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Post by jimbo on Oct 15, 2004 10:25:02 GMT -8
hi, nice to be back,,,, well, i had what the dude in petshop told me were 2 females, and one gave birth about 4 months after i got them from petstore, 3 days ago she had 7 pups, which all look healthy, there soo cute, but i dont know what to do in terms of looking after them :S the mother is doing a great job so far, but is there anything i need to do to keep them healthy, i noticed that 1 of the pups is getting quite dark i mean black while the rest are pink, i will post some pics in a few hours when i find my camera please help, thanks Jimbo
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Post by jimbo on Oct 15, 2004 10:52:53 GMT -8
hi, here are the pics,,,, i couldnt get any of the pups as they are covered now and i dont want to bother them,,,,,,,, # This is the Male, Thats the Female, who is recovered and lets me stroke her again ill get some pics of the babies when there a bit more active ohh one more thing,, at what age can i pick the pups up and pet them?? Thanx jimbo
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Post by sweetie on Oct 15, 2004 11:16:55 GMT -8
Hey Jimbo, Nice to have you back. I am excited for you!! I am also a little sad to hear that the people at the pet stores did it again!! So much for leaving the job to the experts! I also got opposite sexed gerbils and were told they were same sexed! I got mine from the shelter though. As far as what to do with the pups, I would suggest let Mom do the work. Make sure you keep an eye on the pups and count them daily!! Also I think that if the mom is comfortable with you, you can pick up the pups about the 2 week mark. The color difference may be that the pup will be black. Of course, I am not positive about this info so you may want to visit Queenie's website at www.gerbilbreeding.com. It is very informative and detailed. She has bred many gerbils!! I have not but am attempting to now! Good luck and remember the pictures!!
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Post by queenofthenile on Oct 15, 2004 16:25:34 GMT -8
Congratulations on your unexpected litter! Gerbils make really good moms so you don't have to worry too much. The best thing you can do is give her some quiet time. My gerbil mom really appreciated having a towel draped over one half of the tank. It made her feel more secure. You can also give her a bit of extra protein - dry catfood, crickets, mealworms, cooked egg, etc. Make sure that the water bottle is within reach and working properly. Mothers rarely cannibalize their litters but may do so if they are dehydrated.
And in case you didn't know already, mom gerbil is very likely pregnant again. So you should expect a second litter. It is best to seperate the dad off with his male pups a few days before mom gives birth again. This is somewhere just before the pups are 5 weeks of age. Leave one of the female pups with mom to help raise the following litter. Good luck finding homes for the little squeakers!
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Post by doomgerbiluk on Oct 15, 2004 16:27:19 GMT -8
one point...the recommendation of mealworms I'm happy to give them to my gerbils but have been warned they can carry certain diseases so be careful of your supply I guess!! If your mum gerbil is happy you can take out the pups and photograph them (I have pics at literally minutes old from some litters) Protein is needed and I use dried cat food and extra nuts (unsalted of course). Variety is the key, make sure mum has the chance to select the food she needs. Also water, nursing mums need a good supply of clean water. This should be provided anyway of course. Cats milk is great if mum seems stressed, soaked into a little bread is good, also when the pups are a bit older and getting around they can have some too. I even had a runt who should have died who survived by sucking on cat milk soaked bread when her siblings were feeding . I always have a couple of bottles ready in the fridge now
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Post by queenofthenile on Oct 15, 2004 16:31:05 GMT -8
Gill, do you know more about that or have links? I've never heard of that before. I do know that there are very few (if any) diseases that can be spread from insect to mammals (with the exception of biting insects). Most bacterial/viral infections in insects are restricted to arthropods. If you have more information to clarify this, it would be greatly appreciated. My mom gerbil used to love her mealworms .
