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Post by bambi on Apr 13, 2014 11:45:34 GMT -8
i hear a lot of people talk about their gerbils molting. i was wondering what dose molting do exactly and what age do they start to molt and how many times will they molt?
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Post by Shooting Star on Apr 13, 2014 11:59:17 GMT -8
Molting is just when new hairs come in. It happens in a set pattern across the body, and on ticked colors, often creates darker lines at the leading edge of the molt.
Pups get their first full coat in at 18-21 days. Then they go through a post juvenile molt around weeks 4-7, and their first adult coat comes in during the post sub-adult molt sometime in the 9-16 week range. After that, they will molt in cycles of varying duration throughout their lives.
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Post by bambi on Apr 13, 2014 12:29:25 GMT -8
oh wow i can't wait to watch the process  |
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Post by wolfgirl on Apr 13, 2014 15:43:14 GMT -8
some of the time its barely noticeable and some times there is a clear difference between the old and new coats. and in some colorations of gerbils they will completely change color as the new coat comes in. gerbilforum.proboards.com/thread/5308/gerbil-changing-colors has a great picture of how drastic the change can be |
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Post by qtoffer on Apr 14, 2014 19:44:10 GMT -8
It's most noticeable in nutmeg colored gerbils. They start out orange and cream, but their adult coat is mostly golden brownish and black. It takes a few weeks - it's really neat to photograph the day-to-day change in appearance.
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