Examples of pregnant gerbils

[nikkiy21]

I think I may have a problem! Two of my rescue gerbils look rather fat and I think they may be pregnant!

Can anyone advise on how to tell if a gerbil is pregnant or post any pics of pregnant gerbils? I'll try get some pics of my two on later.

[AndreaS15]

They will look sorta pear shaped.

[colourpointme]

Kiwi Prego with litter II! ;D + her fur lightened....

[lindbergfromdk]

Milla, a day before she had her pups:

[Abitail]

Oreo a few days before having her pups:

[zotteke]

here are a couple of pictures from 2 girls.. ive got more pictures from different girls if you want to see them

[nikkiy21]

Thanks all. It looks like I have 2 pregnant females on my hands!

Here are some pics of them - what do you think?







Really worried now - they are apparently mother and daughter and I've got them in the same tank. Should I seperate them? Both of them seem really fat and pear shaped so if they are pregnant, I would think they are quite near to giving birth. I've not had any gerbies with pups before so I'm really panicking!

[RitzieAnn]

Well, just in case they're *not* pregnant, I'd advise you just put a divider in their tank. This way, you can wait 2 weeks and see what happens. If they're this big, then I'd say you've got about 1-4 days to prepare, but just in case they're only fat, you can still have them live together. That black one for sure looks pregnant though.

How long have you had them? Gestation is usually 21-26 days... so if you've had them longer than a month- you're safe.

EDIT

I just saw your other post... and they look plump there too. I'd say definately divide them ASAP. If they were large 3 days ago, then they're gonna birth very soon if they really are pregnant. Looks like you may have more than 20 here pretty soon....

[nikkiy21]

Thanks for the pics everyone - sure looks like my two are pregnant!

RitzieAnn - thanks for your reply. I will put a divider in their tank today and see what happens over the next few days. Is there anything extra I should be feeding them?

[RitzieAnn]

Well, that also depends. What are you feeding them right now? There's a lot of debate on feeding, but I use puppy/kitten dry kibbles. Think about it... pregnant/nursing dogs, cats, goats and horses are supposed to be fed baby foods... so why not a gerbil? They don't make "baby gerbil" food.

Also, now is the time, if they've got a wheel or house, go ahead and remove it. I don't let mom have anything that could tip and squish a pup. not even a food dish. I just give my moms lots of paper towel/toilet tissue to make a fluffy above ground nest.

[nikkiy21]

I've been feeding them the normal gerbil mix + extra sunflower seeds, peanuts, fruit & veg, yoghurt drops and cat biscuits. I do have some puppy kibbles as I have a 9 month old pup so I will give them some of those too.

Didn't know about removing things in the tank - I will do it straight away.

Thanks for the advice.

[jj]

zotteke I just wanted to mention that I love the markings on your gerbs! So cool! Sorry that I'm off topic.

[zotteke]

he he, no thanks jj! im guessing that you're talking about my dear Jackie. she is actually jsut molting. she carries the 'ef' gene (eef) so thats why she is lighter on her erm.. how do you say that in english? flanks? ohwell, she is lighter on her side.
for some odd reason gerbils never seem to molt quite well at my place. so she still looks like this (its two months after those pictures were taken). not so very convenient in shows =\.

but ontopic;
indeed, both females will need a lot more animal protein. me myself i am not such a big fan of cat/dog kibble, be it for pups/kittens, be it for adults. i rather feed other live animals to provide in animal protein. i feed all my gerbils mealy worms, every day. some gerbils are brave enough to run after full grown crickets and eat those (or locusts.. im not sure which animal anymore )!

as soon as the pups open their eyes - which usually happens between 12 and 18 days of age - , be sure to provide small seeds because those are easier to eat for the little ones.
i mix in parrot feed standard for the little pups as i breed quite a lot a month. i also feed them erm.. something you also feed birds but i dont know how you call that in english >.>... here's a pic;

i feed them the above as soon as the eyes open. i give them as much as they want to eat. i have seen that pups who get this stuff grow bigger than pups who dont get it because -obviously- pups cant chew on the hard/big seeds in their normal mix yet when theyre that small.

[nikkiy21]

Thanks Zotteke for your post. 5 pups have been born today to my spotted black rescue!

The seeds in your pic are called millet seed.

[poszmete]

Yes, millet seed is very good for the pups. My pups love it and eat, before their eyes are opened.
My gerbils don't really like live-food, that's why I give them ferret-food. There is a type, which they really-really love. And of course, they need a lot of water.
You can also give them some CaSO4 - by us, they sell this for abrading the teeth. My closed-eyed pups also love it.