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June 07, 2005

Seven Baby Gerbils - Day 9


Click on photo for larger image

The gerbils have changed a lot since Day 5. They sprouted a fine coat of hair on their backs, grew a lot (they're still very tiny though), and became more mobile. When Snuggles is on the nest, they nurse six at a time. When she leaves the nest, they tend to pile into a big gerbil hill, and doze in their nest of kleenex and aspen shavings. Occasionally, they'll stray from the nest, and they actually move around quite well now, but they can't see or hear, so they just walk into the walls until mom picks them up in her mouth and carries them back to the nest. She never lets them stay out long. She spends her days nursing, and chasing errant "pups", as they're called.

Everyone says the dad will eat the babies, but we've not had any trouble with that. Midnight is a good dad. He even made his own nest and split up the litter with mom for some time. Although he can't nurse them, he can keep them warm and clean them, which he faithfully does. Some breeders remove the pups from the dad's nest, and return them to the mom. My thought was, they know what they're doing more than I do, so I'll just leave them alone.

Midnight is black, and Snuggles is white and gray. Apparently, the color traits are perfectly balanced, as we have three blacks ones, three grey/white ones, and one mixed. So, maybe Gregor Mendel knew what he was doing after all.

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Posted by Peenie Wallie on June 07, 2005 at 09:09 PM

Comments

if you are on vacation and you're gerbils have babies while you're not there what do you do when you get back?

Posted by: veronica campbell on June 14, 2005 at 01:17 PM

Hey, can I have one of those gerbils?

Posted by: Richard Gere on June 14, 2005 at 03:32 PM

my gerbils recently had seven babies on Sunday , June 18th the mom is black and the dads blonde with black ticks. Do you know where i can find out what color the babies should be???

Posted by: gerbil girl on June 20, 2006 at 03:35 PM

My experience is that neither color is dominant. So, I think you'll have 2 blonde ones and 2 black ones and three black and blonde ones. Let me know how they come out. :)

Posted by: Peenie Wallie on June 21, 2006 at 09:29 PM

My gerbils just had 6 babies. One gerbil is black and the other is black and white any idea what color the babies should be?

How do you stop gerbils from having babies if you need to leave to father in the cage to help with babies and they mate immediately? What do I do?

Thanks,
Kathy

Posted by: Kathy on July 18, 2006 at 01:32 PM

Neither color is dominant. I think you'll have a black one, a white one, and four black and white ones. Something like that. As for stopping them from having babies, good luck. They breed as soon as she gives birth. So, I suggest getting a cat to help control the gerbil population. :0)

Seriously, what you can do is try to determine their sex now, before the fur grows in, by looking for nipples. Now is the easiest time to sex them. Then, you could just keep all the females, or all the males, and get rid of the other-sexed gerbils.

Posted by: Peenie Wallie on July 22, 2006 at 05:19 AM

I found a bay rodent and I don't know what it is I think it is a gerbil How can I tell the species?

Posted by: jan Frajnor on August 11, 2006 at 09:55 AM

I dunno. Send me a photo.

Posted by: Peenie Wallie on August 11, 2006 at 06:40 PM

My gerbils just had babys ther 2 days old to day ithink theres 6 how long do they have to be with there mother
thanks

Posted by: Denise on August 21, 2006 at 07:31 AM

Leave them in there. They'll be fine. Leave mom and dad in there with the pups. They won't hurt them. BE CAREFULE HANDLING THE PUPS! Keep them down near the ground. They will jump out of your hands to their death. I promise you. Once they open their eyes, then they're less apt to jump because they're afraid of heights. It's ok to handle them, but wash your hands to remove any scent first. And keep them about an inch off the ground, at most. They will surprise you with how spry they are.

Posted by: Peenie Wallie on August 21, 2006 at 01:57 PM

how long does it tak baby gerbils to open their eyes and when can you give the away?
when they start eating what do you feed them and when do they start eating?

Posted by: stephanie on August 29, 2006 at 07:05 PM

any tips on rearing new borns after mum has rejected them.
regards
brad

Posted by: brad on September 13, 2006 at 06:17 PM

You could probably raise them on warm milk fed with an eye dropper. They should live, but it will take some effort.

Posted by: Peenie Wallie on September 13, 2006 at 10:49 PM

Just had babies yesterday morning, unplanned. We were sold two females, but NOT...My concern is the next batch.... How soon is it possible for tjem to mate again? Can i remove the daddy from the cage into a new one or is it too late?

Posted by: Sidney on November 04, 2006 at 10:43 AM

we have 6 baby gerbils will they all be gray because the mum is gray and the dad is gray.

