Pets

..Is it true that gerbils can choose to lose their tail if you grab them in a certain way?

Specialised vets here are few and far between. :huh:

Hm. I have noticed strange things about my baby fish as they've grown up. The fry which were born in the flower-vase-tank have never feared being in small spaces or nets, so they were thrilled to be inside the breeding net in the big tank and they've never been scared of us. Whenever someone comes near, it's like the scene on 'Evan Almighty' when the fish surround his head in the office. They'll all crowd around to try and get closest to the surface and you, because they associate us with food.

The babies that survived it out in the big tank before being rescued and placed in the smaller tanks have never been happy in the smaller spaces - But it's necessary because as they get bigger, they become slower and less able to hide well from the bigger fish. They're constantly trying to swim through glass or bury their way out of the breeding nets..

I had the luck of buying my gerbils form a small pet-shop in which the employees would play with them every day so they were used to people when I got them. I fortunately never had problems with giving them oral medication, only had a show when I was at the vet. Probably all the different smells and the unusual environment made them extra alert and hard to handle there.


Envy wrote:

..Is it true that gerbils can choose to lose their tail if you grab them in a certain way?

Nope, definitely not! They aren't like lizards! :silly:
They have a sensitive tail so you have to be cautious how you pick them up by it, because it can break and that isn't a pleasant experience for them.

black_magnolia wrote:

Envy wrote:

..Is it true that gerbils can choose to lose their tail if you grab them in a certain way?

Nope, definitely not! They aren't like lizards! :silly:
They have a sensitive tail so you have to be cautious how you pick them up by it, because it can break and that isn't a pleasant experience for them.

Ahh right..Can all lizards lose their tails or is it only certain breeds? :woohoo: Learn something new everyday.

Envy wrote:

black_magnolia wrote:

Envy wrote:

..Is it true that gerbils can choose to lose their tail if you grab them in a certain way?

Nope, definitely not! They aren't like lizards! :silly:
They have a sensitive tail so you have to be cautious how you pick them up by it, because it can break and that isn't a pleasant experience for them.

Ahh right..Can all lizards lose their tails or is it only certain breeds? :woohoo: Learn something new everyday.

Just some breeds. Most small common ones can, the bigger ones don't. :silly:

black_magnolia wrote:

Just some breeds. Most small common ones can, the bigger ones don't. :silly:

Ah.

I never knew that. Guess I'll be a lot more careful around pet lizards my friends own. Not that I'd ever pick them up by the tail, but..Ahh. I like to be cautious and at least know.

^.^ Thanks.

Envy wrote:

black_magnolia wrote:

Just some breeds. Most small common ones can, the bigger ones don't. :silly:

Ah.

I never knew that. Guess I'll be a lot more careful around pet lizards my friends own. Not that I'd ever pick them up by the tail, but..Ahh. I like to be cautious and at least know.

^.^ Thanks.

Don't worry, they don't decide to lose it the instant you grab them, but only if they feel threatened. It's just a survival mechanism. I also think the lizard species that are kept as pets are species that don't lose their tails, but best to ask your friends specifically because they should know for their pet.