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Post by Breeding on Aug 28, 2004 1:41:45 GMT -8
Imight breed my Gerbils, but how? My two are 19 week males, are they old enough? My friend's gerbils are 3, are they too old?
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Post by Breeding on Aug 28, 2004 1:43:15 GMT -8
sorry, I thought I was logged in. It was me, Paws!!!
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Post by queenofthenile on Aug 28, 2004 5:09:40 GMT -8
Your friends' female gerbils are about 3 years old? Do not breed them if they are that old. You are at a risk of complications happening during pregnancy.
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Post by Pawsie on Aug 28, 2004 5:45:28 GMT -8
sorry, I got it wrong. When I called her later, she said 2!
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Post by Pawsie on Aug 28, 2004 5:46:43 GMT -8
sorry, I got it wrong. When I called her later, she got them from a teacher! 2 years! I sthat too old?
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Post by Pawsie on Aug 28, 2004 5:51:11 GMT -8
what i mean is that they are "second hand" she wasnt sure at first
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Post by blackie on Aug 28, 2004 5:56:08 GMT -8
Dear Pawsie Well yes, two years is probably too old for a female gerbil to have pups. They start showing signs of aging already at 18 months sometimes. If you are going to breed you need two healthy gerbils that are not related, I don't know exactly how old but approx 12 weeks to 1 year maybe? Don't let your gerbils have pups if you don't have the proper housing,enough time,money and knowledge. Are you sure you will find new homes for the all the new gerbils? There are enough gerbils in the world already. I'm just pointing out the facts for you... hope that whatever you do it will work out.
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Post by queenofthenile on Aug 28, 2004 6:03:37 GMT -8
I agree with Blackie. If you *really* want to be breeding gerbils, then you should have a breeding pair that is young and healthy. I bred a gerbil of unknown age (guessing now that she was about 2 years old), and during labour the baby got stuck. You can read about her at www.gerbilbreeding.com/mygerbs, scroll to the bottom for Juniper. Any time that you breed an animal, you want to have a plan. Many people's plan is to produce a new colour unavailable in their area or to produce pups with exceptional temperment. What are *your* reasons for breeding?
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Post by Pawsie on Aug 28, 2004 10:46:51 GMT -8
Sorry, my computer won't log me as Paws, (my username) You can just write Paws, not Pawsie. I would like to breed siamese, with a variety of colours. we have come up with a plan to breed a few colours, to each other. How do you get Siamese???
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Post by queenofthenile on Aug 28, 2004 16:39:48 GMT -8
Do you have siamese, burmese or colourpoint slate in your area? The easiest way would be to breed a burmese with a pink-eyed white that carries aa.
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Post by paws on Aug 29, 2004 0:00:34 GMT -8
Naw (excuse the joke) We were planning to breed some other colours, them find a simese to breed to a lighter colour, or something of the sort!
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Post by queenofthenile on Aug 29, 2004 6:19:13 GMT -8
Do you already have homes available for the pups?
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Post by blackie on Aug 29, 2004 7:05:31 GMT -8
I still think you should consider carefully if ,how and why you are going to breed gerbils. I don't know how long you have kept gerbils as pets yet,but you need some gerbils experience first. I don't breed gerbils my self, and I am happy with just keeping them as pets, in single sexed pairs. I don't think color is that important. As long as you have a variety of colors ,and you don't just get golden agoutis or black ones, I'm sure people would still be interested ? The problem is that people don't always respond to advertisments for gerbils...you could end up not being able to find new homes for the pups...or you would be forced to give them to people you don't really trust, or to a pet shop or animal shelter. If you still want to breed, you should check out if gerbils are wanted in your town/area, and maybe which colors. THEN you would need to get a breeding pair, and preferably a large "gerbilarium". Some times animals get sick, or things go wrong during pregnancy or birth...I know that it's not always happy experience when your pet has babies. My dog once gave birth to a deformed pup and it died the next day...it was so sad. So please, think about this, and do the right thing.
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Post by blackie on Aug 29, 2004 7:07:18 GMT -8
* the pup died, not my dog.
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Post by paws on Aug 29, 2004 9:57:06 GMT -8
Ok... My friend and I discussed. It should be done when I have more experience, and she has younger gerbils!
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