Gerbils

Hey guys I was just wondering if there was anyone on here that was experienced or extremely knowledgeable on gerbils?

I don't mean basic how to look after a gerbil and daily care etc as I'd call myself pretty knowledgeable having owned many gerbils in the past but there are some questions I have about my new pair that I am just stuck on and I rather not take them to the vets and ask as vets are pretty expensive in Norway and it's not a health issue.

I love Gerbils. If I were to land in a certain pet store... I'd be happy to ask or scan a book. I haven't ever owned one (or two) but I visit them every once in a while along with the older kitties in the shop.

You could also internet search or call a local pet shop.

I tried searching the web but it's a problem that I think is difficult to answer o.o but rereading I realize I never stated what the issue was... (got carried away getting the gerbils out lol)

One of the issues is I want help properly coloring them as I can take a guess and try and work out with the help of pictures but I rather someone more experienced with it could answer as in the past I've never really been bothered about coloring them however one of my new ones Genji really intrigues me as he has multiple colours (3)

The 2nd question I have is that of their sizing... I bought them together from a really good pet shop here in Norway but the person I spoke to only thought there were 3 males in the enclosure but I found 4 when I lifted one of the toys... anyway... I got them from the same "litter" and it wasn't until I got them home that I noticed Genji looks more developed then Loki in the way that Loki still has that young baby looking big eyes small head and neck where as Genjis eyes are more set in and his neck/head is thicker like an adults almost but he is still small in size... Genji's body is only a tiny bit bigger then Loki's but to me this says they may not actually from the same litter, they may not be brothers? I'm not sure but my question is really can they be different sizes and still be the same age? Is there a chance that they are actually from the same litter? and also if they aren't and Genji is a bit older will this effect their compatibility as cagemates at a later stage?

You can kinda see the face difference in these pictures especially if you look at the size of their eyes in comparison to their face the top one (Loki) his eyes are very big and not yet set in and he has a very small head and neck where as the bottom (Genji) is more in proportion..

Oh. Welp, I guess i would start looking at types. Know what you have and google images from there. Someone may have posted what type they have in a blog or something. Its like a back door sometimes, maybe a new path or its locked.

My sister has Flying Squirrels. One is larger then the other. One is a girl and one a boy. The boy is smaller, but when we watch them eat, the girl takes command of the food. Pretty much labeled as the Alfa. Maybe its the case here? It could easily been what they got before the mother had them and where/when they were born from the mother. You could always consider you had the "runt" of the litter. They have those with Gerbils too yes? Another could be activity level, one is more fit then the other.

That's a good suggestion and I did think perhaps Loki was the runt but when I picked him he was out and being all curious along with 1 of the others and they were the same size that's why I didn't notice they both looked like babies what I would expect it was Genji I didn't get a good look at I picked him for his colour and the fact that he seemed most timid I didn't want to leave him and risk him not being homed so easily as he was hiding most of the time so I didn't really compare him to the other 3 so he must have been bigger then all of them. I also don't think it's the case of he got more food because then he would just be fatter not more developed but I have sexed them myself and I know they are definitely both males so It's not even the case of perhaps Loki is really a female then yeah naturally would be smaller.

So when I say size it's not literally size as they are rather similar but Genji being ever so slightly bigger which many things can explain and I wouldn't worry with that... it's more of Genji seems more further developed he has less baby features then Loki that makes me worry?

I did wonder perhaps Genji was a left over from another litter and integrated into this new bunch but when I was at the store yesterday the other worker there told me that when there is only 1 left from a litter they put them in separate enclosures which there was 1 when I bought these 2 on his own and he was much larger must have been at least a month or maybe even 2 older then the litter I chose from so I am just confused I have never had 2 boys together in the same cage though I usually get males singularly (before I knew they did better in pairs.. UK pet stores aren't so informative) or females together so I just worry that I could have an issue with declanning later on if one ages quicker and gets old and perhaps fight for dominance :/