My life literally skydived.

[davejavu]

Hi; so yesterday (10th) my life literally skydived, my gerbil had a stroke, and doesn't have very long left to live. Some of you may think this is a stupid connection, but when you have a pet for over 3 years and you have to feed and take care of it, you really do get close.
It's horrible to watch him run, he can't move his back left leg, as that's what a stroke can do. I just don't want him to go, and really am finding it difficult to cope with... helpplz?

[Dominikvl9965]

So he dieing right?If he is dieing you can go to the doctor to ask a medicine that let's him sleep forever so basically dieing without pain that will help him and might make you happier that he doesn't have to suffer poor him

[TyrasEngineer]

Not particularly pleasant, but if he's in as much pain as it sounds like it might well be the kindest thing to do. Also, it's not a stupid thing to get upset over. When one of my cats died a couple of years ago I was distraught too.

[Iron_Fang]

I was distraught when my fish died a day after i got back from holiday (many years ago)

[Godavari]

The only experience I ever had with a pet dying was my goldfish, which I kept for 7 years. Certainly less personality than a gerbil, but I was pretty depressed anyway. The thing about grieving, though, is that you're only sad because something you love is gone. Since death is inevitable, be happy that you loved your pet and gave it the best life you could. I think it's a great thing that you're grieving for your pet, because the alternative is not being sad at all.

In short, what you're feeling sucks, but everyone goes through it, and it shows that you were a good pet owner.

[davejavu]

Dominik and Tyrese; the vet said he wasn't in any pain so the kindest thing to do would be to let him spend the last few weeks/days of his life at home in comfort.
God, the reason I'm sad is because I didn't give it the attention it deserved, for the first year I gave it so much attention, then the 2nd year I didn't so much, then only in the last 6 odd months have I paid more attention to him; I could've done so much more..
Thanks for the help though guys

[Godavari]

God, the reason I'm sad is because I didn't give it the attention it deserved, for the first year I gave it so much attention, then the 2nd year I didn't so much, then only in the last 6 odd months have I paid more attention to him; I could've done so much more...

I felt the same way about my fish. I would feed it every day for the first few years, but after a while I just got my parents to do it. I didn't really care. Still, I loved the little thing. And what's cool about a more intelligent pet like a gerbil is that you can tell he loves you. That's all that matters, really. Nobody can do everything perfectly.

[davejavu]

Godavari, thank you very much for the advice, you really are good at this.
Also, I've decided, once my other gerbil dies, I'm going to get another two and treat them like kings, I'll never forget my awesome Oscar (the dying one) or Charcoal.
Check out the pic, top: Oscar, bottom: Charcoal.

[RobipodSupreme]

My dog of 15 years died fairly recently, with his back legs really stiff and his hair falling out. When he died I was really upset, and was worried that I'd always remember him as a bit of a wreck, but already I remember him as a younger dog, and was shocked when I saw a picture from near the end, having forgotten how bad he'd become. just in case you were worried about how you'd remember him.

[Skunk_Giant]

As everyone else has said, this isn't a stupid problem. Any pet's death should make their owner grieve. That's just how life works.
I think you're idea of getting two new gerbils is a brilliant one. Plenty of people suggest getting a new pet when a pet dies, as it helps you cope. The great thing is, it wont make you forget your gerbil, it'll just help you cope with his death.
As well as that, getting the two new ones will probably help Charcoal cope. From the looks of it, the two are close, and while you may not be able to tell, he'll be grieving too. Make sure you treat him like a king as well.
And whatever you do, don't blame yourself for not spending enough time with Oscar. Everyone's like that. Just make sure you spend his last few weeks with him as much as you can.