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Post by lmbn40 on Dec 8, 2023 7:15:20 GMT -8
1. Do my pups look healthy? They are two days old now and they seem to be a bit dehydrated, but I can see the white spot on their lower half which is supposed to be the mother's milk? 2. Is it okay if I handle them everyday or should I limit handling them as much as possible? ![]() The mother gerbil doesn't seem to mind that much, she acts as usual when I handle the pups and will occasionally stop when the pups squeak. She seems to be moving the pups from the sand bath and underground daily though. Is it because I'm handling them too much? She stomped in front of her babies before moving so I stopped handling for now. |
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Post by TJ's Rodent Ranch on Dec 8, 2023 13:38:15 GMT -8
Hi there, congratulations on the new pups!
1. Do my pups look healthy? They are two days old now and they seem to be a bit dehydrated, but I can see the white spot on their lower half which is supposed to be the mother's milk?
Yes, they appear healthy to me by what I can see. As far as I know that white patch is a milk spot, although usually I haven't seen any in that location, but it shouldn't be anything to worry about. If it is a problem it should be evident as they grow more, 2 days old is very new and hard to tell.
2. Is it okay if I handle them everyday or should I limit handling them as much as possible? The mother gerbil doesn't seem to mind that much, she acts as usual when I handle the pups and will occasionally stop when the pups squeak. She seems to be moving the pups from the sand bath and underground daily though. Is it because I'm handling them too much? She stomped in front of her babies before moving so I stopped handling for now.
Whenever I have new pups I always leave them alone for the first week until they start getting fuzzy. That's when I'll handle them a lot so they get used to humans before their eyes open. handling them when they're this young can stress the mother out. Even if it seems that she doesn't seem to be bothered, it leaves your scent on them afterwards and stresses her out. I've heard that this can cause the mother to reject the pups in some cases but I'm not entirely sure if that's true or not.
I would wait until the second week to handle them since by then they're a little more sturdy as well and the female is a little less 'all over them' all the time.
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Post by lmbn40 on Dec 8, 2023 14:33:32 GMT -8
Hi there, congratulations on the new pups! 1. Do my pups look healthy? They are two days old now and they seem to be a bit dehydrated, but I can see the white spot on their lower half which is supposed to be the mother's milk?Yes, they appear healthy to me by what I can see. As far as I know that white patch is a milk spot, although usually I haven't seen any in that location, but it shouldn't be anything to worry about. If it is a problem it should be evident as they grow more, 2 days old is very new and hard to tell. 2. Is it okay if I handle them everyday or should I limit handling them as much as possible? The mother gerbil doesn't seem to mind that much, she acts as usual when I handle the pups and will occasionally stop when the pups squeak. She seems to be moving the pups from the sand bath and underground daily though. Is it because I'm handling them too much? She stomped in front of her babies before moving so I stopped handling for now.Whenever I have new pups I always leave them alone for the first week until they start getting fuzzy. That's when I'll handle them a lot so they get used to humans before their eyes open. handling them when they're this young can stress the mother out. Even if it seems that she doesn't seem to be bothered, it leaves your scent on them afterwards and stresses her out. I've heard that this can cause the mother to reject the pups in some cases but I'm not entirely sure if that's true or not. I would wait until the second week to handle them since by then they're a little more sturdy as well and the female is a little less 'all over them' all the time. Thank you for your advice! Actually this was an unexpected litter, I thought both were males, but one of them wasn't  . I got a new 40 gallon tank to separate them just before the second litter so I won't get a third one. Anyway I'll follow your advice and will leave them alone for now. I've heard that you were allowed handle them from day one unlike hamsters (as long as the mother doesn't try to attack you), but I have to agree that I should wait a week at least since they look extremely fragile and I would rather not touch them until they become sturdy. Both of my gerbils are still taking care of their pups so hopefully they will raise their first pups well. |
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Post by lmbn40 on Dec 8, 2023 16:11:20 GMT -8
Another question, does anyone know why my mother gerbil keeps moving the pups to her sand bath? I want them to use it as a toilet, not as a nest. Is there a way to prevent her from doing this?
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Post by LilyandDaisy on Dec 8, 2023 16:34:45 GMT -8
Another question, does anyone know why my mother gerbil keeps moving the pups to her sand bath? I want them to use it as a toilet, not as a nest. Is there a way to prevent her from doing this? I'm not sure why she's doing that, but I'm sure she has a good reason for it Or at least thinks she does.  I would just let her do her thing rather than trying to interfere, as that risks making her stressed. |
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Post by lmbn40 on Dec 8, 2023 17:01:42 GMT -8
Another question, does anyone know why my mother gerbil keeps moving the pups to her sand bath? I want them to use it as a toilet, not as a nest. Is there a way to prevent her from doing this? I'm not sure why she's doing that, but I'm sure she has a good reason for it Or at least thinks she does. I would just let her do her thing rather than trying to interfere, as that risks making her stressed. I guess I'll just buy another sand bath so I wouldn't stress them too much by cleaning their tank... Gerbils can be weird sometimes, lol.
