark Eyed Honey.
If you are not sure, then attach a description of the color as accurately as you can, remembering to give the eye color, belly color, back color and any ticking. The Show Secretary can then help you determine the gerbil’s color. If an error is made it will be corrected when you get to the show, so don’t worry.
All of the colors are them grouped into four classes; Self (aa), White Bellied (AA, Aa), Color Point (cchmcchm, cchmch), and Other. For a complete listing of colors found in each class refer to the AGS Standards.
Points:
Body – 25 pts.;
Fur/color – 25 pts.; Temperament – 25 pts.;
Tail & Tuft – 15 pts.; Eyes – 5 pts.;
Ears – 5pts
There is a
general standard that all colors must meet. This
covers body confirmation, fur quality,
tail and tuft, eye and ear shape, and temperament.
Then each
color has its own specific standards that cover fur color, ticking,
and eye
color. A complete write up can be found in the AGS Standards.
One of the most
important things
you can do is read through the standards, and become familiar with them. When you go to a show, see which gerbils win
and find out why. The judges always give
a short commentary on the winners, and discuss their strong points. By understanding what a winning gerbil should
look, like you can better evaluate your gerbils, and determine which to
bring
to the next show.
There is nothing
you can do to
change your gerbil’s body structure or color. You
cannot make your gerbil’s tail longer or straighter. The thickness of the tuft, the width of its
head, and the beauty of its color are inherited.
But there are
tricks of the
trade to give your gerbils an edge toward the winner’s circle, namely,
making
sure they are clean, used to being handled, and have been given a diet
and
exercise to put them in top shape.
Cleanliness
Most of the show
standards are dependant on gerbil genetics, and there is little that
you can do
about it. However, one easy way to
increase your gerbils’ chances are to make sure that their fur is clean. As a judge, I often see yellow stains on
white, spotted, and light colored gerbils. To
see if your gerbil has this problem, turn him over and
look at his
underside. This is where you will most
often see staining. In
While I have never bathed my gerbils, I do
use
Nature’s Miracle
Pet Wipes on them. These are safe,
and will help to remove stains. You may
want to start working on stubborn, old stains a month in advance.
My next recommendation is to bring some chinchilla dust to the show. The judges have noted, especially at the summer shows, that many gerbils appear to have greasy fur. It will separate, and not lay smoothly with a good sheen. This will immediately cost you precious points that could be easily avoided. If you have never given your gerbils a dust bath, give it a try. When they are done take a good look at their fur. Then feel it. The difference can be quite amazing! They will have a healthy sheen/shine, and the fur will be at its softest. An added benefit is that gerbils thoroughly enjoy and good roll in chinchilla dust.
Temperament
- Lift them out of their housing
- Start by giving them a few gentle strokes to calm them down
- Turn them over and look at their belly and scent gland
- Run your fingers down their tails a few times
- Gently open their mouths and check out their teeth
- With your face close to theirs, check out their eyes, ears and whiskers
- Let them sit on your hand, or walk back and forth on your hands and arms for a minute or two
These are all things that our judges will do while spending time with your gerbil. If gerbils are nervous they will often put their ears back, and this makes it hard to judge the ears. Each nip will cost them a point or more, and a bite is grounds for immediate disqualification from the show.
Some
people have asked my why temperament accounts for
so much of the show score. This goes to
the central question of: why do we even have gerbil shows? The primary purpose of shows is to improve
the species: to make the colors and patterns more striking, to make
gerbils
more vigorous and healthy, and to make them better companions for their
human
families. No matter how beautiful a gerbil
is, it should not be bred if it is not gentle and human friendly. Temperament is often passed on to pups.
Conformation
I often read on the list
about ‘fat’ gerbils, and it is true that I have had a few roly-polies
myself. However, male gerbils should be
substantial and bulk shouldn’t be mistaken as fat.
