Can I keep other adult females in with the mother and litter

[becks]

I applied to create an account the babies were born, when this question was more pressing. The babies are now 8 days old, but I feel the question is still relevant: are they likely to become aggressive as the babies grow in size and the tank becomes cramped? 

We had three females in one tank and a male in another; my brother's friends mated a male and female when I was out and didn't tell me. When I saw that the females had split into two separate nests I thought that one was being alienated, so began to clean out the tank in the hope of cleansing scents and territory. What I found was a nest of 6 newborn babies.

The other females have been fine so far, but I'm worried as the babies start leaving the nest that 9 gerbils in one tank will be too much for them to put up with. I cannot wean them until they're 6 weeks old. I only have one spare tank, and it has no lid. If I put the surplus two females into this tank now, I would have no where to put the males when I sex them. Also, the three females are identical so I don't know for certain which is the mother to be able to separate them.

I am going to advertise them on preloved to try and find them homes: preferably the adult females as well. I am leaving for university soon and the arrangements that were made for the gerbils have unfortunately changed. What age should I advertise - when is the compromise between being sure that they are not going to get respiratory infections, etc, and ensuring I have enough notice to get them to homes? A friend of mine works at an animal shelter and offered to take them all, but I don't know whether this is the best option.

Any ideas on the sex of this baby ? 



Any advice is appreciated. 

[Bailey]

I will let others give advice, but the pup in the first photo is a male. Best of luck!

[johanne]

Lovely pictures! You don't mention the sizes of these tanks, but certainly crowding will cause stress. The mother would be the most likely one to start attacking others though you never know with gerbils. You can get a piece of hardware cloth for the extra tank; just fold over the edges. You shouldn't need a separate tank for male pups as they can go directly to their new homes. They don't start mating that young. I don't know that there's an ideal time to start advertising. I find people often want to pick up their new pups as quickly as possible so closer to the time to go. But there can be advantages to starting early too.

[bettina]

I usually start advertising when the pups are three weeks old. I take some pictures and make the ad. I advertise on three different danish sites

[becks]

Hello, thank you for the helpful responses. Sorry I didn't get back earlier; computer problems.

Can I put the boys with the father when they're old enough - or will it be a complicated introduction process, should I only put one with him, or as many as there are?

I'm not sure how old the babies are, might post pictures of how they look now. I think they are 2 and a half weeks old, but one of them is slightly bigger than the rest and could pass for a 4 week old.

Thanks again.

[bettina]

Have they opened their eyes?

[becks]

Hello, this is what they look like. They are chewing cardboard and solid food, but still feeding from the mother occasionally. Some of them are much bigger than others.

[johanne]

If they were 8 days old on April 13 they were born on April 5 and their age can be easily calculated. When the male pups are 5 to 5 1/2 weeks old they can be put directly with the father, as many of them as there are. Don't wait until later than that. Do double check the genders before you move them. The nipple method can sometimes play tricks on you. Pups often do vary in size so that's nothing to worry about.

[bettina]

They are extremely cute :-) Karen gave birth to nine pups on the 6. of April. They just opened their eyes today but they are a lot smaller than yours

[becks]

I first noticed them on April 5, but they could have been 3/4 days old by then.
Will I need to clean the father's cage before I put them in with him, and supervise them for a while to make sure he doesn't reject them?

Thank you for your help and advice

[bettina]

I would clean dads cage. In that way they are all "new" to the place

[johanne]

I find the safest way to do this kind of introduction is to use a very small, narrow neutral space. This will force them to be in physical contact and dad's scent will get rubbed on the pups. Once they've been well scented like that there isn't much to worry about. A narrow space will also make it impossible for an attack to take place, not that a dad is likely to do that to young pups.