My daughter's little gerbil Atticus died on September 8th 2008 while we were on vacation. Atticus developed a tumor on his belly and the vet said it had to be removed because Atti kept picking at it and it kept bleeding. During the surgery he stopped breathing and he couldn't be revived. Atticus was 3 1/2 years old and we miss him very much. He was very delightful and gave us much joy. It's amazing how such a little creature can touch a person's heart so much.