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Post by wandamomma on Jun 30, 2021 11:22:05 GMT -8
Hi! I got for male gerbils from the store, but it turns out two were females.
Well one female got pregnant and in the 2nd week and started shedding lots of weight. She gave birth before the next month.
It was really bad fast. I gave more food and rotated the babies and lessening how much she feed them at once.
The feedings seemed to stress her out and rotating stressed her out.
I took all the babies out of the hutch in the third week. Two are still wanting milk, so I use goat’s milk instead.
Momma is so skinny still and it is really scary. She started gasping for air and flopping all around twice. It is scary to hold her and pet her, but it seems to be the only thing to calm her.
For the past three days ive been giving her pet store vitamins. Not meds from a vet.
She is moving around more and she searches for food now and ive seen her go up to the water dish, but she doesn’t drink anything. I’ve given her goats milk twice now to supplement her diet. She seems more awake, but still extremely skinny.
Now the other female is pregnant and I can’t put the first little in with their mom. The other female, who is pregnant, attacks them. How can I help momma to eat and how can I avoid this with the second female’s little?
And how can I tell male gerbils apart from females? I want to give the babies to the store. And I’m not sure I should give them or not. They seemed to not know they were females mixed with the males. They even gave me free meal worms for the momma.
Jackie (formally Jason) gave birth already with Gilbert
Minerva is pregnant now (formally Jackson) father unknown
Jackie is skinny and boney
Minerva has extreme nerves all the time, even before pregnancy
Gilbert is fine as can be
Pettie has a wobble at all time
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Post by betty on Jun 30, 2021 14:57:51 GMT -8
OK wandamomma - looks like things here got on top of you real quick! So, let's just check that you have at least 3 enclosures already - or are they all still together? If they are all still together, then we need to look at getting another 3 possibly 4 secure enclosures, they don't all need to be massive at this point - just separate and gerbil secure. Jackie First: Jackie sounds like she is exhausted and/or has a medical condition that means she needs to ideally have a smaller enclosure (with no wheel) in a warm undisturbed location and plenty of highly nutritious food. She will most likely already be pregnant with a second litter if Gilbert was still with her after you first saw the pups - due anyday if she is unlucky - so give her losts of shredded kitchen roll to make a nice cosy secure nest if she wants to. If you could get her in a cup or jar and weigh her that would be great. Ideally you would get her to a vet (hopefully the pet store would be happy to help chip in for her treatment seeing as they are the reason for her being poorly). She does sound extremely unwell, and please feed her plenty of wet food for her to eat whenever she wants - not just when you are around to offer it. Fruity baby food, kitten formula milk substitute, ground nut flour and scrambled egg offered in small amounts all the time and changed every few hours where possible (it all goes hard quickly so needs changing out often). Kale too if you can - plus her usual food. Minerva Next: If she is still with Gilbert and Pettie, then she needs her own tank too - and as I assume you didn't want pups anyway - then she needs to be like Jackie - a smaller enclosure with nothing in it really except a nest, yummy food and cardboard and other chewing enrichment. Gilbert and Pettie: If they are both males (put them in a clear jar and look underneath them - you really can't miss gerbils testicles - they are huge), then leave them together in the original tank. Together as friends for ever. |
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Post by betty on Jun 30, 2021 15:00:30 GMT -8
The Pups:
How many do you have and are you weighing them regularly? They usually lose weight after removing from mum at that age so you need to make sure you know they are putting it back on at a good rate with what you are feeding - or at least you will know to make changes.
What are you currently feeding them, how much and how often?
Are they looking ok?
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Post by wandamomma on Jun 30, 2021 17:26:03 GMT -8
Jackie doesn’t like to be away from them at all and Minerva acts the same.
Minerva gets really bad nerves very badly and won’t sleep alone. She ends up trying to stay up.
Jackie can’t have pups because you can’t feel it in her stomach at all. I have another hutch for the boys. They will go it for sure.
The babies seem fine. They are running and playing and jumping. They eat their leafy greens and oats fine. And today I saw them eat the feed.
