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Post by moondancer on Jul 19, 2021 13:00:33 GMT -8
Yeah she got more ginger colouring. I love the mixture of shades.
It been really warm here, but one grey is cutie and he loves to bother dad. They are more mobile now, can't believe they are two weeks old this week.
When is the right time to separate the genders? I used to do it 7wks old as I thought they were like hamster and start breeding at 9wks. But I done more research and they advise to keep together for at 8wks. I just want to separate dad before he breeds with rowena again as I don't want to overbreed them
Hopefully mum as got the Cp gene. I do love white pups. But hopefully get none saffron pups again. Saffron isn't popular where I live and had to get.
My friend want one lol
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Post by betty on Jul 19, 2021 15:26:02 GMT -8
The dad can't get the mum pregnant until she has her second litter - so you need to have him out before then and you should be fine.
Some people assume this will be from 4 weeks onwards - others wait until they see the mum gain weight - but up to you. It is possible to remove all the male pups at 5/6 weeks and put straight in with dad. They smell of mum - so although he rubs himself all over them and pesters them for about an hour (thinking he will get lucky with the ladies!) he soon gets bored and almost always just accepts them.
It is also possible to put any spare females in with dad at the same time if there could be overcrowding (say you had mostly females you weren't keeping in the first litter or you had a big second litter - but only move the females across in homeable even pairs (so either 2 only or 4/6/8) leaving the rest in with mum to help with the second litter.
You can leave them with mum longer if both litters are small or you have a giant enclosure - but mum often prefers the peace and quiet. Dad is more than able to help socialise them for the next few weeks before homing.
I can't believe Saffrons aren't popular around your way - they are one of my favo colours of all time. Nothing looks better to be than the neat colours or an unspotted black/silver/ginger combo. I used to choose my genes so I could always have these colours in the litter. I love the 'neatness' of them.
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Post by moondancer on Jul 19, 2021 15:52:45 GMT -8
She got two girl this time around and I got a potential buyer for them, just making sure they got the right living place for them and I want to inspect it via video call, before my babies leave my care.
Ketch (dad) usually sleep alone while the mum is nursing them, unless two of the pups wander off to him. The grey one always sleep with him.
When she had this litter she refused to have dad nearer them for three days, as she kept moving them around. She was a very protective mum.
The new tank is arriving next month (I was let down for the last one which made me pissed, I am going to see my pet shop where there lovely gerbilum tanks can deliver to me)
Of course I will not remove the boys until they fully weaned. Ketch (dad) is more interested in spending time out with me than anything, he learnt my hands means door opening lol.
I have had litters with mum (4 girls) helping mum, but one chewed the pups front feet off by accident as she over cleaned him. I successfully put some pups onto another mother, as she only had two and the other mum had ten.
I still learning genetics as we had black, white, agouti (golden) and Burmese.
I am thinking along the line of breeding my saffron male, but not sure the best female would be good for him. He got a white bib on his chest.
Not sure yet. My soft spot is black
Spotted was hard to get too. It took me months from my own lines to get spotted, now I have 4 spotted and two soild.
Since she only had two daughters, should I hold of removing them until the second litter pups are week old so mum as help?
I never kept large groups before, how many can keep in a tank to avoid declanning? I can only get hold of 30gallon tanks with toppers (as I can't make them). I have dealt with declanning before father and son. The son chase the dad and made him bashed around enough to break his left shoulder. He recovered and lived alone for two months before I had another gerbil (9wks), and he accepted him and they were happy.
I trained this gerbil to come when called and he lived to 7, his fell out and he passed away. It broke my heart
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Post by moondancer on Jul 25, 2021 15:23:34 GMT -8
The pups are 18days old and they know my voice and come to me, constaine is the only one have opened his eyes
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Post by betty on Jul 25, 2021 17:40:59 GMT -8
I love the few days before they open their eyes as their fur seems to be smoother. Bless them.
And not sure what you meant when you said it took months from your own line to get a spotted gerbil? Did you mean find one to buy? Spotted is dominant meaning that you can only get spotted pups from a spotted parent - so unless you gerbils had the smallest of spots or were totally white and you just didn't see it - this would be be very unusual to spontaniously appear in your lines? If it did truly appear from nowhere - we would love to know more about the lines!!!
As for the females - usually you don't take the pups away from a parent before 6 weeks anyway - so leaving them in with mum until they are that age will more than cover then helping with the new pups. Some mums do have the second litter very late - so in that case do extend to cover at least the first week with the new pups - longer if you can. If mum isn't happy with the two girls - then take them out as normal at 6 weeks anyway.
As for group size for declanning - it is a bit hit and miss really as there are so many variables. Ideally all should be in pairs - but trios of females with mum can work a lot of the time, although anything more is almo certainly going to get into trouble as they age. Males with father at the helm can be fine in groups of up to 6 from my experience, but hve found 4s better overall in terms of the size of the enclosure needed.
Well done on the 7 year old - not only the training part - but you really don't hear of anyone living to such an age - 5 really is the top for most people - so to hear the odd one living that long for sure, is great news.
If you want to get the most black pups btw - you would need to cross the Saffron with a black-eyed gerbil on the self side without ee themselves (so black/burmese/siamese/slate) or alternatively an agouti or grey agouti with a definite self parent.
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Post by moondancer on Jul 26, 2021 5:07:00 GMT -8
Yeah it was my first breeding pair, I had to wait while for spotted. She was a honey cream pied and the make was brumese.
Take more photos of them when they three weeks old..
I have to get cages temporarily until I can get more tanks in case of declanning issues, so I am prepared.
They eating the food on the food as its easier for them, they mini gerbils so adorable
Can't wait for the second litter
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Post by betty on Jul 26, 2021 13:47:31 GMT -8
Ahh, so you bought her as a spotted. Lovely. That makes more sense.
Mini gerbils are the best!
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Post by moondancer on Jul 27, 2021 10:39:05 GMT -8
Yeah this was my very very old gerbil. Shooting star I called her and she used to jump on my shoulder and was a beautiful honey cream pied.
I have new photos of the pups, they all have their eyes open expect for castiel. But amara and gadreel are deep rich ginger, so beautiful.
Can't believe they are three weeks Wednesday
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Post by moondancer on Aug 1, 2021 14:17:26 GMT -8
Here are the photos of the pups. They are 4wks Wednesday, and I am starting to tame them. The other ones didn't want photos lol Here is Constantine Here is Mick (he is identical to his mum) Here is Gadreel and most confident pup Here is Castiel the cheeky 9ne Mum is showing signs of being pregnant with the second litter. I haven't seen them drinking from the bottle yet, but they are eating the food. I was taming them to accept the hand and the gadreel nibbled a little too hard and cut the skin, but he hasn't done it since. Mum still nibbles my fingers thinking I got food, so he copied the parents.
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