Hergest Ridge

Two cute gerbils have been sharing a home with me for the past week and a half. Yup, on September 15th I brought home two new mates. Had I had kids, I’m sure I’d be “the bestest dad” for that day, maybe two.

Dopey was the first to get his name. All he did was sleep for the first couple of days, and the name fit. As it turns out, Dopey should have been named Flash. Alas, the original naming ceremony was over and done with, and no name change took place.

Rudolph got his name for his pink nose. The fur around his face was a bit thin, and you could see the skin beneath.

Where Dopey departed from the behaviour after which he was named, Rudolph took things a bit too seriously and developed a very, very red nose. Crusty and bloody, not the kind you can brag about.

Only a week and a half as house mates, and already on the way to the vet. Sigh. As much as I hate the idea of spending the money, I already feel better knowing that tomorrow things will start getting better… right?

Since Rudolph’s nose is closest to the camera, things look a bit worse here than they are in real life.

Rudolph seems okay. He still eats, plays and chews like a healthy gerbil. I think he is even smiling a bit in the above pic. No? Well, I thought so. :)

Did I mention Dopey has three legs? Don’t ask how, where, and why, for I am just as curious and clueless. I noticed it on day five. You can see him leaning a bit to his left in the next picture. He does that often because it’s the right hind leg which he’s without, but you wouldn’t know anything was missing if you saw him play.

Meet Dopey, the three legged gerbil.

It’s fun to watch Rudolph and Dopey clean each other. Sometimes little fights break out, but no one ever got hurt. They curl up to sleep together in the strangest and cutest positions. They’re pals all the way!

This is right after a small squabble which left Dopey upside down in the bowl. He stayed like that for a while, probably wondering what just happened.