The > hardware cloth has 1/2" squares. Now I'm concerned that the pups might > fall through these holes, especially if they start crawling around in a > few days. Is it safe to place their nesting material into a shallow > cardboard box to prevent this, or might this cause the parents to > abandon the pups? If you put a box in there, they will probably move their nest into it themselves. Gerbils usually prefer a box or something similar for nests, especially when there are babies. The thing that worries me is when the little ones start crawling around, I'm not sure they will be big enough for those holes not to be a problem. And frankly, it probably isn't good for adult gerbils to be running around on wire like that. Most experts recommend a solid floor for gerbil feet. Perhaps another layer of hardware cloth with smaller holes would be sufficient. You still may want to consider moving the nest to the first floor and blocking off the second until all pups are big enough so that isn't a problem. > Second question: > > Last night, I watched the male (Acorn) chase down and mate with the > female (Hickory), so I'm guessing we can look forward to at least one > more litter. Yes, they always mate after birth and it usually "takes". Obviously, I need to separate these two before the next > litter arrives so I can prevent more pregnancy. Since we are attached > to both these animals, I don't want to get rid of one of them. The only > option I see is to build another cage, but I don't want them to get > lonely. Is it safe to pair them with a child of the same sex? > > Thanks, > Jeremy Yes your best option is to remove the male right before she is due to give birth, and one of the male pups with him. When the first litter is 6 weeks old remove all but one daughter as a companion for "mom". For the life of me I can't recall how long the gestation period usually is, I know it is extended when it is right after a birth. My Amelia had a litter about every 4 weeks but I believe they normally wait a bit longer than that. Your male pup that you keep with "dad" should be ok if you remove them at 4-4 1/2 weeks. At that age they're eating ok, and since he'll be with his father he'll still get the social development he needs. -- Tana and The Little Rascals http://thesanctuary.tripod.com http://gerbils.freehosting.net http://www.geocities.com/tinypaws68/