Gerbils are not human,
and we cannot compare their ‘perfect’ build to our ideals for a
‘perfect’
man. A
show quality male gerbil (in human society) would never be employed as
a
fashion model, a basketball player, or a swimmer. Male
gerbils should be football players. They
should look strong, and have muscular
shoulders. You would not believe how
many people have told judges that one of their gerbils was ‘just too
fat’ to be
in the show. Then, when he was entered,
he won! It seems that what we perceive
as fat is often ‘male bulk’.
Females should not appear thin or bony. They would never make it into the pages of Vogue, and Twiggy would be banned from the AGS Show circuit! (Twiggy was an ultra thin model in the 1960s.)
Relax and Enjoy the Show
The last and most
important thing to do is relax and enjoy the show!
When it is all over, I hope you will have
talked to the judges and other breeders, will have learned more about
shows and
show gerbils, and will leave with information (and perhaps a few
beautiful,
sweet new gerbils!) that will make your kennel stronger and better.
It is here that we meet the people that we have laughed and cried with over the year. It is at the shows that an intangible cyber pen pal becomes a true friend.
I
hope to see you all at the 2005 shows!
Heat and Hypothermia
By Libby Hanna, Shawsheen River Gerbils (MA)
All over the United States, temperatures are rising as we move
from winter to spring. In the southern hemisphere, the days are growing
shorter and cooler. It is the time for seasonal tasks: taking out or
putting away shorts and sweaters; coiling or rolling out the garden
hose. It’s also a good time to review safety precautions to protect our
gerbil friends from the extremes of weather ahead.
Hot Summers: Heat Stroke
If you live where it’s hot or getting hotter, check the
location of your gerbils’ tanks to make sure:
- they are out of direct drafts from fans and air-conditioners
- they are not receiving direct sunlight, which will greatly elevate tank temperature
- they have fresh, clean water all the time
Even if your gerbils have been in the same location for
months, seasonal changes in the position of the sun can put a tank in
direct sunlight when it might not have been before. Place a thermometer
next to your gerbil’s tank and check it every two hours for one day, to
verify comfortable temperature (60-85 degrees Fahrenheit). If you have
many tanks, consider a stick-on aquarium thermometer on each tank, or
on at least one tank in each part of the room or house. These are not
perfectly accurate but do give a good sense of when temperatures are
becoming extreme.
High humidity levels make animals uncomfortable even at lower
temperatures, so if your weather is very humid, make doubly sure
temperatures stay within a reasonable range.
If you plan to travel with pets during hot weather, do not
leave your gerbils (or any animal) in the car for even a few minutes, even with the
windows rolled down, even if parked in the shade! It can take only a
few minutes for a car to reach life-threatening temperatures.
Animals in danger from heat stroke will have high body
temperatures. They will probably be lethargic, or move around jerkily.
Heat stroke can bring on seizures. You might notice your gerbil’s skin
or mucous membrances (mouth, nose, lips) look especially red.
If you suspect heat stroke, you must lower the animal's body temperature.
Move your gerbils to a cool place immediately. Since the tank is most
likely very hot, take them out of the tank and put them in a cool
place, protected from escape and other animals, like in the bathtub.
Placing them on a damp towel and dampening their fur can lower body
temperature. You must not, however, lower the temperature below normal;
so avoid extremes like placing ice on the animal, or you may face the
opposite problem: hypothermia.
Cold Winters: Hypothermia
If your part of the world is cold or growing colder, perform
the same temperature monitoring recommended above at two-hour intervals
for one full day. Your own seasonal check should include:
- gerbil tanks are away from cold drafts from windows or out-of-season air-conditioning vents,
- gerbils are not so close to heat registers or radiators that tanks become too warm,
- gerbils have a nice deep layer of bedding to nest in, and a buddy or two to snuggle with.
With a little foresight and precaution, your gerbils will
burrow and snuggle their way happily through all the highs and lows of
temperature, gracing many changes of season with their friendly,
cheerful ways.
é
___________________________________________________________________
Quick
Links:
Finding a
Vet
This new section of Gerbil
Tales provides quick
Internet references of value to gerbil owners. It is culled from email
discussions on the AGS membership list. - Ed.
