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Post by suewho on Aug 15, 2022 5:58:13 GMT -8
Last November I bought 2 Gerbils from Petsmart. I was told that they were both males. 6 months later Boris has 6 babies. Before I knew any better, Boris had 6 more babies. I was able to have a vet look at pictures and they tried to help me so I could separate males from females. So I have 5 20 gallon tanks and had a total of 23 gerbils! Well, the other day Boris had 6 more babies and in the other tank that was supposed to be all males I found 4 babies (1 was dead). I want to give them the best life. They all have water bottles, wheels, hideaways, fluffy bedding. They are costing me a fortune, but they are cute and I love them. I know that although they are all related, once separated they lose each others scent. Here is my problem. I have no room for another tank. The infants I have no choice but to give them up for adoption, but the mother that I thought was a male needs to be put in another tank. Can I put her and her babies back in the tank with her mother? I'm sure she is probably pregnant again by now, but I have to separate her. Will the new mom and her babies be attacked by her mother (Boris) and other female siblings that live with Boris? So then Boris has her 6 infants and the other mom has her 3 infants. Plus there would be 4 other females in the tank. Once the infants grow they can be given good homes. I am so beside myself! I don't know what to do! Thank you for any help you can give me!
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Post by LilyandDaisy on Aug 15, 2022 7:20:27 GMT -8
Hello,
You've really got more than you bargained for here, through no fault of your own! I know it's been a few months since your original purchase, but you could ask Petsmart if they could help you out with some new tanks and supplies? It's the least they can do since they got you into this mess.
So if I have this right, you have:
- The original 2 gerbils - Boris and her mate (I'm assuming they're still together since Boris has had another litter)
- 12 gerbils from Boris' first two litters
- 3 more living babies from one of the original babies who was mis-sexed
- And now another 6 babies from Boris
What group sizes are these gerbils living in?
You shouldn't put the new mother back in with Boris. They won't remember each other after this time, and also with them both having litters they will be protective and there's a very high risk of the pups being killed.
Obviously to stop the breeding cycle all the gerbils need to be correctly sexed and separated into single sex clans. You can post photos here to help with sexing. Male gerbils can live in pairs or small groups, either brothers or a dad with son(s). You can also introduce two who weren't previously living together using the split cage method. Females ideally live in pairs, either sisters or a mother and daughter or two introduced using the split cage method. If you need to you can have 3+ sisters living together or a mother and multiple daughters but long term they may argue.
You mentioned using fluffy bedding. If that means the cotton wool like stuff, I'd remove that because it's quite dangerous for gerbils, especially babies. It can cause intestinal blockages if they swallow it or wrap round limbs. I recommend using kitchen roll torn into shreds instead, or hay (or both).
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Post by suewho on Aug 16, 2022 5:00:57 GMT -8
thank you so much for your help. The fluffy bedding is the Kaytee bedding so it is supposed to be safe for them. After a bit of back and forth PetCo did wind up giving me 4 20 gallon tanks with lids. I currently have 5 tanks set up and Boris and mate have been separated after she had the 2nd litter (although it was too late and she was already pregnant for the 3rd time). I have Niki (the father) in with 2 of his sons from the 1st litter. The 2 females from the 1st litter are in their own 10 gallon tank. A specialty vet was helping me sex them by sending them pictures, so I have 5 males in a 20 gallon tank from the 2nd litter and 5 males in a 20 gallon tank from the 3rd litter (or so I thought) and left Boris in her original tank with all of her daughters. The vet wasn't sure about 2 of them at first and thought they were female but when I sent other pics they knew they were males but I guess it was too late because Boris was pregnant with her 4th litter by the time I took the boys out, and one of the "males" is a female. So I need to get her out of the tank with the other 4 males but I have no room for another tank. I tried to do the best I can but I can't keep these new babies. I just don't have the room. PetCo wont take them. When they are old enough I will try to have them adopted but I have to get the female that's still with the males out of that tank. I have to break this cycle. My family is going nuts.Right now including the babies I have 33 gerbils! Do you think a school will take them? Will they care for them correctly? I can't give them away unless I know that they are going to go to a good home, but I just can't be the "crazy gerbil lady" anymore! LOL! Maybe I can do a split cage with the new mom and Boris? I don't want them to hurt the babies. What if I transfer the 2 older females into a 20 gallon tank from a 10 gallon tank and put the new mom in there with the babies? Would that work? After all they are sisters only a generation apart!Thank you for all of your help!
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Post by LilyandDaisy on Aug 17, 2022 2:38:17 GMT -8
So it sounds like the first priority is to get the new mother an enclosure of her own. Assuming she is still in with the 4 males, I'm unsure about the safety of that as multiple males to one breeding female is not an arrangement people tend to do intentionally. If they are all living peacefully still it might be ok for now, but keep a close eye on them. Do you have any large plastic tubs that could house a gerbil for a few weeks? Even a small hamster cage would work. You can't merge any pairs/groups unfortunately. The split cage method is only for introducing one gerbil to one other gerbil and it takes a few weeks so it's not a short term fix in this situation.
A split cage probably wouldn't work between Boris and the new mother because of them both having pups, and would definitely not be a good idea while they are still raising pups.
Do you have any small animal rescues or shelters near you? They would be able to help you with housing and caring for the gerbils and finding them good homes. They can also help you correctly sex all the gerbils.
A school might want some gerbils but make sure they will be well cared for, with the proper housing, someone to look after them at weekends and out of term time, and they won't be mistreated.
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