Posted by: Hayley on December 10, 2006 at 01:25 PM

My guess is they will all be gray. You can tell by their fur though, even when they're still mostly pink. Any dark patches will be evident almost immediately after birth.

Posted by: Peenie Wallie on December 10, 2006 at 09:52 PM

should i feed a gerbil which has just given birth (7 days) bread soaked in milk?

Posted by: jasmine on December 11, 2006 at 02:18 PM

we have 6 baby gerbils and i was wondering if 3 would be girl and 3 boys because we think we have 5 girls and 1 boy thank you

Posted by: Hayley on December 13, 2006 at 02:57 PM

The best way to tell the sex is to look for nipples on the pups before their fur grows in. Females have them. Males don't. After their fur grows in, the only way I can tell the sex is that the females are pregnant so long as they're breathing and the males are not.

Posted by: Peenie Wallie on December 16, 2006 at 10:33 AM

my gerbil just had babies a few weeks ago and she only has one left. This one can only use its front legs and barely move one back leg. Her hips are crooked. What happened/ is it a birth defect of some kind?

Posted by: katherine on December 16, 2006 at 07:39 PM

Dunno about that. In my experience, the crippled pups usually do not survive. Sorry. :(

Posted by: Peenie Wallie on December 17, 2006 at 09:41 AM

Can you possibly breed more gerbils in the future and ill by one from you thanks

Posted by: Erinster on January 11, 2007 at 05:48 PM

My Gerbil, sunny just had 6 babies on Friday how long until they can be handeled?

Posted by: Becky on January 14, 2007 at 05:34 PM

My friend just had six gerbils and there is about 4 light colored and 2 darker colored and I was wondering what colors they would turn out to be?

Posted by: Ashley on January 14, 2007 at 05:36 PM

Hi my six baby gerbils gave birth two days ago and I was wondering if they can still die after living for 2 days?

Posted by: Rebecca on January 14, 2007 at 05:39 PM

Hmm. They can always die. Be careful handling them. Keep them down low. Don't stress out the mom.

Posted by: Peenie Wallie on January 14, 2007 at 09:14 PM

My Gerbil Sunny is a first time mom. what are the chances of the babies dying, and how?

Posted by: Becky on January 15, 2007 at 05:22 PM

My gerbil had 5 gerbils yesterday and all 5 of them died. How long before my gerbil has another litter? Will she even have another litter now that all her babies died?

Posted by: Samantha on March 25, 2007 at 01:39 PM

Every day I look in My gerbils cage a babie gerbil is missing. So I look on the inter net to see if the parents will eat them, and it said that they will sometimes if the babie is dead, or won't be able to survive. It has been a sad 3 days. Thanks

Posted by: Madison on March 26, 2007 at 04:22 PM

yesterday i adopted a mama and her young pup (8 weeks?)

today she has 6 babies-the pup seems to be helping her with them (cleaning them and pulling tissue in to the house)

should i take the pup out?
i don't want them to be eaten- but i don't want to stress out the mom

could the pup be the mom?

Posted by: melissa on March 29, 2007 at 01:08 PM

my gerbil had 6 babys the mom puts beeding on them and she can't find them should i take the beeding off of the baby's????

Posted by: rachel on April 29, 2007 at 06:53 AM

my dad gerbil seems lonly should i play with him or get a anther boy gerbil and have them ge in the same cage what should i do???

Posted by: rachel on April 29, 2007 at 07:00 AM

Leave the dad in with the mom and the pups. He won't hurt them. He will help take care of them.

Posted by: Rob Kiser on April 29, 2007 at 09:44 AM

how often do gerbils breed? and how long does it take for the babies to grow inside and be born?

Posted by: Laura on May 03, 2007 at 11:09 AM

The gestation period for non-lactating gerbils is about 23-25 days. That means, if they're not raising a litter, then they will give birth about 23-25 days after they get pregnant. The best way to tell if a female gerbil is pregnant is to check to see if she's breathing. If she's breathing, she's pregnant. Gerbils reach sexual maturity at 60-75 days old. The first thing the female gerbil does after giving birth is breed. So, if she's alive, and there's a sexually mature male near her, she's pregnant.

Posted by: Rob Kiser on May 03, 2007 at 08:29 PM

can you feed gerbils cows milk?like the milk humans drink?

Posted by: catriona on May 07, 2007 at 04:01 AM

can you bath gerbils with water?

Posted by: cat on May 07, 2007 at 09:42 AM

Dunno about feeding them cow's milk. I don't think it would hurt them, but it's just a guess. As far as bathing gerbils...where do you people come up with this stuff? Mature adult gerbils can swim, but I doubt the pups could. So, getting them wet probably wouldn't hurt them. But, I doubt they would like it. You don't bathe cats or rabbits, so I don't think you should bathe your gerbils. Your mileage may vary.

