Dig in pups

[radek]

My gerbils finaly are parents since two days
But there apeared a problem. Female dig pups deep in scobs (she put as many scobs in the little house, with nest, as it possible). Is it normal, or pups will asphyxiate? I must wait, or help pups?

[callimico]

Hey Radek, congratulations on your new pups ;D.
I'm not sure what you mean by scobs? Mother gerbils normally bury their pups in bedding (nests) to keep them warm. The pups will not Suffocate, they will be able to breathe fine. Just keep giving the female torn up tissues or toilet paper to use as bedding. Feeding her extra protein, such as peanuts, mealworms, or kitten food, is very good for her when she is nursing pups.

Are these your first gerbil babies?

[Ritzie/Admin]

I have had even a females that was 'redecorating' her nest very often! She than kicked out all bedding and nesting material, including pups!!! When she was finished she noticed that the pups were out of the nest and she searched and carried them back! Must have been not the most smart one I have had!

[radek]

Pups survived, so it's o.k.
My gerbils use scobs for nesting (normal scobs for rodents). I gave them some tissues, but they dig it somewhere in scobs and still use scobs for nesting

I give female every day one granule of cat food, sometimes more, and sometimes she eats "frutti di mare" (snails from aquarium). They are so crisp ;D.

Yes there are first pups of my gerbils.

My gerbil female yesterday redecordated her nest too and dig some pups of. They were sqeacking, and mom bring them back to nest. And did it again and again, again.....

I hope that some pups will be yelow. They are so beautiuful. Yellow gerbils are very rare in Poland (I dont know why, but zoo shops in Poland sell nearly only black and agouti gerbils), but I know, that siblings of their parents were yellow. It is quite possibie.
Today skin of three day old pups, are getting light grey. But one is still light pink. Maybe he will have yellow fur?

[pixytwinkle]

congratulations on the pups! ;D

[radek]

Today gerbil mom moowed pups into coco nut. I first time saw them all. It is unbeliwible, but there was seven pups!

And its first babies of this temale.

She was very fat, but i didnt expected that she will born seven pups.

seven pups.... I cant beliwe it....

[callimico]

wow, seven pups - my first female gave birth to 7 pups her first time also ;D. That's a lot for a first time mom- especially since I didn't have dad to help her out.

If one pup still has pink fur he may be getting a lighter coat then the rest- or he may be the runt, and just developing a little slower then the others. Have you looked at the ags colorstrips to see what color your pups look like? It always helps me out Glad all your pups are doing well- I like the coconut idea as housing for gerbils. I keep meaning to buy one to hollow out but haven't gotten around to it yet: did you find your coconut in a store or make it?

I'm so excited- I have a litter of pups that should be born tonight!! ;D The mom has been looking very heavy for over a week now

[sweetie]

Hey Rad,

Congratulations on the pups. 7 that is alot for a mom especially a first time mom. They are so cute! I love trying to guess the colors you will get.

[radek]

Day 5. one pup is still pink, but it's tail is the same gray, as tails of their siblings. I searched in internet pictures of 5 day old pups, and this one look like the nutmeng pup.
It would be good, because this color is rare, nearly unparalleled in Poland. Nutmeg is possible, becauce I am absolutely sure, that his uncle was nutmeg. and siblings of their father probadly had yellow fur too. (But my female is normal auguti and, male is a little lighter auguti, but i dont know if he is just lighter auguti or "some" auguti)
I think (and hope) that there is six little auguti and one little nutmeg.

[radek]

No!
There will be two black, three agouti ang one very light (probadly nutmeg or something like that)

But there is six pups.
Its because one was eaten by his mother!
I can't forgive it her. That pups was so cute, and she just eaten one (probadly auguti). Now I think it's hard to love and breed the same gerbils. After that crime she is soulless just like lizard for me. I like lizards, but i was thinking that gerbils are more nice.

But I have question about that light pup. If she (it is a girl) is nutmeg, as I said, her parent are auguti and she have black, and agouti siblings, so I think that my breeding pair is:
Aa-C?-Ee-G?-P? *
Am I right?
If it is true, nan they have dark eyed honey pup?

* ?- means that my gerbils can has two dominant allels, or only one has recessif, and I of course can't verify it.

[lizzy]

If a pup is eaten by its mother its usually for a good reason ie she can't take care of it, or she felt it wouldn't survive. Its quite normal for first time mothers.
And i don't think two agouti parents can have dark eyed honeys. I could be wrong though, I don't know too much about the genetics side.

[sandy]

Hi Radek, don't hold such a thing against your female--she's just being the gerbil God made her, with gerbil instincts. Probably something was wrong genetically with the pup and you could not know but she can smell something.

Another possibility to be careful about is that you may have picked up the pup after holding a different gerbil or touching another animal like a cat, and the mother smelled that the pup was strange and eliminated the "danger" from the nest. It is always a good idea to wash hands before and after handling your pets.

Also, maybe the pup died for some other reason and mom was just cleaning up the nest.

If you do have a nutmeg pup, it means that your golden agouti parents both carry the recessive e gene and the recessive a gene so you could also have black and dark eyed honey as well as nutmeg pups in future. Good luck with that!

Where are you living in Poland? My parents originally were from Poland, but, being ethnic german people, both families left Poland for Canada, my mom's family in 1924, my dad's family in 1945-7.
I think some of my dad's family were from Poznan originally, also some from Plock and some from Warsaw. All these families were in Poland since 1800 or before. It is a long story.

[radek]

So if they can have dark eyed honey pups, I'm not sure that it is nutmeg. She can be honey. But if they can have honey and black, the can have nutmeg. So nutmegs going together with black and dark eyed honey.
But i think that she has 75% chances to be honey, and 25% to nutmeg

So in my next beeding pair will be one dark eyed honey. I am very happy that i can have dark eyed honeys, they are so beautiuful and rare...

I havent got any other animals, what smell, exept budgerigars. But I didn't touched it. But i used "super glue" before, for glue something. But after that I get black pup. She ate agouti. So it isn't reason.

I live in Warsaw

[sweetie]

Hey Rad,

Mine had 8 pups and she is down to 6. I think that she knew there was something wrong with the pup. It could also be because it would not have enough milk from her being there were so many pups. I was upset also but now seeing what a great Mom she is I am confident that she did not do it for spite or out of meanness. There was a reason that only she knew of. We are not gerbils and do not know what they are thinking or feeling. It could be that the pup died and she was cleaning like Sandy said.

[radek]

It's horrible, I killed pup. It jumped trought my fingers, when i was carying it. I feel so defaulter. It was black girl. That one, what haven't white spots on fingers.

That auguti, what was eaten before by his mother, maybe wasn't her fault, but there I am murderer. I hate, when the pups dead, but, when it's my fault I feel much worse

I promise, that I wouldn't get pups as long as they are still drinking milk.

Had you that horrible accidents with pups like that?