Apparently about a month ago, I bought a pregnant female
Mar 8, 2024 19:27:22 GMT -8
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Post by TJ's Rodent Ranch on Mar 8, 2024 19:27:22 GMT -8
So, I believe the title says it all, but here's the full story. To preface, I just discovered this about ten minutes ago.
About a month and a half ago, I bought four gerbils from Texas to bring new genetics into breeding. First, let me explain the arrangement that brought them to me. I have a friend who owns a pet store. He knows a broker in Texas who gathers gerbils that people are selling from all over the state and gives them to people who buy them from him. One of these people is my friend who owns the petstore. Around Christmas, I asked my friend to order four gerbils from this guy in Texas. When they arrived they were about five months old, and there were two females, and two males. One of the females is Burmese, who I named Mouse, and the other is REW and is named Puddingfoot. One of the males is Black, who I named Sprinch, and the other is Grey Agouti, who I named Donkey.
When I get new gerbils, I keep them quarantined for about a month before they have any contact with my gerbils. I also allow them to decompress before I start working with them. If they're really stressed from the time in getting to me, then I leave them alone for a little longer. Mouse and Puddingfoot were very stressed. I was giving them food, and the two of them were guarding each other and wouldn't let me near. So, I decided to give them plenty of time. I've been noticing for the past week that they're starting to come out and embrace my presence when I'm there. So, today I planned to work with them.
I was watching Puddingfoot run around, when I saw a little Burmese baby (furred, and eyes just open) trundle after her. I was shocked, and it took forever for my brain to convince myself that Mouse hadn't shrunk three sizes, when a little Black baby comes around the corner.
Now, Puddingfoot was feircly protective of Mouse for a while. I started to get worried when I didn't see Mouse for a good minute (I suspect this was when she had the giant belly) but then I started to see her again, and she looked perfectly healthy, so I decided that she was just more reclusive (which she is). Turns out, she must have been nursing them, because she was almost always in the nest, and Puddingfoot wouldn't let me anywhere near. I didn't investigate, because they were already edgy and still decompressing and I didn't want to stress them, so I never went anywhere that they didn't want me.
Anyway, of course I checked out everything. Turns out, after a lot of digging, I found five babies. Two black babies and three Burmese babies. I'm pretty sure (for several reasons that I won't explain, or it would turn this post from one, to two miles long) that Sprinch is the dad and Mouse is the mom (and I doublechecked, both Puddingfoot and Mouse, who are both females). Anyway, I thought it was a pretty surprising encounter and would make a good story, so that's why I'm here! I'll give updates on the surprise babies in a few days!
Ps. It's very adorable to see Puddingfoot so mothering over both Mouse and the babies. She would always stand right next to my hand when I handled Mouse or a baby, and when I dropped a baby (it crawled out of my hand, and only dropped about an inch, and it's fine
) she lightly nipped me and checked the baby, which is extra special because she was just attentively watching when I held the baby. It was the dropping that she nipped me for. Mouse and Puddingfoot appear to be a happy lesbian couple 
About a month and a half ago, I bought four gerbils from Texas to bring new genetics into breeding. First, let me explain the arrangement that brought them to me. I have a friend who owns a pet store. He knows a broker in Texas who gathers gerbils that people are selling from all over the state and gives them to people who buy them from him. One of these people is my friend who owns the petstore. Around Christmas, I asked my friend to order four gerbils from this guy in Texas. When they arrived they were about five months old, and there were two females, and two males. One of the females is Burmese, who I named Mouse, and the other is REW and is named Puddingfoot. One of the males is Black, who I named Sprinch, and the other is Grey Agouti, who I named Donkey.
When I get new gerbils, I keep them quarantined for about a month before they have any contact with my gerbils. I also allow them to decompress before I start working with them. If they're really stressed from the time in getting to me, then I leave them alone for a little longer. Mouse and Puddingfoot were very stressed. I was giving them food, and the two of them were guarding each other and wouldn't let me near. So, I decided to give them plenty of time. I've been noticing for the past week that they're starting to come out and embrace my presence when I'm there. So, today I planned to work with them.
I was watching Puddingfoot run around, when I saw a little Burmese baby (furred, and eyes just open) trundle after her. I was shocked, and it took forever for my brain to convince myself that Mouse hadn't shrunk three sizes, when a little Black baby comes around the corner.
Now, Puddingfoot was feircly protective of Mouse for a while. I started to get worried when I didn't see Mouse for a good minute (I suspect this was when she had the giant belly) but then I started to see her again, and she looked perfectly healthy, so I decided that she was just more reclusive (which she is). Turns out, she must have been nursing them, because she was almost always in the nest, and Puddingfoot wouldn't let me anywhere near. I didn't investigate, because they were already edgy and still decompressing and I didn't want to stress them, so I never went anywhere that they didn't want me.
Anyway, of course I checked out everything. Turns out, after a lot of digging, I found five babies. Two black babies and three Burmese babies. I'm pretty sure (for several reasons that I won't explain, or it would turn this post from one, to two miles long) that Sprinch is the dad and Mouse is the mom (and I doublechecked, both Puddingfoot and Mouse, who are both females). Anyway, I thought it was a pretty surprising encounter and would make a good story, so that's why I'm here! I'll give updates on the surprise babies in a few days!
Ps. It's very adorable to see Puddingfoot so mothering over both Mouse and the babies. She would always stand right next to my hand when I handled Mouse or a baby, and when I dropped a baby (it crawled out of my hand, and only dropped about an inch, and it's fine
) she lightly nipped me and checked the baby, which is extra special because she was just attentively watching when I held the baby. It was the dropping that she nipped me for. Mouse and Puddingfoot appear to be a happy lesbian couple 
), late 70s