Breeding plan, is this okay?

[sunnymoon]

Hi everyone
So I currently have a lone female gerbil called moon in a 200l tank. She is around a year and a half old (I’m not entirely sure her exact age but that’s more or less it) and I have taken a recent interest in breeding. I have done plenty of research and will continue to as I want the best for moon and if she did have babies.
My plan is to buy a male gerbil (I know some good places that breed their own gerbils rather than buying from a chain pet shop) I would wait a few weeks for him to settle and then get a 15 gallon to do a split cage with. Is 15 gallon okay for a split? Then if everything goes well I would move them into the 200l to breed and have the pups there so there would be plenty of space for them all.
Now I have another question whether it is essential to keep the male with the first litter which then will lead to another litter straight after of course. I have no problem with having 2 litters but would prefer to have one but all I want is the best for moon so I wouldnt want to stress her out by removing the male and leaving it all to her.
I was thinking to keep a female or two with moon as she is currently living alone and then put 1 or 2 with the male but introduce them later on. I would probably keep some of them as my brother could take a pair and I could rehome the rest.
I was thinking of getting around 4 (or more if needed) 15 or 20 gallon tanks and I already do have a storage bin cage which is big to keep the males in and then the rest of the pups could go in the tanks. I was wondering if anyone has any advice on anything or if I’m completely dumb for doing this as I’ve seen on other threads it’s not recommended 🙈 any advice or feedback on anything at all would be appreciated. Thanks
(P.S I’ve owned gerbils for a good few years and have had plenty of them so I’m not new to the breed)

[betty]

Hi there - and you have come to the right place for your advice as we have members using facts and experience here - not just repeated opinions. And great to hear about all your research.

Breeding your gerbils is an amazing experience - and if your female is currently young, healthy and human-friendly then you are at least starting from a great place if you do go ahead with breeding from her. As you have read, it is common for a gerbil breeder to keep the male and female together for the two back-to-back litters because not only does the male help out raising the first litter (giving the mum plenty of rest), it also helps with the bonding of the male pups to the dad when you start to take out the first litter males (and excess paired females). Additionally for numbers - two litters will give you a bigger range of pups (and colours): single litters can be between 3-6 pups - and I have had a litter of 4 before that were all males - so none left to stay with mum.

It is a bit of a balancing act figuring out what to do with pups until you actually have some numbers on hand, but all male pups can go with and potentially stay with dad (if you have a large enough enclosure) but I personally look to keep females in pairs only - which is another good reason to double litters - you can mix and match the genders to create more settled clans. If you do have an even number of female pups, we can deal with that at the time...


As for 'should you' - check out your local animal shelters. If there are many gerbils looking for homes within a 100 km radius, then you can add that fact onto your do or don't list; along with set up costs, possible vet bills and extra new homes if you end up with excess pups (although it is unlikely, you could get up to 16 pups from 2 litters and no start-up breeders should plan to use an animal rescue to take their own excess animals so they are pets for life if you breed them yourself which needs to be budgeted for). Also research ahead on hand-rearing plans and have things to hand for that, as this can and does happen - and have client accounts already set up for Moon at at least 2 vet practices: 1 your closest regular vet for emergencies and routines; and a 2nd vet practice which is your go-to exotic specialist vet (where possible have a practice that at least doesn't ask 'what is a gerbil?') for all gerbil-specific things. Waiting until you have an emergency to set up an account will go against you for sure, and some vets still have closed client books, so you might need to get on a list or two.

It all sounds rather negative - but that is because it is the negatives that are the best indicators or whether breeding is for you or not - or in the best interests of your pets. Breeders who have it all go to plan with no anxious nights or lost pups should always be hugely thankful.

[sunnymoon]

Hi, thank you for all the advice. I will ensure to register her with my local vet and an exotic before hand as that’s where I’ve previously taken gerbils. I have looked around to see if there is any gerbils near me but there isn’t many apart from pet shops and I wouldn’t give any to rescues as I wouldn’t want to take up any more space as most have very limited capacity.
How quickly do you remove the male after the first litter as preferably wouldn’t want a third litter straight after? I will just keep the male in for another litter and as you said more gorgeous coloured coats although I’m much more interested in the well-being of the pupBs. My current tank that moon is in is 100 length x 40 depth x 50cm high and I have a bin enclosure which is slightly smaller but still large enough to house a few. Any more advice on anything or some tips
Thanks

[betty]

Good to hear there aren't any gerbils in rescue. It happens of course, but still sad to see.

As for males - ideally you would be looking to take the male out anything up to 4 weeks to avoid a third litter, and having him out a bit earlier if you are worried - although most females delay the second litter while nursing, so 4 weeks is usually safe (only 3 weeks in 100% safe of course).

If the first litter has any male pups - they can all come out at 4-5 weeks as well. They will be weaned by then and can be put straight in with the dad to continue their gerbil learning, even if he was moved out a week or so earlier. He will be all over them (as they smell of mum) but will soon settle once he realises she isn't there (or you give him loads of treats...).

If it is a large litter or there are more than 3 female pups - you can take out a pair of sisters with the boys too and pop then in with dad as well for a week or three. They aren't fertile until around 8 weeks anyway so no worries about that for now.

Ideally you would then take out this pair of sisters from the family group a week before they were going to be homed if they are leaving your care - this way you can watch them 'alone' for a while and they can bond a bit better to each other (rather than being suddenly plucked from their family and their home all on the same day). Still remove them by 7/8 weeks if you are keeping them as a pair yourself - but you won't be putting these back in with mum - she already has some daughters still with her - and the new pups - so they are one their own now. You can leave as many females as you want with mum of course - but be aware that if mum feels overcrowded she will take it out on the older daughters - so do watch out if you leave more than 1 female in with her past 4 weeks.

If you want to throw color into the mix or at least have some of them look different - then make sure that one parent is spotted in some way - that way even if all the pups are agouti - they can be told apart by their spots (or not). Without know the family genetics of both parents you can usually only guarantee 1 or 2 colours for sure in most cases.