I buy an organic feed that I toss in the hutches and tank. It is not in a bowl. So they can eat freely. Not just when I’m there or looking.
And she gave birth to six babies and one was dead when I found them. It was blue/purple colored at that time. Jackie was so upset I took it away. She was not okay after.
They all searched for the pup for quite awhile.
And when I first found them I freaked out and took out the girls. I guessed they were girls because how they were taking care of the pups. The boys were taking care of the Jackie and Minerva. So I just guessed and was right.
Their testicles weren’t showing at all for a long time. They didn’t show until the pups were born and it took a few days to see.
When they were mating I thought they were trying to assert dominance and stuff. I checked all their bottoms and they were all the same. Nothing different. An online said asserting dominance was fine. That was the first week getting them.
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Post by betty on Jul 1, 2021 6:59:31 GMT -8
OK - so when you say 'Jackie doesn't like to be away from them at all' - do you mean she doesn't like being on her own? It stresses her out? What signs are you seeing for this - what does she do when alone and where is she alone when you see them?
It would be ok to leave Jackie and Minerva together of course - but we can't guarantee whether any harm will come to Minervas babies if she has any. Often, but not always, females don't like to share babies - but it is possible yours are the lucky ones.
And leaving them together still means that Jackie needs extra care, less stuff and more nutrtitious food. And when I said feed regularly - I didn't mean only the main food - I meant if you were putting in the moist/special foods. They need constant refreshing through the day if they are going to be helpful in her gaining back weight and getting healthy again. Obviousy normal food isn't working right now otherwise she woudn't be so skinny - she needs something extra.
Extra nutritious food + less activity and stress = chance of weight gain.
If the males' testicles weren't showing it means they were very young when you got them, so I am assuming the females were too - plus possibly related bless them. You could suggest to your pet shop to join this forum if they are going to continue to breed themselves as we can offer all sorts of helpful advice about sexing youngsters and other breeding tips.
Anyway, glad to hear to pups are doing just fine after a terrible start in life, and hopefully you can get them sexed with our help on here and home them on to someone in single-sex groups or keep them yourself in a new set up. Fingers crossed it is 3 males and 2 females!
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Post by wandamomma on Jul 1, 2021 10:53:19 GMT -8
Jackie runs around and stands on her feet non stop until the others are in the same hutch as her. I have a giant hutch for a tortoise the four live in or used cause the boys are not in there anymore. I have a gerbil/hamster habitat for the boys and the pups are in a glass ten gallon tank. My tortoise didn’t really care for her tank and likes to be out anyways. So that worked out.
I give give them fresh bread, leafy greens, and extras unshelled sunflower seeds, cheese treats, and fruit. But I gave jack twice goats milk for something on her tummy and she started moving around after that.
What other kinds of foods could help? She liked the bread suggestion.
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Post by betty on Jul 2, 2021 15:15:20 GMT -8
If they are eating those foods that is fine - perhaps offer them some millet or canary/finch/budge seed if you can get it - they love the smaller seeds and very nutritious.
And if you were going to fatten up Jackie - perhaps a walnut or hazelnut might give her plenty of fat and goodness on top.
Raisins can help some adult gerbils gain weight - so perhaps one a day (max) for a few days and see if that helps (week max).
How is Minerva doing - when did you say her due date was? She might benefit from extra food too - so they can both fatten up together?
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Post by wandamomma on Jul 3, 2021 10:02:32 GMT -8
Okay! Thank you. Jackie is seeming better since taking vitamins and holding her. She seems better now that the others are sleeping in a pile with her.
when can the babies be adopted out/sold?
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Post by betty on Jul 3, 2021 15:05:52 GMT -8
Better with the others? I am getting confused - I thought you said she was only with Minerva - or did you put the babies back in too? I can't keep up.
Baby gerbils can be homed out (in pairs/trios) from 8 weeks ideally. I always used to give my pups time without parents before homing so they didn't get too freaked out moving all in one go.
Have you got homes lined up for them all or do you need to sex them first?
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