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Post by michaeljack on Mar 8, 2021 17:39:13 GMT -8
Btw, don't you have a water bottle in the cage just in case they do want water? No. None of my gerbils (or mice) knows what "water" is.
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Post by Markpd on Mar 9, 2021 12:09:34 GMT -8
Hmm, ok, well I guess they get enough water from their food (you've had gerbils for a while, successfully I assume ), but I don't see why you don't have one in their cages as a fall back measure, just in case they want more hydration than normal from time to time.
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Post by michaeljack on Mar 11, 2021 9:28:04 GMT -8
... if it survives, it will likely remain small and sickly for however long it does live. However, it will most likely die at weaning (if not before), as they often have trouble transitioning onto solid foods (and off of the antibodies present in mom's milk). As his siblings grow larger and ready for weaning, I decided to try offering him a recipe that I used for hand feeding (100s) of baby doves. It's a simple mix of 50gm of finely prepared (not powdered) 7-grain cereal mixed in one scrabbled egg and microwaved 45 seconds. I know that eggs, per se, are not recommended as a regular food, but I choose it simply to glue the cereal. It's malleable for the baby's chewing grains without an abundance of protein. The difficult task was getting the runt by himself to eat. His parents and siblings were all too eager to devour the treat. Here's a photo of him eating a tiny portion. To my surprise, he nabbed the food immediately and broke off a tiny serving. To maintain a good nutritious balance, I plan to leave him longer with Mom when the siblings are relocated. He has already proven to be an eager muncher of leafy vegetables. imgur.com/M1nhfaoimgur.com/Hed36gHMy wife has adopted the tiny critter, so we'll enjoy having him as long as he survives.
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Post by betty on Mar 11, 2021 10:06:36 GMT -8
My young pups totally love egg-based things - whether that is scrambled egg, egg biscuits or (bird) egg pate.
I have a poorly pup right now - who has been crammed full of everything egg!!!!
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Post by tanzanyte on Mar 12, 2021 4:37:42 GMT -8
Egg is great, hopefully it will keep him strong and around for a lot longer. He's now one of the elite gerbils!
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Post by michaeljack on Mar 13, 2021 21:45:51 GMT -8
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Post by yeti218 on Mar 14, 2021 0:12:56 GMT -8
Oh my goodness hes so tiny!
That moment on the end of the video where his parent pushes him away is so funny!
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Post by betty on Mar 14, 2021 7:56:11 GMT -8
Do you often leave older pups in with their parents, michaeljack? Like small communities? Or just because this little one is still so small?
I have heard of people with small colonies - but they were in massive set ups to appear more 'natural'. I have never tried it because I was worried about dominance things in my ordinary-sized enclosures.
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Post by michaeljack on Mar 14, 2021 8:37:59 GMT -8
Do you often leave older pups in with their parents, michaeljack? Like small communities? Or just because this little one is still so small? ----->No, I don't leave older pups in with their parents. All nearly-same-aged litters are communed regardless of numbers as I demonstrated in a different thread.
----->The Runt is staying with Mom and Dad for the benefit of mother's milk nourishment and company. I haven't foreseen a weaning day for him. His is too unique to know what happens next. I have three litters to wean in about 2-3 weeks, and will probably "pair" him with one or two pups I'd normally not keep for the sake of good company.I have heard of people with small colonies - but they were in massive set ups to appear more 'natural'. I have never tried it because I was worried about dominance things in my ordinary-sized enclosures.
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Post by betty on Mar 14, 2021 14:53:13 GMT -8
Shame - I would love to know more about colony keeping if anyone had tried it. Only ever heard exact details from one person who tried it - with great success apparently. Never mind.
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Post by Markpd on Mar 15, 2021 11:21:21 GMT -8
Oh my goodness hes so tiny! That moment on the end of the video where his parent pushes him away is so funny! Yea, made me laugh out loud , 'mummy/daddy play with me, play with me' , parent 'get lost!' Bless him!
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Post by michaeljack on Mar 15, 2021 17:25:36 GMT -8
Oh my goodness hes so tiny! That moment on the end of the video where his parent pushes him away is so funny! Yea, made me laugh out loud , 'mummy/daddy play with me, play with me' , parent 'get lost!' Bless him!
yeti218MarkpdThat was his mother. She'll be a year old in July. Interesting info about her: she's the only adult gerbil I've ever had that bites. If I leave my hand in the cage more than a few seconds, she'll attack my hand with a bloody bite. If I pick her up to pet her (as I have done since she was a few weeks old), she'll respond with a nasty bite. She only started doing it after I paired her with the nutmeg and they produced these babies. I've only picked her up twice when I noted her negative behavior. Before, she was paired with another and had never shown a need for anger management. It didn't surprise me when she slapped her little black runt.
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Post by Markpd on Mar 16, 2021 12:02:07 GMT -8
Ooo, she has a bit of a temper then! Or she likes the taste of your blood!
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Post by yeti218 on Mar 16, 2021 13:26:45 GMT -8
I’ve known lots of other adult animals to put their young in their place when they’re acting annoying. Helps them learn appropriate social skills.
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Post by michaeljack on Mar 18, 2021 10:10:19 GMT -8
Meanwhile, Skruffles, momma gerbil, presented three new siblings to Runt. imgur.com/PsfEw4A
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