Lucy's ... pregnant?

[Shooting Star]

Right-- the pair of Lilac girls that were abandoned at the pet store? One of them (Lucy) is pregnant. I have absolutely no clue who the father is; I had assumed Lucy and Ethel were kept together without any others.

She's quite obviously pregnant, not at all like the swelling Naos had (RIP). Both Lucy and Ethel were at a good weight to begin with, even a bit on the pudgy side, so I didn't notice signs of pregnancy until I saw the contrast after a few days' absence.

So I'm hoping that either this isn't her first litter, or she's not as old as she looks.

[javi]

good luck. congrats. cant wait for pics. i am not sure what a prego gerbil looks like?

[Shooting Star]

Well, right now she looks like this:




^ (head up in first two, head down in third)

Now I'm really glad I decided to take them, and they didn't end up with a first-time gerbil owner.

[dreamvalley]

Mind is like that, it her second and last litter

[javi]

awww. how cool.

[Abitail]

Yup, she's definitely pregnant. It'll be fun having the colors of the pups a surprise!

Abbey

[Shooting Star]

She had her litter sometime this morning: 3 stillborn males, 1 healthy red-eyed male, 1 healthy red-eyed female, and 1 smaller red-eyed female with a slightly kinked tail. The three live pups are nursing well, which is a relief. I found the three stillborns unharmed in the nest with the others this evening, so at least I shouldn't have to worry about either Lucy or Ethel attacking the pups.

[orangepenguin]

i know this i a bit of topic but how can you tell wat sex they are when they have just been born? i have looked when mine have been born but they all look the same to me. mind you the litter i looked at was 5 male one female! lol

[Shooting Star]

Lol, no problem. You look at the shape and spacing of the ano-genital area. It's a little different between males and females, from day one. In female pups, the anus is touching the urethra; in male pups, there's a gap. It's not foolproof, but once you get the hang of it, it's usually correct.

[orangepenguin]

ah yeh i can see - the males a lot bigger too i will have to try it out on my next litter! thanks!!

[RitzieAnn]

awe... a lot of death in that one.... uh oh.

At least she's nursing. Keep us upadated

[Abitail]

I'm sorry for the losses, but I'm glad three of them survived! I had no idea you could sex the gerbils that young. I'll have to try that on my next litter.
I hope the litter works out all right. That's an awful lot of gerbils stillborn.
Abbey

[Shooting Star]

I'm just glad she had any live pups, and that she's taking care of them. There's no telling who the father was, or how closely related he was to Lucy. And if I had to guess her age, I'd say 2+ years.

My mom says she hasn't seen the pups much, but she's heard them squeaking. I'll be back home tomorrow night, so I'll be sure to give an update then.

[Abitail]

2+ years! Wow. I'm surprised she's doing so well!

Ab

[Shooting Star]

I could be wrong, but she *looks* really old.

Good thing I came home today. When I checked on Lucy's pups, I started panicking when I only found two in the nest. After shifting things around a bit, I found the third pup; the adults had managed to stuff one end of a cardboard tube full of bedding and then stand it upright, trapping the little male inside. He was a little cold and sluggish, but he should be okay.

All three pups are Lilacs/Sapphires/Doves. The bigger female is darker than the other two, but since they're also smaller, their fur may be coming in slower.

Left to right: little female, big female, male.


Momma Lucy, nest in lower right.