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Post by mariposa1127 on Sept 23, 2014 12:16:01 GMT -8
Hi
We have four gerbils Lefty, Girly-girl, Moondust, and Maple.
Moondust and Maple are a year old and in a separate cage. They are super fun, energetic and get along great together. We got them both at the same time.
Lefty is three years old very tame, and easy going. His brother Star died so we introduced him to a girl gerbil in August that we saw at the store. We did the split cage method and then slowly introduced them to each other. They get along great. Girly-Girl has a crooked tail and Lefty was born with a broken left front paw that never healed correctly.
I read that Lefty is not able to make babies at this point (he is to old). Do you think that is true? Could Girly-Girl and Lefty have babies?
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rhianna
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Post by rhianna on Sept 24, 2014 7:15:14 GMT -8
There's always a risk. Gerbils can produce offspring their entire lives, which is why I never, ever recommend introducing opposite sexes without intending to breed, no matter how old they are. Have you noticed any possible signs of mating/pregnancy?
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Post by betty on Sept 24, 2014 8:18:40 GMT -8
Also - although they could be injuries of course - the 'broken front paw that didn't heal properly' could be a condition already known in gerbils called 'fixed wrist' which crops up every so often in litters - and most people would avoid breeding from such a gerbil as its inheritance is not clearly understood but is assumed to be due to inbreeding.
Same could be true for the broken tail/kinked tail - although tails are more likely to be breaks.
So, unless you are 100% sure your little man is infertile, having introduced a young fertile female to him, you could end up with baby gerbils displaying similar conditions now or in the future if you breed their pups at some point.
And if you DO want to breed healthy gerbils, the 2 you currently have probably wouldn't be the best place to start - unless you know a lot more about their injuries and their family history than you have shared here.
Good luck either way.
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Post by johanne on Sept 24, 2014 9:51:53 GMT -8
I've had males breed up to 4 years old. If Lefty has put on a lot of weight over time it's less likely though. As has been mentioned, your pair probably have genetic defects and should not be bred.
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Post by mariposa1127 on Sept 29, 2014 9:04:15 GMT -8
Thanks for all the information.
Lefty and Girly-girl tried mating one time and have not tried again. So I am really not sure if she is pregnant or not. Although this morning she looked bigger and her tummy felt a little hard. I know they are not your "perfect" gerbils but what has been done is done.
My plan at this point is if she is pregnant will care for them and remove Lefty and the boys from the cage when the babies are six weeks old. Does that sound appropriate?
Should I go ahead and clean there bedding while she is pregnant (if she is pregnant)?
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rhianna
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Post by rhianna on Sept 29, 2014 10:11:10 GMT -8
If you leave Lefty in there for six weeks after the babies are born then you're going to have another litter coming right after that. You should remove him right before they're born and then put two of the males in with him when they're six weeks old. You can leave one or two girls with the mother at that point as well. If there's more than 2 girls and 2 boys, you'll either have to start their own separate clans or find new homes for them if you don't have the space. You should never try and keep gerbils in groups larger than 3 unless you're very experienced.
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