My gerbil attacked her pups

[TJ's Rodent Ranch]

Hello, wondering if anyone can help. 
I have a mother gerbil, Ziggy, and the father is Onion.

They have three babies, who are just leaving the nest, though their eyes aren't open yet. They were born on the 31st of March, and are two weeks and a day old now.

Usually when they leave the nest and start wandering around, Ziggy coaxes them back into the nest, or sometimes if they get really adventuress she'll lightly nip them in the right direction.

I handle the little guys every now and then, as I have learned that it's wise to do so just before their eyes open, but I don't see how it could play much of a part, as I have handled them before and she's been perfectly fine with it, as well as the father.

But this time, she completely went berserk, nearly chewed my finger off, and then attacked the babies.

Later, I put my hand back in the cage, and having smelled the blood on my finger, she cleaned it and seemed to have no problem with me, even though I was still handling the babies.

The way she attacked the babies was most disturbing to me, however. She pinned them down, and bit them very hard, and then lifted them up and started swinging them around.

This did not seem to have anything to do with the fact that they were running around outside of the nest, as the one that she attacked most aggressively was inside the nest when she attacked him.

He has a sizable wound where she bit him right where the back of his neck meets his body.

She is expecting another litter, though she's only two weeks in, but the thought has crossed my mind that perhaps she was showing this behavior because she's starting to prepare for the new babies and doesn't want the older ones in the cage with her, but I put her back in the cage with them, and have been watching her like a hawk, but she seems to have absolutely no problem with them now. She's in the nest with them, and nursing them, which I take as a good sign.

The injured baby seems to be okay, though I'm keeping a close eye on him and am pretty sure he'll heal up just fine.



This whole situation has really confused, and concerned me. I've heard stories of babies losing legs or dying because of this behavior with the mother, and rest assured I will take immediate action if she shows any more sign of aggression to the babies, and remove her, though with her current behavior signs I couldn't imagine she had ever shown aggression to anyone.



Any information would be of great help, I'm desperate to know what's going on at this point.



Thanks so much,

[betty]

Hello - and what a terrible experience for you. And I can confirm that it is very unusual for a female to harm her offspring after previously being an attentive mother - but of course there is always a reason (and hopefully this is a short term one).

My first suggestion would be that something specific to that time triggered this behaviour - whether that was internal to her (high hormones/hormone imblance/other heath change) or external (high frequencies/chemicals in the air) - however SOMETHING changed her patient self to a short tempered self - I suppose like when you have a headache maybe or sore eyes and are trying to do something important and someone keeps talking to you/someone hammering/phone ringing etc. just tip you over for that second. Hopefully it was just that for her - a passing pressure moment.

There are mothers who aren't in the right place for a litter - and as you say can injure or kills pups - but often this is seen while they are still pinkies. It is most unusual for a furred pup to be a attacked.

Pups do heal well though - so as long as the mum doesn't see the scab as an 'issue' now on that bitten pup - she will hopefully return to her usual self and this will heal well. However if she fusses with it it may take longer to heal and she may begin to 'bother' that pup with her over grooming. Certainly something to watch out for.