Posted by: Rob Kiser on May 07, 2007 at 12:42 PM

I have 2 males and one female ( supposedly ) well that's what the pwople at the petstore told me. i had the males for about a month and revieved the female 2 days ago. i am not completely sure if it's two males and a female though, due to the fact that the petstore is not guaranteeing to be 100 percent accurate on the sex of the animals. they all look like the same gender to me, they are all very young. what can i do to tell male and female?? ~raylene~

Posted by: raylene langor on May 11, 2007 at 12:52 PM

i just noticed som weires behaviour coming from two of my gerbils. it is some kins of thing where one taps it's feet against the bottom od the cage, it seems like the other one replys with the same weird feet tapping ritual. what could this be. i didn't notice this behaviour until i got my female gerbil(i only had two males before)

Posted by: ray on May 12, 2007 at 06:41 AM

The gerbils stomp their feet when they sense danger. They're scared of you. They stomp their feet, and then the other gerbils pass on the signal. This is how a colony of gerbils sounds the alarm. Play with them more so they get used to you.

As for trying to figure out the sex, the best way to tell is that, if a female gerbil is breathing, she will give birth about every 4-6 weeks. The males won't.

Posted by: Rob Kiser on May 12, 2007 at 09:00 AM

i had 2 baby gerbils that got on well, but unfortunately one of them injured it's legs and back and had to be put down. so i bought another gerbil to keep the other one company, and i was assured by the pet shop that it got on well with other gerbils. it was quite a big gerbil, but i flet sorry for it as it had been there for 3 months, so i took it home. the baby gerbil, lily liked the new one and at first they were fine, but then the next day i discovered them fighting, and ruby (the new, bigger gerbil) had hurt lily and her tail was cut and her back also. so i took ruby out, but didn't have the heart to return her so bought another cage. Now that Lily is bigger, do you think that they will get on better? or am i better to keep them separated? thanks

Posted by: laura on May 22, 2007 at 01:48 PM

You should be able to re-introduce the gerbils if you put them in neutral territory. Put both of them together in a carboard box and see how they do. Never try to put one in the other one's cage, or they will fight for sure.

Posted by: Rob Kiser on May 22, 2007 at 01:58 PM

My female gerbil just had her second litter yesterday, exactly 7 weeks and 1 day after she had her first litter. She keeps moving them back and forth from her nesting box to a corner in the cage. Is this normal? She didn't do this with her first litter.

Posted by: Kinsi on May 23, 2007 at 07:26 AM

Duno about her moving them back and forth a lot. Maybe she's stressed out. I assume you took out the first litter, right? The first litter has to be moved to a different cage. You can leave the dad in with the mom. If she moves them that much, she's probably stressed out. Turn out the lights and try not to bother her too much and she should calm down.

Posted by: Rob Kiser on May 23, 2007 at 04:49 PM

Yes, we took out the first litter a couple weeks ago. The kids have been trying to look at the new babies a lot, so thats probably what is stressing her out. I will keep them out of there and keep the lights off. Thanks for the advice. I was also wondering if the babies would probably be the same color as the first litter. The mom is brown and the dad is white with ruby eyes. From our first litter we had one solid black one, two brown and white spotted ones, and one black and white spotted one. I don't know if they always have the same color babies or not. I am hoping that we have at least one that is the same color as the dad. His gene must not be dominant.

Posted by: Kinsi on May 24, 2007 at 04:32 PM

In my experience, there is no dominant color. The pups always seem to be a pretty even mix of the colors of the mom and dad, whether they're black, grey, brown, etc.

Posted by: Rob Kiser on May 26, 2007 at 04:25 AM

They have a little bit of hair now, so I can tell what colors they are. One is black and white, 3 are brown, and one is black.
I have one more question...how old do the pups have to be before I can clean out the cage? We waited last time until the pups were 4 weeks old, but the cage needs cleaned very badly. Will the mom stop taking care of them if we clean it out?

Posted by: Kinsi on May 29, 2007 at 09:48 AM

You can go ahead and clean out the cage. She should be fine. I did the same thing. I was more cautious at first, but later on, with subsequent litters, I just moved mom and dad and pups out and changed the litter. I never had any problem with it. But, I would suggest doing it with minimal interruption. As in, don't take all day at it, and don't use a vacuum cleaner. Try to be quiet and quick and don't disturb them any more than necessary, then get the family back into a dark/quiet area to reduce stress.

