Post by Shooting Star on Oct 6, 2007 11:31:07 GMT -8
Original thread by Doomgerbil. Posts duplicated because the original thread got way off track.
And I firmly believe that we should impress on people the important of thinking breeding through VERY carefully.
But we don't always have readily available advise on what pups need.
So here's my thoughts.
1) Healthy parents. Parents that are both physically and mentally healthy produce the healthiest pups.
2) A mum fed a good balanced diet, subjected to minimal stress and not exhausted from repeated litters. (A break means no litters, pregnancy or nursing for 2 months or more!!)
3) To be allowed to stay with mum for at least 5 weeks, preferably 6 weeks minimum. Pups wean at 4 weeks but need to learn gerbil behaviour too!!
4) A warm nest, soft white tissue is just fine. A reasonably deep substrate to allow for their and mums natural digging behaviour.
5) A simple environment to begin with, or an artificial burrow system (see Egerbil www.egerbil.com/ , for how to build one)
6) A stimulating environment as they grow. I have seen pups as young as 3 weeks picking up seeds and mouthing them, digging and exploring. Once their eyes are open, they need the opportunity to explore, including enough substrate to dig. I also add small seeds, such as canary mix from 3 weeks to encourage mouthing and tasting.
Toys as appropriate (a wheel can be dangerous for small pups but toilet rolls are great fun!!).
I'll add to this as I think of more
doomgerbiluk said:
It struck me that we have lots now about whether to breed etcAnd I firmly believe that we should impress on people the important of thinking breeding through VERY carefully.
But we don't always have readily available advise on what pups need.
So here's my thoughts.
1) Healthy parents. Parents that are both physically and mentally healthy produce the healthiest pups.
2) A mum fed a good balanced diet, subjected to minimal stress and not exhausted from repeated litters. (A break means no litters, pregnancy or nursing for 2 months or more!!)
3) To be allowed to stay with mum for at least 5 weeks, preferably 6 weeks minimum. Pups wean at 4 weeks but need to learn gerbil behaviour too!!
4) A warm nest, soft white tissue is just fine. A reasonably deep substrate to allow for their and mums natural digging behaviour.
5) A simple environment to begin with, or an artificial burrow system (see Egerbil www.egerbil.com/ , for how to build one)
6) A stimulating environment as they grow. I have seen pups as young as 3 weeks picking up seeds and mouthing them, digging and exploring. Once their eyes are open, they need the opportunity to explore, including enough substrate to dig. I also add small seeds, such as canary mix from 3 weeks to encourage mouthing and tasting.
Toys as appropriate (a wheel can be dangerous for small pups but toilet rolls are great fun!!).
I'll add to this as I think of more
fran said:
OK, a water bottle that they can reach! And being introduced to human hands as they grow.mickeyandlola said:
I am not certain because I have never had pups, my last girl was an accidental pregnancy and she lost them before they were born. I lost her as well (R.I.P. Lola). A tank to keep them in when they are too old to be together (even if you have homes lined up in case someone backs out). And I think one of the number of things would be, they need to have your time.ohmylokix said:
I like to make one corner of the tank dark so that they have privacy.petlover said:
Gerbil pups need LOVE. Both from there parents and from us.amavanna said:
Well I have never bred before, but it is my honest opinion, that before they leave home or when they are 6 weeks old, they should all take a trip to the vet, and get a clean bill of health. This is to ensure that any health problems at least have a chance to be caught early on.