Every Wednesday at 8:30 we're joined by John Perreault, Executive Director of the Berkshire Humane Society to discuss all the happenings at their Barker Road facility, plus talk about their Pet of the Week.

 

This week's Pet of the Week segment features nine gerbils currently available at the Berkshire Humane Society. They range in age from one to four months and there are six females and three males to choose from.

The cute young pets were surrendered to Berkshire Humane because their owner had too many gerbils in the home. The gerbils will be adopted out in pairs or more of the same sex to prevent the gerbil overpopulation that brought them to the shelter in the first place.

If you're a fan of the show Parks & Recreation, you'll get a kick out of these names, if not, you're just going to think the first and last names of these critters are weird. But while we're on the topic, do yourself a favor and watch Parks & Rec. Anyway, the male gerbils are Ron Swanson, Chris Traeger, and Andy Dwyer. The females are Jennifer Barkley, Mona-Lisa Saperstein, April Ludgate, Donna Meagle, Ann Perkins, and of course, Leslie Knope.

Small caged critters, while they still need attention and care, can be a great alternative for households where a cat or dog might not work. Anyone interested in learning more about these gerbils, please call Berkshire Humane Society’s small animal department at 413-447-7878, extension 124.

LOOK: Here are the pets banned in each state

Because the regulation of exotic animals is left to states, some organizations, including The Humane Society of the United States, advocate for federal, standardized legislation that would ban owning large cats, bears, primates, and large poisonous snakes as pets.

Read on to see which pets are banned in your home state, as well as across the nation.

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