# someone please help me!



## Goth-Gurl (Nov 15, 2009)

I need urgent help!!

i was told that my fat tailed gerbils were both boys... but they were fighting a lot today. and i looked in the tanks to see if they were fighting badly .. and i noticed babies!! they are newborn.. the one i discovered was the female had blood around her parts so i know she'd just given birth. i removed the male, he wasn't trying to go near the babies but she was randomly attacking him.

im abit worried now because im clueless as what i have to do. i have just put more bedding in and left her alone.. but she is not nursing them. she is just putting bedding into the nest. im scared that she will reject them or something.

has anyone got any advice?


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## Guest (Mar 29, 2010)

You've done the best you can by removing the male, hopefully once she settles she will start to care for the babies.
I really hope someone with experience can put your mind at rest


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## Leah84 (Jun 22, 2009)

i used to breed gerbils, it started as an accident being in the same scenario as you but i always kept all the babies and the first time i never knew either and the male was left in, the only way i discovered was that the female was 'tap dancing' on the babies and he was chasing her off till she stopped hurting them. never once had a problem with him but he was a massive softie and if they`re fighting then it`s best you got him out.

it`s been a long time since i bred but hopefully this site will help you gerbil - gerbil breeding

if you`re unsure how to tell the sex then try to find someone able too, not sure i`d trust a pet shop but maybe find a breeder nearby who`s willing to help. the only thing you can do right now is let mom do her job and try not to touch them for a bit, probably after a week you should be ok to handle them.


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## Berrywoods (Mar 25, 2010)

although my experence with gerbils is still in its early stages i like to think much of what i already know is quite generic for all small animals. 

Good going removing the male, although i have heard mum and dad can look after the babies fine together its better to be safe than sorry, plus possibility of post parturition oestrus (Re-mating)

has she started to nurse them? sometimes she wont nurse till shes finished, if she doesnt start to nurse within the next few hours the chances of their survival is slim, its unlikey that she wont though,

keep mum happy and relaxed, provide unlimited food for her but dont disturd her/ clean her out, give her 2 weeks for the babies to grow undisturbed and when the babies begin to venture by them selves try to handle this a little, get them used to human contact. good luck, its an exciting experence, one of my gerbil girls has now mated successfully and im waiting for her to drop anyday now  cant wait


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## Goth-Gurl (Nov 15, 2009)

Hey everyone thanks for the help! 

They were born at around 11:50pm on sunday... soo they are 2 days old today. 
I managed to have a look at them while mommy gerbil was eating at the other side of the tank.  i'm sad because there were 3 born.. and only two in the nest.  maybe it was ill and died :'(
... she is looking after these two just fine. I don't know if she's nursing them but they are looking fine so I think so... she spends most of her time in the nest.

There is very little information about fat-tailed gerbils on the internet :S
I might make a website about them one day.:thumbup:


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## Goth-Gurl (Nov 15, 2009)

Berrywoods said:


> good luck, its an exciting experence, one of my gerbil girls has now mated successfully and im waiting for her to drop anyday now  cant wait


Wow  that's great. Good luck 

Hahaha I was trying to work it out yesterday.. and my fat tailed gerbil mom would have been pregnant when I got her. I bought them on Saturday 3rd March and they were 4 and a half month old... so I got them cheaper than they would usually be. And it takes 19 days for the babies to be born. lol


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## Baby British (Jan 24, 2010)

Well done for removing the male. I only have one fat tailed gerbil but have researched the breed online.

Duprasi's are often more aggressive to one another than other gerbils especially pregnant or nursing females. Chances are that had you not removed the male when you did then she would have killed him 

I think the general advice with baby Duprasi is to leave well alone. If you mess with the babies then it might stress the mum out (as will messing with the tank). If the mum does get stressed she may attack and eat her off spring. I think the babies are weaned between 4 -5 weeks so at this time you need to remove them from the mum and split them into male and female groups (I think they reach sexual maturity at around 8 weeks)


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## colliemerles (Nov 2, 2007)

good luck with the two babies, hope they are ok,xx


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## Goth-Gurl (Nov 15, 2009)

Thanks again for everyone's support 

I hope my pumba is okay ( the male gerbil )
I feel sooo sorry for him. He wasn't even near the babies and he was resting and she was trying to murder him :O 
When I took him out, he was sat in the pet carrier all depressed. I don't know what to do. If there is a male baby, I may put them together because fat tailed gerbils live well in same-sex groups.. there are two females at college living happily together :L


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## catz4m8z (Aug 27, 2008)

Wow, I didnt know they could live together. There is a breeder near me who says that Duprasi's should be kept alone as they usually fight??


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## Baby British (Jan 24, 2010)

catz4m8z said:


> Wow, I didnt know they could live together. There is a breeder near me who says that Duprasi's should be kept alone as they usually fight??


I think same sex pairs can be ok if they are introduced at a really young age so preferably littermates.

Females are particularly aggressive towards males when pregnant and nursing to the point that they are liable to kill the male (know the feeling ladies lol?)

I have a solitary female Duprasi that I acquired recently. She is 8 months old and had lived as a singleton previously. She is quite aggressive towards people and has drawn blood with her bite. I dread to think of the damage she could inflict on a fellow gerbil


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## Goth-Gurl (Nov 15, 2009)

I study animal management at Myerscough College.. and in the Animal Academy's Rodent room.. we have two female fat-tailed gerbils living happily together. I heard that same-sex pairs can live happily together, like with Mongolian gerbils. The only difference with the fat-tailed gerbils is that the female is extremely aggressive when pregnant and with litter.


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## Goth-Gurl (Nov 15, 2009)

Well... I wanted to show you all my fat tailed gerbies 

There were called Timon and Pumba ( like from the lion king ) .. but now timon is a girl :S hahaha I need to rename her.. a girl from the lion king.

Here are some piccies of my gerbs:

Pumba - 









haha he is such a chubby thing.. i thought he would be the mom lol









Mommy Gerbil- on the day after I got her.. They were almost 5 months when I got them.. ( photo taken 4th march )









... I have managed to get a photo of the babies ... which are still pink blobs at this stage. I will upload it soon


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## jellybean01 (Feb 19, 2010)

I don't know anything about gerbils, I've never owned them but I just wanted to wish you lots of luck with the babies. I hope they're all ok and also that poor Pumba is alright after his ordeal, poor wee thing. They both look very cute in your pics & I am looking forward to seeing some pics of the babies - mostly cause I'm really nosey & I've never seen a baby gerbil before (yes, I know, I've led a sheltered life)


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## Goth-Gurl (Nov 15, 2009)

thanks. I'll upload more piccies as soon as I can. lol that's okay... im really nosey too  I can't get any clear piccies of the babies yet, I don't want to scare their mom  they are a week old at 11:50pm today!!! i peeped into the nest today and they are still pink blobs  but bigger ( about the size of a jelly baby ) and they have a very short brown coat 

XD


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