> Well first :) congratulations - as to the babies being buried. That's fine > most new mom's prefer to hide their babies from our prying human eyes. *G* > Kind of like me when I had my first child. The glass tank floor should be > fine. I wouldn't do anything as you don't know how mom will react. She may > bite you if you go near the babies or she may kill the babies and reject them.
Thanks! I feel like a Grandma! They seem to be doing good so far. I've added more tissues to the tank and they have shredded them and made the nest softer. Mom comes out of the nest occasionally, and even climbed up for a few minutes of play time with me this evening. > > Depending on the age that would be fine. If the females are too old there is > a chance that the females could turn on the babies. Females are very > territorial. Of course if the females are of breeding age there's also the > chance they could be pregnant by dad. Normally over 3 months are sexually > mature. I am watching them closely. So far the older sisters are helping out, and Samantha is letting them. I am hoping that dad only mated with her, but will watch the others for signs of pregnancy as well. I hadn't really thought about that. Besides Samantha (who is the mother of all of them) the others 3 females and dad are all littermates so are the same age. > Is this a permanent move for Dad? If you try to introduce a male pup later he > may kill it. Why did you take out Dad? In most gerbil societies the male and > female share in responsibilities. Or do you not want Sam breeding with the > male? If you're planning on introducing Dad later you might want to keep a > split cage setup with Dad on one side and the females and babies on the other. > This will allow Dad to keep their scent but prevents breeding. However, in > all likelihood if the babies were born more than one day before you found them > your too late to prevent another pregnancy - Gerbils typically breed again > within a few hours of birth and yes they can get pregnant *G* My two kick out > a litter every 4-5weeks - gestation is 4 weeks. This is a permanent move for dad. We removed him so he would not mate with Samantha after the birth. When I came home from work this morning, Sam was still pregnant. When I got up this afternoon, the birth had occurred, so dad was not in the tank at the time of delivery. We really do not want to have another litter if we can avoid it. If all else fails, I guess I'm a good one for it.....I'm a (human) labor and delivery nurse! :o) Thanks again, Jean
