When can I touch baby gerbils?
Avoid handling the pups until they are a week old. You can give the parents a bit of cardboard to distract them when you first pick of the pups. Be very careful handling the babies. Even baby gerbils can be surprisingly quick and may jump or run out of your hand.
Can you touch newborn gerbils?
In the babies’ first week of life, you shouldn’t handle them or touch them unless necessary. This is because: Newborn pups become cold quickly when not in the nest. Baby gerbils are fragile and easily hurt.
Do gerbils mate for life?
Female gerbils reach mating maturity at approximately 9 to 12 weeks of age. They experience spontaneous ovulation and breed year-round. Male and female gerbils pair and mate for life and will co-parent their brood once babies are born.
How do I know if my gerbils are mating?
Mating can be identified by a ritual of chasing and mounting, with both gerbils checking their undersides after each round. Pregnancy lasts about 24 days, and a litter consists of 1 to 8 gerbil pups. Gerbils will begin mating again almost immediately after the female gives birth.
Will a male gerbil kill the babies?
Do Male Gerbils Eat Their Babies? Males can also kill gerbil offspring. The male can sometimes kill its young to put the female back in heat. It can then mate with the female again to produce another litter.
When can you separate male and female gerbils?
Are My Gerbil Pups Male or Female? When your gerbil pups are 7 to 8 weeks old, it’s time to separate them. This means removing them from their parents and their opposite-sex siblings. Do this before they reach 9 weeks old, when gerbils can begin to mate.
What do I do if my gerbil has babies?
If your gerbil has had babies, keep the cage somewhere warm and quiet. Give the mother extra food, water, and bedding. When the pups are 1 week old, start handling them. They will begin weaning during week 3, so provide a low food dish and water bottle.
How long can gerbils be separated?
Most pups are weaned by five weeks and will survive if separated then. The gerbils will be healthier and happier if separated at eight weeks. Put the father and male pups into another tank. You could also put the pups and parents into same-sex pairings.
How long does it take for a gerbil to give birth?
Gestation is around 24 days and the female gerbil will remain active until giving birth. She will begin to show a few days before the babies arrive. A typical litter is around six baby gerbils which are called pups. The mother may be nervous so leave her alone while she is giving birth.
How long does a gerbil stay alone in the nest?
The female will stay alone in the nest with the pups for up to 48 hours to bond before the male returns to the nest. Always wash your hands before touching the babies to prevent the mother from rejecting or attacking the babies. You should also remove high areas to prevent babies from falling.
How old do gerbils live to be in the wild?
For example, a Mongolian gerbil usually reaches the high end of this range, living to be about 3-4 years old. However, some gerbils have been reported to live for up to 5 years.
When do Baby gerbil pups open their eyes?
After about 10 days the babies will begin to grow fur but will still have their eyes closed. Handling at this age will allow the babies to get to know you by your taste, touch and smell. Around 19 days the babies will open their eyes. At 4 to 5 weeks the pups will be weaned from their mother and at 6 weeks they will be ready for a new home.
When to remove a baby gerbil from the mother?
Baby gerbils can fall into the bowl and drown in just a small amount of water. Remove the pups from the mother at around six weeks. A female gerbil will likely have another litter about six weeks after the first litter. The pups from the first litter can be removed from the tank with the mother at about five to six weeks of age.
When do gerbil babies start eating adult food?
Baby gerbils grow up really fast and can gnaw on adult food at the age of three weeks, but they feed essentially on their mom’s milk up until the age of five weeks. Newborn gerbil babies from birth to two weeks old feed exclusively on their mom’s milk and can’t handle any other form of food.
How long does it take for a gerbil to grow?
Over a short period of 5-6 weeks, you will see them grow from tiny, blind babies into small independent gerbils with a lot of energy and curiosity. We will take a look at each week of development, so you know what to expect from your gerbil babyand how to care for them!
When do gerbil pups come out of the nest?
The mother may also kick out the father from the nest during the first few days, while she attends to the pups. This is only temporary, and the father will be allowed back into the nest after a day or two. By the second week, your gerbil babies’ fur will be nearing fully grown. This usually happens around 10 days.
