Will gerbils mate if already pregnant? *PICTURES*

[okin]

Hi, I'm a Belgian gerbil-keeper, trying to get "pregnant". I saw my gerbil pair mate several times one night a while ago and found that Gobi, my female, was due the 14th of july.
I don't think she has gotten in heat since, but tonight all of a sudden (supposedly in the middle of her pregnancy) I saw a lot of courtship & mating again between the two.
Both this night and the first time I saw them mate, they were both cleaning their external reproductive organs afterwards, which I read is a sign of a succesful ejaculation?

Does this mean that she didn't get pregnant the first time? Or will they actually mate (maybe to reinforce their bond) while already pregnant.

Thank you!

[ohmylokix]

They will not 'mate' when far into the pregnancy. The first time did not take.

[okin]

Ok, thanks for the info.

(Just to be sure: Is there a reason you put 'mate' between quotation marks? Is that not the right word for gerbils? Just curious.)

[ohmylokix]

It's the right word, it's just technicality. They do not attempt to breed outside of the heat cycle.

[petal]

hi
did you mean due the 14th june not july? as 14th july is still about 5 weeks away.... a normal gerbil pregnancy is about 21-24 days approx. unless nursing which is about 30-45 days approx.
i would assume that it didnt take for some reason, but i wouldve thought she wouldve gone on heat since, but again that didnt take ?? are the pair in good health? ages ? sometimes it does take a while though so fingers crossed for the last mating you saw!

[okin]

Jun 6, 2010 1:32:54 GMT -8 @petal said:

hi
did you mean due the 14th june not july? as 14th july is still about 5 weeks away.... a normal gerbil pregnancy is about 21-24 days approx. unless nursing which is about 30-45 days approx.
i would assume that it didnt take for some reason, but i wouldve thought she wouldve gone on heat since, but again that didnt take ?? are the pair in good health? ages ? sometimes it does take a while though so fingers crossed for the last mating you saw!

Oh shoot! Yeah, I meant the 14th of June. Thanks for pointing that out.
Well, the first time I saw them mate was the 30th of May. I supposed she was pregnant, because I didn't see any more courting/mating afterwards. That is to say, not until yesterday night. So there have only been two occasions in which they mated, 1 of which apparantly didn't take.

I bought them a couple months ago when they were still quite young (not fully grown). I can see a clear difference in their size and the size of the male's scrotum, so I'm pretty sure they were too young to breed when I first got them, but now should be old enough.
I'm just wondering why she didn't go in heath sooner if the first pregnancy didn't take...
As far as I can tell they're in perfect health: they're extremely active and make use of all the stuff I put into their cage to play with.

I'll keep you updated. (I'm secretly still hoping for the 14th of June... )

[okin]

UPDATE:
I think I might really have some reason for concern now. I accidently noticed a small stain of blood on some woodchips in the cage. I also saw that Gobi was spending a lot of time licking her genital area. When I picked her up, I saw that there was definitely a little bit of blood loss. (Not from a wound though.) There is no fighting what so ever between the gerbils and besides her vigorous cleaning, she acts completely normal. Very active. I think she might have miscarried?
Anyone who has experienced something similar?

[Vixen]

pop her along to see a vet, as fair as I know blood is not a good sign and should be checked out.

[okin]

Yah, I'll do that. After thinking about it, I think she probably has a uterine infection, rather than having miscarried, which is probably why the pregnancy didn't take and why she appears to lose some blood. She could probably use some antibiotics.

[okin]

Little update:
I've observed my female closely lately and she has completely stopped cleaning her genital area like she was doing before, so everything appears normal right now. There are no more signs of bloodloss and she is still perfectly active, eating well etc... I guess I'll cancel the vet's appointment for now and just keep an eye on her. (Ironically, I'm in the middle of vet-school exams myself until the end of june and I have to budget my time a LOT right now.)

[okin]

Gobi gave birth to 7 healthy pups last week and all of them are doing great. Both parents are very caring and loving and it's wonderful to see them so preoccupied with caring for their offspring. So far, 4 pups have already found (but obviously not yet gone to) a new home.

[Deleted]

Hope she stays ok. Thanks for the updates.

[okin]

All gerbils are still doing great. The babies opened their eyes a couple of days ago and are becoming extremely active. Although both parents are agouti coloured, there is one black baby. Needless to say that's my favourite.
My gerbils have a wooden house in their tank that is set up against the glass. It's covered on the outside of the glass as well, (so that it's always dark inside) but that part can be removed, so I can look into the nursery without interfering/causing much stress. Here's some pics:


About two days old:

Nursing with hair starting to grow:

Eyes still closed:

Nursing under the brick tower:

My favourite one:

Eyes open!

[gerbies4eva1022]

Awww what adorable pups!!! Congrats!!

[gerbilmama]

you have some nice pics here!