Shushan has had her pups this morning. I am worried about them though.
There are 9, but they are very tiny. Maybe only two thirds the size of
Hanna's pups. (She had a litter of four, on was a still born.) At this
time the pup all seem alive and moving, but can a litter this big of tiny,
tiny pups survive?
I have given the mom an extra serving of sunflower seeds, and spinage. Is
there any thing else that I can do to help the mom? I do not want to touch
the pups, so supplemental feedings is out until the pups are older. Unless
something goes wrong... Pray that it doesn't!
Thank you,
Janet and Liz
Hi Janet,
Congrats on the litter! I understand you lost two pups today. I'm sorry to
hear that.
I've recently had a litter of ten pups,, all
surviving. The only thing I did was took two pups and put them with a litter
of 6 that were born on the same day,, that way both mothers would have 8
pups to take care of. So far so good, all pups doing well.
As for food for the mother, I always give her extra food. The food I feed is
several things mixed together. I started with some fancy 20 lb. bag of
gerbil seed/veggie/dried fruit mix, I added about 3 pounds of oat meal, one
pound of raisins, 5-8 pounds of dog food and cat food, and about 10 pounds
of a less fancier gerbil seed mix. I have all this food mixed together in a
large plastic tub with a cover.
I think on average, I go through about 1 pound of feed a day for the
gerbils, hamsters (syrians and dwarfs), and spiny mice. Of course the degu's
and guinea pigs get guinea pig food. That's about a half a pound a day.
About once a week the gerbils, hamsters, and spiny mice get treats which
include small dog biscuits (various flavors), lab blocks, millet spray,
alfalfa blocks, and nutra-puffs. Not all the critters like all these treats,
they all seem to have their own personal preferences.
I guess all I can say about your 7 pups, is relax, the parents should do a
good job at taking care of them.
Ann-Marie L. Roberts
T&T Gerbils
Escanaba, Michigan
Member of the American Gerbil Society
Pup Count Project creator and maintainer
Pup Count Home page:
http://www.geocities.com/Petsburgh/Reserve/1928/pupctlist.html
Please visit my website at:
http://www.geocities.com/Petsburgh/Reserve/1928/
