>I really am at a loss as to what to do with my new baby gerbils..one is out
>of the nest and the mom wont put it back in and the other is in the
>nest..but she is pretty much ignoring them and just romping and having sex
>again..big surprise..not! But I am worried. I dont want to touch the
>babies, for fear she may kill them, but what can I do???? HELP t
First of all, calm down.
If it's just hours (twelve or less) since she's had them, don't stress
a lot yet.
Get an old teaspoon or tablespoon. Clean but something you don't
mind using for this.
Your hands should be clean too.
Take some bedding from the cage, rub your hands with it and
discard it. You're changing your smell to the smell of the cage.
Now take another handful, and rub the teaspoon bowl with it to
change the smell on that. Discard the bedding.
Very gently, use the teaspoon to nudge/roll the baby back
into the nest.
The mother is mostly being annoyed greatly by the male who
is breeding her and that would cause her to not pay much
attention to the litter, especially if this is her first. Later times
she will use more teeth to get it across to the male to leave
her alone more.
The two parents should settle down soon and quit tromping
through the nest and she'll take care of the babies.
If the room is fairly warm and you can nudge the one baby
back in, it will have the others to help keep it warm for now.
If she doesn't take to nursing them by morning and/or you
can find no signs they were cared for...and the male is still
bothering her a great deal....
Then take him out and plan to reintroduce him later via
split cage. If he is taken out and she doesn't settle down
in an hour (she keeps looking for him instead of settling
in to care for her babies) then things are not looking good.
If he's really bothering her and keeping her from caring
for them, if he's removed she should go to the nest and
start caring for them.
Signs they are being cared for is 'white milk bellies'
(especially in a newborn pink pup, you can see a light
colored patch if their stomach is full of milk)....and if
they look shriveled up and are cold; she's not feeding
them and they are dehydrated and dying.
I am guessing that by morning she'll be caring for them
and the male will be sleeping elsewhere.
Good luck.
Deb
Rebel's Rodent Ranch
