We have gerbils!!!Question:Very long story- but I now am the owner of a bonded pair of gerbils- The girl- The boy- The pair- They need names- their previous owner called them Boris and Natasha- which is not setting too well with me. They are living temporarily in a bin as I have to order a proper tank for them- and the bin was a better alternative to the CT2 their previous owner tried to make me buy off her. (not a chance) Answer: They are too cute! Does this mean you will be having gerbil babies now? Answer: Tee hee. They have been together for a few weeks already. They were bought from a breeder- the breeder gave this lady a breeding pair- she didn't even stop to think what it meant to have two of opposite sex. It all happened kind of sudden, so I am not sure what I will do about it. I am trying to get hold of the original breeder to get more information. At any rate- she is likely pregnant- and I will have two tanks of gerbils when all is said and done. Right now I am just trying to make sense of everything. Answer: aw, so cute. i have not had good gerbil experiences, but i think they are cute and fun to watch. good luck with you gerbil nursery. Answer: So cute!!! Boy is a burmese and girl is a spotted (or pied) dove (I think, does she has ruby/red eyes? if she has black eyes, then it's another color). Sounds like a nice breeding pair. If that's what you have, then you can have siamese babies, along with some other colors, depending on the recessived they might have, which is nice. 8) Also, half the babies will be spotted. 8) You'll have to have 2 litters. Gerbil moms need help raising their litters, so you'll have to leave the dad in with mom for the first litter. They will mate soon after she gives birth. When the first pups are 5 weeks, you'll separate them, along with dad. You can leave a daughter or 2 with mom to help her raise the second litter and put dad with the boys. And that's it, no more baby gerbils for you, but I bet that will be enough! For her first litter, the gestation period is 24 days. It will be longer for her second, since they delay the birth while they are nursing. She'll give birth to the second litter when the first one is around 5 weeks of age. Average litter size is 6, but they can have from 1-10. If the litter is a small one (1-2), you'll have to be very watchful, as sometimes they can't stimulate enough milk production from mom. You'll be able to see milk in their bellies if they are drinking. If you have any questions, feel free to ask! 8) And congratulations on the new babies!!! Answer: Originally Posted by Padfoot You'll have to have 2 litters. Gerbil moms need help raising their litters, so you'll have to leave the dad in with mom for the first litter. They will mate soon after she gives birth. When the first pups are 5 weeks, you'll separate them, along with dad. You can leave a daughter or 2 with mom to help her raise the second litter and put dad with the boys. OMG, Jenna, what have you done??? LOL Answer: Congrats! They are very cute. Answer: You HAVE to have two litters?? Never heard of that before.. I've fostered pregnant gerbils and the mom didn't have problems nursing her litter alone.. only lost one and it was a large litter. What would happen if she separates the father & only has the one litter? Answer: Originally Posted by suzoo You HAVE to have two litters?? Never heard of that before.. I've fostered pregnant gerbils and the mom didn't have problems nursing her litter alone.. only lost one and it was a large litter. What would happen if she separates the father & only has the one litter? It's very stressful for the mom. Gerbils are very very social. An experienced mom might find it easier, but a first time mom will have a hard time, loose weight cause she'll have no rest from the pups (dad helps in building the nest, grooming and warming of the litter, giving mom time for her to have a drink, eat something and recover her energy). Also, gerbils are very social and they get depressed when alone (I've seen it when i've had lonely gerbils), and then reintroduction of a male pup (or adult) with dad will be hard to do since gerbils are also very very very territorial. Here is some more info on breeding (and check out the rest of those 2 sites, since they are the best source of info about gerbils): http://www.agsgerbils.org/Gerbil_Car....html#breeding http://www.gerbils.co.uk/gerbils/breeding.htm Answer: Thankyou, Padfoot. That is very helpful. I had already been to that second site but I didn't read the breeding info ahead of time since I had planned to get two girls. They had some lovely siamese at the petstore last week, but this week nothing remarkable, so I called the other (hated and dreaded but I was desperate) petstore and they said they didn't have any but there was a note on the board for anyone interested in gerbils to call this number blah blah. I called the lady and ended up at her house that same afternoon. I expected it to be an accidental litter or something- but she had gotten this pair from a breeder and then her husband said she had to get rid of them. She had them in a CT2 cage. The little girl is bossy so she might be pregnant already- if they are anything like hamsters with their moods. I have a lot of reading to do, though. I am used to syrians- not social rodents breeding- this will be all new to me. I knew they were hard to reintroduce and they got lonely, so I didn't have the heart to seperate them and cross my fingers that she was still too young to get pregnant. And yes- her eyes are a very dark red- quite lovely, I think she is. Thanks again for the info and the links. Steve hasn't noticed them yet. Reckon he will catch on after they've multiplied? LOL I am sure I will find this info eventually, but what of the bouys in the second litter? Will I end up with two male colonies? I suppose I could rehome them... |
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