When your gerbil is sick, how do you find a vet experienced with small animals to treat him or her? Try these sources.
http://www.avma.org/statevma/default.asp - the American Veterinary Medical Association's database of state Veterinary Medical Associations lets you search by specialty within your state.
http://www.aemv.org - the Association of Exotic Mammal Veterinarians lists veterinarians by state under the link for geographical location.
http://www.aav.org - the American Association of Avian Vets. Avian vets often treat other exotics as well.
http://www.ratfanclub.org/vetref.html - a list of vets recommended by the Rat Fan Club for Eastern and Midwest US.
http://www.guineapigs.info/vets/vetcheck/index.php
- a list of guinea pig (cavy) vets
_________________THE PUP PAGES___________________
“Ask Ruth” – An Advice and Discussion Column For Kids and By Kids
Dear Ruth,
I am 10 and have two gerbils
in my bedroom. They are both boys, and are
very friendly. The only trouble is that sometimes they keep me
awake at night playing on their wheel. I don't want to take
them out of my room. Do you have any suggestions?
Thank you,
Joshua
Dear Joshua,
If the wheel is squeaking, try oiling it with vegetable oil. The
oil won't hurt the gerbils, but it will stop the wheel from squeaking.
If it's the running noise the gerbils make, you can take out the wheel
at night and put it back in the morning. After all, gerbils aren't
nocturnal so they will be awake in the day to use the wheel.
Good luck,
Ruth
Please write to askruth@agsgerbils.org
with your questions about gerbils.
é
___________________________________________________________________
Classroom
Gerbil Art
The children in Mrs.
Davies'
grade 1&2 class have some of our Shawsheen River Gerbils in their
classroom. The children contributed the art for this issue of Gerbil
Tales. - Ed.
By Thomas B., age 8
___________________________________________________________________
By Mary K., age 8
___________________________________________________________________
By Daniel I., age 6
___________________________________________________________________
By Sarah N., age 6-1/2
_______________GETTING TO KNOW EACH OTHER__________________
El Clan de Houdini or,
How a Gerbil Can Change Your Life
By Laura
Pimás, El Clan de Houdini (Argentina)
And I’m addicted to them, maybe too much (although,
can
someone be
addicted “too much” to gerbils? I don’t think so!) And
I’m proud of
it!
If someone had told me 3 years ago that I would be writing this today, I wouldn’t have believed them.
When I received Houdini and Aretha as a birthday present from my boyfriend, three and a half years ago, almost nobody knew about gerbils as pets here in Argentina. The moment they arrived, they stole my heart completely!
I remember emailing Janet over and over, asking too many basic questions, since there was no information available about gerbils in Spanish, until she invited me to join the AGS group where everyone made me feel at home, although I knew nothing about gerbies and my English was a little rusty.
After that, I convinced my sister Jimena to create a
Spanish
Gerbil site to help others the way the AGS helped us. I’ve been
a full
member for almost 2 years and was the first person to join the AGS in
Argentina.
I’ve taken the Judges’ Training on line, and I’m now a
probationary judge.
Along with our site, which we mantain for educational purposes only, we
have a Spanish Gerbil Forum with members from all over
Argentina,
Brazil, Spain, Chile, Venezuela, and México, among others.
I am responsible for bringing into Argentina the first Siamese, Burmese, Spotted and Pied gerbils, and also for having the first couple of gg gerbils (Grey Agouti). All these wonderful gerbils came from Brazil.
I feel honored and grateful, and I certainly aim to honor what the AGS stands for: “Education, Responsibility, Excellence”, in every moment, in every way I possibly can. However, the most important change in my life has to do with relationships. Because of all this, I’ve met wonderful people, making friends and bonds that I know will last forever. I can proudly say that I have many beloved sisters and brothers around the globe because of my gerbils.
___________________________________________________________________
Phoebe: Artist
By Judith Block, Knolls Gerbils (NY)
Our
beloved gerbil, Phoebe (RIP), was an artist: more specifically, a
sculptor.
