Two escaped prisoners

This morning is a great example of how crazy life has been here at the Shaftics. I got up around 7 am to take my shower. Before I did my hair I thought let me feed the gerbils. So I go down to the office which is actually located between the first and second floor. It is part of an addition to the house many many years ago and it's right off the landing as you turn to go downstairs. I open the door (my husband put the gerbils in there because they were super loud) and my son's black gerbil runs up to my feet. I look at his gerbil house and there is a small hole where the plastic latch used to be. That would explain the noise!!

I grab Robbie and put him in the house and give him some food. Poor guy is more than happy to be there. I look around for the gray gerbil Matt and he is no where in the office. Great! The cat was in the house all night and I'm thinking if he squeezed under the door most likely Chester got him. I'm thinking there is going to be a body somewhere. Figured if Chester did get him then he'd take him to the attic or basement of which there was no body. By now it's almost 730 and I'm panicking that my son will be getting up soon and realize what happened. I run through the house again shaking furniture and looking in every crevice. No Matt! At this point I head upstairs and go into my daughters room to get a hair brush. What's that sound?? Could it be a gerbil under her bed?? YES! I pick up her bed- she was in my bed of course- and move it over and there he is. He pooped all under her bed but I can forgive that. I put him back in the house and he and Robbie are just overjoyed to see each other. But what do I do about the hole?

My son has been asking me for months to get a glass aquarium to put them in. He hears them chewing the plastic and has feared that they would chew a hole. He was right and I procrastinated about getting one. Not today! I called work and told them what was going on and after I dropped the kids off at school I ran across town to get one. I put them in it with new bedding and food and went downstairs to get a bowl for some water. When I came back upstairs only Robbie was in the aquarium. Matt jumped out!! Seriously dude- is living in this house that bad! Luckily he was over by the desk and I grabbed him. Okay- how do I cover the top? I thought I could tape some metal screen over the top but as I am taping he jumps up and holds onto the mesh and starts pushing the tape off. Onto Plan B. Gotta find something heavy and big enough to cover the top. As I am sitting there thinking, the one female gerbil starts gnawing away at the plastic latch on her house. Are you kidding?? Is this a mutiny?? I gave her some wood thinking she just needed to chew on something but nope, she wasn't interested in the wood just the small hole on the latch. And they say animals can't communicate!

I found a piece of plywood and put a heavy tote of clothes on top of that. Ain't no way that little 3 oz gerbil is going to move that. Just hoping that the girls don't chew off their latch before I get home from work!!