Posted by: Peenie Wallie on May 29, 2007 at 10:11 PM

My daughter had 2 gerbils who lived to the age of 5yrs.

When the male passed away last week as the female passed away at xmas.

She bought 2 baby males on Saturday would say they were around 8 weeks old.

The thing is one of the babies has died tonight the same way as the OAG itchy did a stroke i have had gerbils all my life but nothing like this all this baby male did was sleep and nothing else could there of been a problem with him when we got him as the 2 males were from the same litter.

Can you tell me what could of caused this i also don't think he was eating i tried to feed him with no luck.

So i stumped to the cause of this as my last gerbils were bought from a different pet shop to this one.

So if anyone has any ideas why this happened so i can explain it to my daughter.

Posted by: Jen on June 19, 2007 at 04:07 PM

messge for raylene langor

For sexing gerbils look at the underside

1 12 day old gerbils = niples = female
2 2-3 weeks look underside if there is a bump near the bum it's female if further away male.

If still lost i can send you pics

Posted by: Jen on June 19, 2007 at 04:19 PM

So my gerbils had a litter of 8 pups 2 days ago. I have a couple of questions. The male has been trying to "do it" with her. Can she get pregnant right off?
Will this keep happening? I am going to split them up because this was unplanned. They were suppose to be both females. Also when will it be ok to handle the pups? I have noticed her moving them around the cage why is she doing this? Today she has them seperated. What could be the cause of her doing this? Thank you

Posted by: Candice on July 15, 2007 at 01:58 PM

Candice,
The first thing the mom does after she gives birth is breed again. And, yes, she can get pregnant right away, and probably will, although the next litter will take longer if the pups are still nursing. This will keep happening until you are overrun with gerbils. I suggest separating the males from the females if you don't want to be overrun. As for the mom moving the pups around, she's stressed. Turn out the lights. Put a towel over their cage. And stop bothering them. She and dad and pups should be fine. Good luck.

Posted by: Rob Kiser on July 15, 2007 at 10:08 PM

I bought a gerbil from a local pet store on tuesday. I did some more research on them and found out that they do better in pairs. So, not wanting to have pups, I got another female. They did not fight at first but soon they started chasing each other around the cage. Then Tater Tot, the first gerbil i got, wouldn't let Peanut, the second one we bought, come down out of the little tower to eat or drink. I split them up and put them in seperate cages and when i did i noticed that Tater tot's belly was larger than it had been. She has made a nest in the tower and seems to be drinking alot more. I was just wondering if she is pregnant. Now, the pet store that i got them from Tater tot was in a cage with one other female but Peanut was in with a male. Tater tot is the one that lookes pregnant though. The main question i have is if Tater tot is pregnant is the location of her nest safe for her soon to be pups? It's pretty much a little area big enough for her to lay down in and has very little room for the pups. Also she has to climb up the tube to get to her nest and i'm afraid if they go exploring and fall down the tube that they'll die or get hurt real bad. Should i block off the tube to get to her nest and just move the nest into the cages main area? When do they start getting a big belly? Do i need to feed her anything special? She also has a spot where her fur is seperated could that be her nipples? This is my first gerbil and I'm just trying to figure out what to do. I also read that you should remove the wheel so the mom wont make her nest in there and then use it later and trample the little ones. I've also noticed that she's been eating a tad bit more than when i first got her.

Posted by: Beth on July 30, 2007 at 03:39 PM

How long do baby gerbils need to be with there mother?

Posted by: Noel Kendall on August 04, 2007 at 10:13 AM

How long do baby gerbils need to be with there mother?

Posted by: Noel Kendall on August 04, 2007 at 10:13 AM

They need their mother up until they are weened. After they start eating food on their own and are no longer nursing, that happens when the pups are between five and six weeks old, you can seperate them into cages of male and female. That way you can make sure that brother and sister don't mate.

My gerbil that i was asking about in my last log ended having seven beautiful pups! They're a week and a day old and are moving all over the place when outside the nest.

Posted by: Beth on August 09, 2007 at 02:46 PM

hi my gerbils had a litter of 6 toy how cani help

?????? xxx

Posted by: Nicole on September 12, 2007 at 11:03 AM

hey i have two gerbals 1 is female and 1 is male they had 8 babys and three died 5 are left and they are 6 day old will the mam have babies how many more times will they have babys

Posted by: michael on September 14, 2007 at 07:11 PM

Hi,
my 2 gerbils had babies 2 and a half weeks ago, we do not want another litter as this one was unplanned. Can we take out the male? the the mother be able to cope alone?

from the sounds of things she may already be pregnant again... will she be ok with out the father?

and finally... will it be ok to put the male babies with the father when they are ready to leave the litter?

many thanks

Posted by: Matt on October 09, 2007 at 05:56 AM

Can I have just one litter with my gerbils

Posted by: Andy on October 27, 2007 at 11:40 AM

My gerble Tedy just had 8 babies and Im trying to find out if their boys or girls what colors will my babies be? Tedy is Grey and Magic is grey and white.the babies are 7 days old and growing hair what should I do I need to Know now!!!