I had given Phoebe thick, colored,
cardboard tubes to chew, as I
give all our gerbils. But no gerbil, not even her sons, Bacchus and
Dionysius, who inherited her sweet face and disposition, has ever
chewed abstract designs into the tubes, as Phoebe did. We have had
gerbils since 1972.
Phoebe's sculptures are not accidents or examples of random chewing. They are too well designed and have a definite style. We could not believe our eyes- Phoebe would chew, then step back to observe her work, and then chew some more in a particular spot, or move to another area. We saw her do this over and over again! She even worked as an “obsessed” artist (as I often do), for hours, without a break to eat or drink. It took her about two weeks to complete a sculpture. I thought she would do two or three, but she ended up completing ten of them, an impressive body of work for any artist!
Phoebe, in her short
life, had quite an artistic career, became more famous,
and brought more smiles and happiness to more people, than most humans
do in a lifetime. Because of her sweet face, Phoebe’s photograph
was chosen to accompany an article on gerbils as pets,
published in the
column, “Animal House”, by well known animal columnist and writer,
Denise
Articles
were published about Phoebe’s life
in The Riverdale Press, (article by Joe
Ryan,
I
created a portfolio of Phoebe’s sculptures, complete with preface and
accompanying Haiku poems (wonderfully translated into Spanish by AGS
member, Laura Pimás). Photographs of her sculptures
were displayed
at the AGS
Kentucky-Bluegrass Show,
Phoebe, the Website (www.geocities.com/phoebe_art04/,
the on-line version of the
Phoebe Portfolio), was created by AGS
President, Janet Morrow, in Nov. 2003.
Phoebe had a posthumous art
exhibition of her sculptures at AGS
Northeast Show in
Heartbreakingly, Phoebe died of
genetic kidney disease on
By Judith H. Block
Spanish Translation
 |
 |
| Twilight
on the Gobi The violet hour. The long, hot day is over. I love the cold night. Crepúsculo en el El ardiente, largo dia ha terminado. Amo la fria noche. |
Antler
totem of the Gobi The grace of Ibex; Ancestral remains of horn. Black tailed gazelles run. Totem de Asta Ancestrales vestigios de cornamentas. Corren las gacelas de negras colas. |
___________________FUN &
INSPIRATIONAL________________________
Gerbilariums
by Ruth and Libby Hanna, Shawsheen River Gerbils (MA)
Whether your gerbils live at home or at school, a gerbilarium is a great project. A gerbilarium is a bunch of cardboard boxes that are connected. They are fun to make and fun for your gerbil to play in.
Gerbilariums are
cheaper than plastic toys. Also, the
gerbils enjoy them more. It is like living in Chuck E. Cheese!
To make a gerbilarium
you need only a few supplies: some
boxes, a few tubes and glue. First, brainstorm a
few ideas for unique features of your
gerbilarium (staircase, lookout platform, etc.) Next, take the boxes
and tubes and put them in the tank in the arrangement that you want.
(Make sure
that your gerbilarium fits in the gerbil tank.) Then, using hot glue or
Elmer’s
glue, glue your gerbilarium together. Use as little glue as possible.
Add
special features. Next, wait for the glue to dry. Put some bedding in
the tank
first, because once you get the gerbils in, you will probably not get
them out! Add your gerbilarium, then your gerbils, and let the fun
begin!
You
can also build a fun gerbil run out of a large cardboard box. This box
measured 37"x18"x13" to start and had contained some build-it-yourself
shelving. We taped the box shut and then cut it lengthwise with a box
cutter. Then we folded over any extra flaps and taped everything down.
We used leftover bits and pieces of the box to make the moveable maze
you
see inside. A few empty boxes or plastic toys complete the gerbil
jungle gym. Put in some newspaper just to keep things clean between
visitors.
The sides are high enough to keep gerbils in (although a determined
gerbil could scramble out, so we only let them play when we can watch
them!)