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Post by doomgerbiluk on Oct 15, 2004 16:37:48 GMT -8
As I say I've been warned but I don't have any more info than that. I'll try to find out more and post what I find. I just felt if there's even a tiny risk people should have the opportunity to make that decision for themselves. The catfood is a suitable alternative if people prefer it. I use Felix snacks and go-cat
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Post by jimbo on Oct 16, 2004 2:48:54 GMT -8
hello again, k,,, heres some pics i got while mummy gerbil wasnt looking lol, <br> there very warm and are starting to be more active now, i even seen 2 that ventured from the nest
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Post by queenofthenile on Oct 16, 2004 6:17:06 GMT -8
They're very cute . Just make sure you wash you hands very well before handling the babies. Some people rub them with a bit of the bedding before putting them back in the tank. This helps them smell the same as before.
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Post by Ed on Oct 16, 2004 14:27:20 GMT -8
Hi, There are numerous biting insects that cause lots of serious diseases. Diseases from non biting insects are also numerous. Insects such as c o c k roaches feed on any food, and are known sources of salmonella, shigella, polio virus and vibrio cholera. Flies. There are 12 species of flies that an carry pathogens on their feet,mouth,wings and gut. Diseases include brucella,campylobacter, E.coli,klebsiella,salmonella,streptococcus,staphylococcus,vibrio cholera and viruses. As for mealworms, the lesser mealworm feeds on almost anything, even each other! The adult beetles harbour diseases such as fowlpox, E.coli, salmonella spp. Newcastle disease and aviian leukosis, in addition as the intermediate host of poultry tapeworms and cecal worms. Although the role of darkling beetles(adult mealworms) in actual transmission has not yet been definitely established, it is also suspected that this pest harbors and vectors a number of pathogens that affect bird health and performance. Beetle larvae (the mealworm)consumed by floor birds (turkey, poults, etc.) display growth depression and increased mortality. There is reinfection of the flock when chickens eat the beetles or when beetles defecate near chicken feed. As for the yellow mealworm often used in commercial production of mealworms, it is because of they way it is produced that all the usual suspects are possible and are potential sources of salmonella, E.coli, and other bacteria. The RSPCB websites suggest that dead mealworms maybe involved in the transmission of salmonella to birds. Also there is a possibility of rhinoconjunctivitis from constant exposure to this insect, www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_uids=2384648&dopt=AbstractHope this helps, Eddie
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Post by lydia on Oct 16, 2004 18:09:45 GMT -8
So basically,be safer not to feed them to our gerbils then,shame,my gerbils love mealworms.
Lyd
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Post by crazycritter on Oct 17, 2004 1:50:14 GMT -8
Eh, I don't know, I've always fed my gerbils mealworms...I never feed them the beetles though, because I know that those are toxic to my bat so I wouldn't want to feed them to my gerbils. I buy my mealworms off the internet...1000 for ten bucks, because I have to feed my bat. They haven't hurt my gerbils for all 8 years I've been keeping them, so...
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Post by queenofthenile on Oct 17, 2004 5:36:48 GMT -8
Thank you for the info Eddie. It helps people to make more informed decisions. Did you know that dry cat food has a huge bacterial load on it's surface? That's one of the reasons I've switched my cats to a completely wet food diet.
I guess what I'm trying to say is no matter what you feed the gerbils, there is a risk attached. Perhaps the safest form of protein would be egg, then, because it is cooked *just* before consumption. It would therefore have the lowest risk of contamination. In the wild, however, gerbils *do* eat insects and so I, personally, will continue to give them crickets and other 'safe' insects.
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Post by jimbo on Oct 17, 2004 6:06:01 GMT -8
hello, i was saying about some of the pups turning black,,,,, well i picked it up to have a closer look, and its the hair starting to grow, there comming on well, and they squeek and most can walk now, can someone tell me what age the pups will be when the mother lets they away from the nest? i cant wait, i think im actually gonna keep the pups, theres still 7 of them, and they all look healthy and are feeding from mums milk,
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Post by doomgerbiluk on Oct 17, 2004 7:30:56 GMT -8
the pups will leave the nest when they want to!!! some mums will allow them to wander more than others so long as the pups cant get to places mum cant find them or where they will get trapped it shouldnt be a problem
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