# The Gerbil Stuffing **URL:** \ **Category:** Cecil's Columns/Staff Reports\ **Created:** [April 22, 2001, 5:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-gerbil-stuffing/62893 "2001-04-22T17:39:33Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 5\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Larasque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/f19dbf/32.png) [@Larasque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Larasque)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2001, 5:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-gerbil-stuffing/62893/1 "2001-04-22T17:39:33Z")
I came across an article about a gay couple in Salt Lake City who were “stuffing” and the gerbil got stuck and it resulted in serious injuries. There was a press conference held by the hospital and everything. This was quite recent. The article was in the Los Angeles Times (I believe). ---
**Author:** ![samclem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a9a28c/32.png) [@samclem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/samclem)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2001, 7:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-gerbil-stuffing/62893/2 "2001-04-22T19:16:12Z")
Welcome, **Larasque**. Arnold usually shows up and tells you to “please post a link to Cecil’s column about which you are referring” or some such. I assume you mean [gerbil](http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a2_216b.html) this column. If it appeared in the LA Times, it should be available, with some effort. But as a cautionary note, the story appeared in my Akron Beacon Journal once also. It routinely gets printed, even though no one can come up with real proof later. There are probably 5-10 threads in our search feature on the message boards about this. While I haven’t read them all, I would be surprised if anyone has come up with “proof.” But it’s a great urban legend. ---
**Author:** ![whitetho](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/whitetho/32/1059_2.png) [@whitetho](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/whitetho)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2001, 10:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-gerbil-stuffing/62893/3 "2001-04-22T22:21:07Z")
Cecil’s column about gerbils appeared in the _More of the Straight Dope_, which was published in 1988, so Cecil never got a chance to debunk the fake story that **Larasque** alludes to, various versions of which appear to have been floating around on the internet since around 1996. But fear not – the Urban Legends site [http://www.snopes.com](http://www.snopes.com) reviews the history of this particular hoax in full at [The Rectal Rodent](http://www.snopes2.com/sex/homosex/gerbil.htm) – including the information that “Other versions have been falsely attributed to the Los Angeles Times with the events said to have taken place in Salt Lake City, Utah.” ---
**Author:** ![samclem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a9a28c/32.png) [@samclem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/samclem)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2001, 10:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-gerbil-stuffing/62893/4 "2001-04-22T22:44:06Z")
…violating my own rules… Thanks, **whitetho**. And me, a snopesian! Sheesh! ---
**Author:** ![Arnold\_Winkelried](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Arnold\_Winkelried](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Arnold_Winkelried)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2001, 1:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-gerbil-stuffing/62893/5 "2001-04-23T13:46:39Z")
Welcome to the SDMB, and thank you for posting your comment. Please include a link to Cecil’s column if it’s on the straight dope web site. To include a link, it can be as simple as including the web page location in your post (make sure there is a space **before** and **after** the text of the URL). Cecil’s column can be found on-line at the link provided by samclem. The column can also be found on pages 216-218 of Cecil Adams’ book «[_More of the Straight Dope_](http://www.straightdope.com/otheroutlets/books.html)». * * * moderator, «[**Comments on Cecil’s Columns**](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/forumdisplay.php?forumid=1)»