Post by vmpalauf on Feb 2, 2023 4:49:54 GMT -8
Hi! (First time posting, don't know if I'm doing this right).
My boyfriend and I got 3 female gerbils a couple days ago and I believe at least one of them might be pregnant.
They were living with a non-neutered male until the day we took them. We were told he was the father of 2 of the female gerbils and the 3rd one was their mother; so we got the mother and her 2 daughters (already adults).
When we got them, the pet store staff warned us she might be pregnant. The lady who was in charge of the gerbils explained us how to distinguish males and females and told us she had gerbils of her own. Also, she asked for our enclosure measures to make sure it was big enough for three gerbils. Which leads me to believe she cares about the gerbils and has some good information.
They've been home a couple days and one of them looks bigger than the rest and is pear-shaped. Which reinforces my belief that she is pregnant.
I wonder if there's any signs I should be looking for and, were she really pregnant, should the two other females stay in the same cage? I've read females are territorial and they may attack other females pups, however, the two other females are her daughters.
I'll give some more information.
Enclosure size
· 105cmx70cm = 7350cm2.
· Height = 45cm.
· Volume = 330750cm3 or 330,75l.
(In inches)
· 41.35inx27.56in = 1139,61 sq in.
· Height = 17,72in.
· Volume = 87,44 US gallons.
(Used online converters, as I live in Spain and measure everything in cm).
Based on the information I have, this should be large enough for 3 gerbils.
Gerbils behaviour
When we took them home and put them in their enclosure they wen absolutely crazy. In the pet store they lived in a tiny gerbilarium and had had less than 2 in of bedding, so they weren't able to burrow. They were really inquisitive and not afraid of all (we didn't try to touch them, we just stared at them for a whole hour, and they completely ignored our presence).
There hasn't been any sign of fighting.
They've been home a couple days and are building a really huge nest mainly made out of toilet paper. They have slept all curled up in the nest for the past couple nights.
They also have a large burrowing area with deep bedding and have built a main large tunnel, thought that's not where they spend most of their time.
Since they've started building their nest, they've spent most of their time in it or contributing to the construction. They've taken seed directly from my hand but don't want us to get too close to their nest, which seems fair and completely normal.
Mom behaviour
Not sure if the's the mom, but I think she us because she looks bigger and is the one who seems to be pregnant. Her name is Neytiri (from the Avatar film).
She seems to be the leader as she is always the first one to come out if she hears a noise. Also, she is the only one I haven't seen on the wheel.
(I'll try to post pictures).
Neytiri
I don't have any picture of the 3 of them together, but here goes a picture of Astrid and Megara
I definitely notice a difference in their size, however, but it might be unrelated to any possible pregnancy.
My boyfriend and I got 3 female gerbils a couple days ago and I believe at least one of them might be pregnant.
They were living with a non-neutered male until the day we took them. We were told he was the father of 2 of the female gerbils and the 3rd one was their mother; so we got the mother and her 2 daughters (already adults).
When we got them, the pet store staff warned us she might be pregnant. The lady who was in charge of the gerbils explained us how to distinguish males and females and told us she had gerbils of her own. Also, she asked for our enclosure measures to make sure it was big enough for three gerbils. Which leads me to believe she cares about the gerbils and has some good information.
They've been home a couple days and one of them looks bigger than the rest and is pear-shaped. Which reinforces my belief that she is pregnant.
I wonder if there's any signs I should be looking for and, were she really pregnant, should the two other females stay in the same cage? I've read females are territorial and they may attack other females pups, however, the two other females are her daughters.
I'll give some more information.
Enclosure size
· 105cmx70cm = 7350cm2.
· Height = 45cm.
· Volume = 330750cm3 or 330,75l.
(In inches)
· 41.35inx27.56in = 1139,61 sq in.
· Height = 17,72in.
· Volume = 87,44 US gallons.
(Used online converters, as I live in Spain and measure everything in cm).
Based on the information I have, this should be large enough for 3 gerbils.
Gerbils behaviour
When we took them home and put them in their enclosure they wen absolutely crazy. In the pet store they lived in a tiny gerbilarium and had had less than 2 in of bedding, so they weren't able to burrow. They were really inquisitive and not afraid of all (we didn't try to touch them, we just stared at them for a whole hour, and they completely ignored our presence).
There hasn't been any sign of fighting.
They've been home a couple days and are building a really huge nest mainly made out of toilet paper. They have slept all curled up in the nest for the past couple nights.
They also have a large burrowing area with deep bedding and have built a main large tunnel, thought that's not where they spend most of their time.
Since they've started building their nest, they've spent most of their time in it or contributing to the construction. They've taken seed directly from my hand but don't want us to get too close to their nest, which seems fair and completely normal.
Mom behaviour
Not sure if the's the mom, but I think she us because she looks bigger and is the one who seems to be pregnant. Her name is Neytiri (from the Avatar film).
She seems to be the leader as she is always the first one to come out if she hears a noise. Also, she is the only one I haven't seen on the wheel.
(I'll try to post pictures).
Neytiri
I don't have any picture of the 3 of them together, but here goes a picture of Astrid and Megara
I definitely notice a difference in their size, however, but it might be unrelated to any possible pregnancy.
[edit] Though it's annoying that it shows me as the thread author in the thread list now! I don't think there's any way I can change that.
), late 70s