Hi Cindy, I have been keeping and breeding gerbils for just over a year
here's my answers from my own personal experience...
Cindy wrote:
> Lots of pup questions for you veterans...
>
> How old before I take them from mom?
Six weeks. They are fully weaned at 4-5 weeks, but mom continues to
teach and build confidence so six weeks is the earliest (I've heard by
law this is the earliest a pet store can take them)
> How old before I know if they carry colorpoint?
I don't know about that -- I've just started pairing gerbils that can
produce colorpoint.
>
> Can I mix similar ages? (in an all boy/all girl tank?)
> I have pups born on the following dates:
> 11/23
> 12/3
> 12/6
> 12/8
> 12/13
> 12/21
You should be fine with gerbils under 8 weeks, but there are
exceptions. You can "split cage" introduce them over a weeks time. I
wear gloves to break up any fighting, and do not provide any hiding
spaces during the introduction. I introduce gerbils on a day where I
can watch them all day. When they are all together sleeping in a big pup
pile, you're safe. If gerbil pups get into a gerbil ball fight, give up
on introducing them to the community.
See http://www.geocities.com/abcgerbils/boy_tank.html for one example of
introducing older pups.
>
> I can figure out that the 12/3, 12/6, 12/8 and maybe 12/13 could go
> together, but can 11/23 and 12/3 go together?
>
> My one's born on 11/23 are obviously about 5 weeks old. They look
> very big. At least I should say that they look bigger than many I got
> a a pet store...is this possible. I did not think you placed ups
> until they were about 7 weeks old...am I incorrect??
Five week old pups are usually pretty small (about 3/4 the size of
adults) and 7 weeks they are about 90% as big but skinny and immature
looking.
> My PEW and grey agouti had pups...2 grey and 4 white. For the
> records, are these all PEWs?
If the white ones have pink eyes, they are PEW. The grey ones are not
PEW, no matter what color the eyes are. If they have ruby eyes, perhaps
they are lilac.
> Assuming mom and dad are vastly genetically different, to breed for
> recessives, better to mix a parent (where the phenotype is there) and
> their offspring or 2 sibs, both carriers, but phenotypically not
> exhibiting the trait? (did that make any sense?) (or neither?)
You can use the gerbil gene predictor to plug in various combinations of
genes and see the possible pup colors.
http://www.netxp.com/rick/gerbils/genepredictor.html
> I have heard gerbils mate for life, but also read on the list of
> people introducing "better matches" etc after boy
> and girl have produced a litter or two..which is it or is it both?
I have had great success with separating and repairing gerbils that are
young (say under 4-6 months). At a young age gerbils seem very, very
adaptable to re-partnership to opposite sexed mates. I don't even do the
split cage. I just put them together. As gerbils get older -- say if
they have been in the same clan from birth and are over 6 months, I would
not (personally) risk re-clanning them. If I need to stop breeding I
leave the mom with a daughter or two and the dad with his son(s), and let
the mom/daughter raise the final litter. (Also, I've had no problems
keeping 3 and 4 girls -- mother and daughters -- together. But this
might be a temperament trait -- my gerbils are all extremely
gerbil-friendly).
> That's it this time around...thanks for all the help...
>
> Cindy
>
You're Welcome.
Donna
ABC Gerbils
http://www.geocities.com/abcgerbils/home.html
