AGS Ethics Committee

Meet the Ethics Committee Code of Ethics | Ethics Committee | Make a Report

Michele Rush
Committee Member, AGS Board Alternate

I come from a close-knit family in Texas who have always had animals around. I first started this “little” hobby almost 5 years ago when I moved to a place that didn’t allow dogs or cats. It has steadily taken on a “life of its own”. I had always had a lot of animals around (mostly cats, dogs, and birds) but was now in a place where I couldn’t have anything except small animals. So I started looking for suitable small animals to &“fill the void”. I visited several pet stores and the local animal shelter in search of the new “perfect pet”. After finding a guinea pig at the shelter (Cleo, who I loved very much), I went back several weeks later to see if a pair of lively little furries, with long furred tails and cute little whiskers, were still there. They had been leaping back and forth over a divider in their cage and just looked so interesting. Luckily, they were still there. Those 1st two gerbils were an Agouti (Chocolate) and Pied Agouti (Hershey). I used to call them Chocolate Kisses and Hershey Hugs. When Hershey died, the adventure began as I brought in Coco, Cinnamon, and Smores. Chocolate and Coco formed one founder pair, Cinnamon and Smores the other.

I currently am owned by quite a few gerbils, not to mention several Syrian Hamsters, Dwarf Hamsters, Degus (rescues), and Guinea Pigs (rescues), oh, and 1 parakeet and 1 cat. I do some rescue work as well, most of it is “back room pet store”. Most of these are gerbils/hamsters that are either too beat up or ill-tempered to be adopted. I hope to have a larger place some day soon where I can do a few more rescues and have some of those “larger” pets I love so (but I will never turn my back on my gerbie buddies). Most of my extra time and energy is devoted to making my little “family members” comfortable, in fact, it's a 2nd full time job. Each step that I have taken with these adorable little animals has brought me into a world I never new existed and brought me friends I never would have met. They are loving, giving, little creatures and that will always be what I associate gerbils with.

I joined the AGS in Jan 2003 and have had the privilege of making 3 of the AGS shows and of meeting a number of wonderful people. I have also been able to help with these eye-opening events. I have served as a Health inspector, On-site show secretary, and Photographer (not to mention a bit of a gopher:) I hope to be able to further my involvement with the AGS by accepting the responsibility of being an ethics committee member and using it to help promote and teach about the correct treatment of these lovely creatures.

Please feel free to visit my new site www.doublestarkennels.com.

Jennifer Bell
Committee Member

Hi, my name is Jennifer Bell. I live in Boston Massachusetts. I work with emotionally disturbed children in a residential treatment center. I love talking with the kids about my gerbils and all my coworkers know about them. Although they did think I was a little crazy for driving all the way to Missouri for a show!

I have had gerbils since I was eight years old. I started breeding in high school and my parents were tolerant enough to let me get up to seventeen at one point. Although my mother never liked rodents. I continued breeding through college, even smuggling them into the dorm because I missed them! I lost that line when my last female died young. I started breeding again about three years ago. I was thrilled to discover the American Gerbil Society one day when I did a Google search for gerbils! I feel I have learned more about gerbils and met some great people. Through what I learned about genetics I was able to do a presentation in my friend's science class about gerbil genetics. I was assisted of course by my gerbils! I currently have two breeding pairs, some "adolescents" who haven't found homes and some retired breeders and senior gerbils. In total I have sixteen gerbils and two Winter White dwarf hamsters I was corrupted into getting at the last show.

Feel free to contact us if you have a question, concern or recommendation in regards to the ethical treatment of animals in an AGS member's home, gerbil husbandry or education.