The Way of Tao and Zen

Tao and Zen were my first ever pets, and I can't have hoped to have better pets!
To think I almost didn't adopt you, I'm so glad I did in the end.
You taught me so much, about life and about myself, and helped me through some tough times.

I really miss hearing you guys nibbling and running in your wheel, and I miss watching you playing and digging and even sunbathing!

Thank you for being such good pets, I'll never forget you.

Love
shiro

I'm sad to report, Zen passed away on January 31st 2011.
He was the grand old age of 4 years and 1 month and until the last week and a bit had never had any health problems.
Even after his brother Tao passed away he was a happy little fella, he even tried to play gerbil judo with me, and was always sticking his nose through the bars to greet me when I came in.
He made me laugh with his antics every day and surprised me with his energy depite his age.
I loved cuddling with him before putting him back in his tank in the evening, and sharing my breakfast with him in the morning.

I'm really missing you little one!
But thank you for being such a good friend to me and for sticking around for so many years.

Zen is buried near Tao where they are giving new life to the tree that is growing nearby.

Happy Anniversary shiro!
I've lived with you for 4 years today! X3
Thanks for taking such good care of me.
And thanks for the awesome card you made me! =^_^=



I know I tease you, but now I'm well into me senior years, having such a good owner is a real help! (even if I did huff and puff at you when you had to give me those eye drops. :P)
Here, have a cuddle!

While surfing the web I've noticed a lot of confusion about what a gerbil is and is not allowed to eat. So I thought I'd compile a comprehensive list of foods gerbils can eat based on all the foods me and my brother have tried!
There are probably lots of other foods gerbils can eat we haven't tried, but all the ones listed below are tried and tested by gerbils! (one of those testers is now over 4 years old, so I'd say that's a good indicator of a healthy lifestyle! X3)

shiro has fed us lots of different things and we've been just fine. shiro only feeds us small amounts of these treat foods, bits just big enough to fit in our paws usually, but she feeds us at least one treat food a day if not more. A sensible gerbil will usually stop eating when they've had enough, so if it's too big they'll just stop.
Remember to give your gerbil lots of exercise and then you won't have to worry about them getting fat. Give them lots of boxes to chew and room to dig and let them out to run about for an hour every day! (in a secure room!)

If you want to give your gerbil a new treat, give him or her small amounts first and watch to make sure it dosen't cause any problems. (because all gerbils are different, some may not be able to handle a lot of green veg for example) Here's the list:

Fruits:
apple
banana
grapes
pear
blueberries

Salad:
lettuce
tomato (shiro grows really teeny tiny cherry tomatoes indoors which are perfect size for a gerbil! But you can cut up a bigger tomato)
celery (Tao liked this but I thought it was yucky!)
cucumber (Not really a fan of this myself but Tao sometimes indulged)

Veggies:
carrot
peas
broccolli
cauliflower

Nuts and Seeds:
sunflower seeds (of course!)
pumpkin seeds
millet
peanuts
hazelnuts


Other:
rolled porrige oats (not cooked obviously! I love to hoover these up!)
rice krispies (not the ones with sugar on them)
cornflakes (again, not the sugared kind)
shredded wheat
wholemeal toast
popcorn (without any addatives ie sugar or flavour unless it's special pet popcorn!)
dried banana chips
dried apple
sultanas
cheese (But it has to be the right kind of cheese, Tao and I only like the medium strength chedder)
Dandilion leaves (pick them from somewhere you're sure hasn't been sprayed with weedkiller and wash well in any case)
grass (grow it in a ceramic pot on the windowsil then transplant it to your gerbil's tank, they'll love it!

I'll add anything else as I try it.
Come on shiro, bring on the next treat, I've got a job to do! X3