From: "Bill Cole" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
To: "Gerbils Newsletter" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Sent: Monday, July 05, 1999 6:20 PM
Subject: Ooops -- Day 6: More Ooops ...
| We now have TWELVE babies. Sally gave birth overnight, and Gloria's six
| still flourish. Sally, the runt, had been helpfully assisting Gloria
with
| the first litter and hadn't confided that she had plans of her own.
|
| I continue to be confused and baffled. Alternately excited and
dismayed.
| This also might describe Gene, the dad who was supposed to be female.
|
| At usual feeding time Gloria AND Sally left the nest and I checked it.
Lots
| of squirming. Odd, I thought, some are light pink and some are dark
pink.
| VERY odd, I thought, some are almost twice the size of others. This led
to
| a nose count, not easy when everyone's jumbled together. I hope none
has
| more nor less than one nose, or this census is inaccurate.
|
| I watched for a while as Gloria and Sally seemed to share maternal
duties.
| Then, concerned that the newborns couldn't compete for nursing, I made
a
| suggestive hole about 3 inches from the nest and moved Gloria's pups to
it.
| Well, MY idea lasted about 20 mins., by when those babies had been
returned
| to the original nest and shuffled like playing cards to mix in again
with
| the newcomers. BOTH Gloria and Sally executed this
relocation/correction
| project. Shortly thereafter I could see thru the glass that Sally, the
new
| mother, was nursing at least two pups, one from each littler.
|
| I dunno'. I'll defer to their wishes for a communal nest. Neither of
them
| has been a mother before, but neither have I. Gerbil Newsletter
experts
| say: a) A female becomes the dominant in a breeding community; and b)
She
| will kill litters and heartily hassle other mothers. Maybe Gloria and
Sally
| are sufficiently bonded and secure to jointly nurse and rear this
commingled
| lot. Advice, please?
|
| I interviewed each adult individually about this development, using my
best
| TV-FBI no-nonsense technique. Placid Gloria was non-committal. Sally
said
| she was tired of being the runt and the aunt. Gene rushed around acting
| important -- but later withdrew to the cramped first-floor study of
their
| little house to paw at the walls. No wonder after playing
| pace-the-floor-dad twice in six days. Bet he feels even more amazed and
| puzzled than I do.
|
| My estimate of gerbil population over time is scratched. We now have 3
| adults plus 12 pups. Gloria and Sally prolly are pregnant again on a
| schedule to deliver in 5-8 weeks. In less than 2 months we could have 3
| adults and 14-32 youngsters, with these two litters only 3-5 weeks from
| mating themselves. It's extraordinary what a high compound interest
rate
| does in amassing gerbil capital.
|
| Gene MUST be moved before the females and he rearm again. My daughter
Wendy
| (you work out what her relationship is to the new babies) suggests a
little
| gerbil vasectomy. I don't see this mentioned in the Newsletter although
a
| passing sentence refers to it in the slim book I use. Is gerbil
neutering a
| reasonable option -- economically, and in interests of the animals'
| long-term health and personality? Advice, please?
|
| Colors and genetics? I have no idea. They came from the same cage at
| Jones' Pet Store. As best my color-blind eyes can make out from the
| wonderful Gerbil Color Palette pages, dad Gene is an Argente Creme.
Gloria
| is Spotted Nutmeg, and Sally is Spotted Black with extra black. If any
of
| those have red eyes, bets are off. I think mine all have black eyes,
but
| obviously haven't inspected either end of them definitively.
|
| Give us advice, please. Wish us luck. And stay tuned. (*cockeyed
smile*)
|
| -0-
|
| I've got the idea how to get the pups into good homes. I'm taking
orders
| from Family, minimum one pair. Those who don't place orders will have
their
| names put into a hat for a drawing. Winner of the drawing gets ALL the
| leftovers, FedEx, unannounced. (But shipping prepaid -- I'm not all
bad.)
| (*grin*)
|
| -0-
|
| About "Mongol" or "Mongolian Desert Mouse" as a better name than
"gerbil"
| for the common Mongolian pet: Julian Barker and I exchanged thoughts in
the
| Newsletter a couple days ago about the need, and I promised to post a
new
| topic on the subject. Sounding the tocsin, as it were.
|
| Well, I've noticed some replies already are opposed -- even though I
| haven't presented any favoring arguments. (Which center around Wendy's
| uncontrollable giggling when I say "gerbil".) It's as if there is
mistaking
| a tocsin (an alarm) with a toxin (a poison). (*smile* with a
look
| of purpose in my eyes)
|
| I'd better think this out better and post later when my grandparental
duties
| aren't so pressing. (Actually I'm prolly GREAT-grandfather. These
gerbils
| are pets of Cocoa the peasant Siamese. She couldn't seem to care less.
And
| she has no Family we know about on which to offload.)
|
