The Baby Update

[Jessica Pierson]

Hehe, Hi Everyone!     Just thought I'd send an update to the group about my little babes born a week and a half ago.  They're doing wonderfully!!  It turns out, thank goodness, that my gerbils are excellent parents.  They're doing all the work, and I just get to sit back and watch :)  There ended up being only 2 pups.  One is an exact replica of mama, black with white stripes on the paws and chin.  The other is a weird color, I can't tell yet.  It's brownish, but with darker brown on the back near the butt, around the eyes, and the tail.  They're both so cute!!     So now for a couple of questions.  When can you accurately sex the babies?  I've already found a good home for them.  If they're the same sex, he's taking them both.  If one's female and one's male, he'll take daddy and son and I'll keep mommy and daughter.      Also, I'm really worried about one thing.  The babies are in a nest box, that's where mommy prefers to keep them.  But now they're starting to really move around a lot, and every now and then one gets out of the box.  Now, being a good mommy, Nape always tried to put the baby back in the box.  But now that they're bigger, the baby is longer than the hole is wider! :/  And the way that Nape carries the babies, they don't fit through the hole real well, so she forces them!  (I don't know if this is making sense).  I'm really worried that Nape's going to accidentally break a leg or kill a baby by trying to force them into the box... Any one have any ideas?  I would take the box out, but I'm afraid that will disrupt things...   Thanks! Jessica (and Nape and Indy and two little ones!)