Ashly

Posted by: Ashly on November 22, 2007 at 05:01 PM

Look for nipples before the hair grows in. Females have nipples. Males don't. After the hair grows in, I can't tell them apart.

Posted by: Rob Kiser on November 25, 2007 at 08:27 AM

Hi to everyone. Just some tips. As soon as the mother has given birth the dad will most likely mate with her again. If you plan on having two litters or more you can leave a daughter with the mum to help her look after them. I haven't ever tried letting the mum bring up the babies on her own but apparently they can. I bought a male and a female gerbil on the 24th november 2007 and its now the 26th December and i think my gerbil is in the later stage of pregnancy. That shows how quick they can get pregnant. If you don't want another litter then it is best to put some males with the father so he doesn't get lonely. If anyone has any questions that they need answering please email: daniln8@hotmail.co.uk

thank you and i hope this helped

Posted by: Dani on December 26, 2007 at 03:54 PM

My gerbal who i have only had for 4 days has just given birth to 4 or 5 babies i went to clean the tank out managed to do the bottom part but when i ulled out the bedding of the house above there they were all in a little pile, i have never had a gerbal before and i dont know what to do i know that i need to leave them for a week before touching the cage but is it safe to handle the pups at a week old, and would i need to wash my hands before doing so? After the week shall i move the house to the base of the cage to stop the risk of the babies falling off the platform, and how old do they have to be until they are able to leave their mother?

Posted by: claire on March 13, 2008 at 08:34 AM

They can leave their mother when they are about 3 weeks old. A couple of years ago I got a gerbil, and a few days later she had babies. I always heard that the father will eat the babies, but today when I went to a pet store to get more gerbils, there was a father that was sitting on the babies along with the mother. Sometimes if you have 2 gerbils, some of the babies might turn out a different color than both of the parents. One time I had 2 gerbils and 1 was white and 1 was black and they had babies and none of them turned out black, even some turned out a weird color that neither of the parents had. Then when the babies grew up, a tan one and a white one had babies and some turned out black.

Posted by: Abby on March 15, 2008 at 04:31 PM

hi i just wanted to know when you introduce 2 gerbils how long does it take for them to have there first litter

Posted by: sam on May 23, 2008 at 09:28 AM

I am looking for a gerbil for my niece. She is only 5 years old. just woundering if anyone can help me? please please can anyone help me.

Posted by: Corrina68 on June 06, 2008 at 08:57 AM

I bought a gerbil for my oldest daughter on a Saturday and on Wednesday she had 6 babies. We kept them in the cage with the mom even though the pet store wanted them back. Three are black and white and three are gray. They are now 2 weeks old, all still alive and doing well. Does anyone want a gerbil baby????

Posted by: Roxane on June 24, 2008 at 01:16 PM

Email me @ RoxaneAGarcia@aol.com

Posted by: Roxane on June 24, 2008 at 01:18 PM

I was looking after my niece's gerbils and they excaped from there cage and i couldn't find them. I find them two day's after they went missing. They where up the hoover but i didn't know until i started hoovering the floor, and heard a weard noise coming from the hoover. I took the hoover to the repair shop and as he was taking the hoover apart there they were. Please can you give me one of them gerbils? My neice is only 3 years old.

Posted by: Corrina on July 25, 2008 at 04:47 AM

If anyone can give my a gerbil or two with cage i will be so greatful.

My E-Mail address is : corrina68@hotmail.co.uk

Thanks

Posted by: Corrina on July 25, 2008 at 04:55 AM

Can anyone help me by giving me one or two gerbils?

My E-Mail address is: corrina68@hotmail.co.uk

Thanks

Posted by: corrina on July 25, 2008 at 04:59 AM

I have a litter of gerbils and want to know when they can be given away. I read the threads and one comment says 3 weeks and the other says 5 to 6 weeks. I think they will continue nursing as long as they are with their mother, or so it seems.

Posted by: Jenn on August 13, 2008 at 09:08 AM

My female gerbil just had babys and she goes into the nest and then starts digging, when she does this she kicks out the babys and they were only born last night, will this hurt them? Please reply cuz I am realy worried, the female gerbil is called Rhubarb by the way and the male Custard :)

Posted by: Maddy on August 14, 2008 at 11:24 AM

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