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Post by TJ's Rodent Ranch on Dec 9, 2023 16:52:34 GMT -8
Hmm... That is interesting. I often find little quirks like that in my mother gerbils. One of them, Skittle, who is an amazing mother and has great instincts, can't have a wheel when she has a new litter. I don't know why, but she always tumbles them in the wheel. It scares me to death, and I've stopped her quick enough that the babies are fine, but it's like she wants them to run with her? Luckily, her putting them in the sandbath doesn't seem harmful, but just weird. She might be moving the nest a lot, and putting them there because she thinks it might work, before discovering it won't. (If it's a covered area it might look appealing and sheltered to her, so she keeps wanting to) I really don't know, that's just a theory. Anyway, as long as the pups look happy and healthy they should be fine |
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Post by lmbn40 on Dec 9, 2023 18:22:38 GMT -8
Hmm... That is interesting. I often find little quirks like that in my mother gerbils. One of them, Skittle, who is an amazing mother and has great instincts, can't have a wheel when she has a new litter. I don't know why, but she always tumbles them in the wheel. It scares me to death, and I've stopped her quick enough that the babies are fine, but it's like she wants them to run with her? Luckily, her putting them in the sandbath doesn't seem harmful, but just weird. She might be moving the nest a lot, and putting them there because she thinks it might work, before discovering it won't. (If it's a covered area it might look appealing and sheltered to her, so she keeps wanting to) I really don't know, that's just a theory. Anyway, as long as the pups look happy and healthy they should be fine I think my mother gerbil just wants to have her pups in a place where she can always see them. She moves her pups to underground if she (and her husband) wants to sleep. Pretty smart actually, and looks like a good sign to me since she is being cautious with her pups. |
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Post by TJ's Rodent Ranch on Dec 9, 2023 22:14:59 GMT -8
Oh interesting. I don't think I've ever had such an active mother. Usual mine will just make one nest and keep them there, or maybe only move them once or twice.
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Post by lmbn40 on Dec 18, 2023 14:08:11 GMT -8
Update: It seems like the mother gerbil made a nest underground and she likes to keep her pups there. No more moving. The pups had their fur grown out and learned how to use their legs. I do not want to handle them yet since they are staying underground and I do not want to stress the mother by digging the pups out. Would they come up before they open their eyes? They are almost 2 weeks old now (born in December 7th) and I want to make sure they are tamed by handling them before their eyes open.
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Post by catnut on Dec 18, 2023 14:30:12 GMT -8
adorable babies! Just wondering where you are located?
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Post by lmbn40 on Dec 18, 2023 14:44:34 GMT -8
adorable babies! Just wondering where you are located? I live in Ottawa, Ontario. Too far from BC probably. I'm planning to put up a Kijiji ad once they are old enough to be adopted. They'll be free as long as the new owners have a good tank setup. |
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Post by TJ's Rodent Ranch on Dec 18, 2023 23:11:39 GMT -8
Wow, they look great! That's good to hear, although odd that she would choose now to decide where to keep them. It depends on how deep they are underground. If she's dug a tunnel with a pretty steep slope up the top, no, it's doubtful they'll leave underground before their eyes open. If they do, it won't be more than once or twice, so unfortunately you won't be able to handle them much unless you dig them out, which as you said would be very stressful for her, and therefor unwise. If the tunnel is just below the surface, they may very well stumble out while their eyes are still closed. I've been in this situation before, and find it rather hard to decide what to do, since a lot of the time you're unable to see or handle the babies for a long time until they get older. This can be responsible for less friendly pups, but I have found it's not a strict rule. I would recommend either making an enticing nest closer or on the surface (although this could potentially cause problems) or try to find a way to get to the nest without collapsing the den. If not, handle the female a lot (as long as she trusts you) so she goes into the nest with your scent on her. This isn't at all proven, but if it doesn't do harm, then there's no harm in trying. |
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. I got a new 40 gallon tank to separate them just before the second litter so I won't get a third one. Anyway I'll follow your advice and will leave them alone for now. I've heard that you were allowed handle them from day one unlike hamsters (as long as the mother doesn't try to attack you), but I have to agree that I should wait a week at least since they look extremely fragile and I would rather not touch them until they become sturdy. Both of my gerbils are still taking care of their pups so hopefully they will raise their first pups well.
I would just let her do her thing rather than trying to interfere, as that risks making her stressed.
