Breeding

Breeding gerbils may sound like an easy and fun experience, but it isn't as it seems. Breeding gerbils is lot of hard work. For one thing, you will have to provide two cages, one to separate the male and another for the female along with the gerbil pups. Housing is also another arrangement which must also be met for the pups. The easiest way to sell the pups is to contact a pet store and ask if they would accept them. Do this as soon as your pups are weaned! Pet stores do not always accept pups after they are past six weeks of age.

First you will have to purchase two new gerbils, one male and one female (it is very hard to introduce a new gerbil to an old gerbil). But before you go to the pet shop asking for a gerbil, it is best to know how to determine the sexes. Below is a link to a website which has the chart.

    After purchasing the gerbils' cage, put them together for two to three weeks (or until you notice that the female is pregnant). When the female does become pregnant it is a good idea to add extra shavings to the cage. The mother will use these to create bedding for the pups.

     At the time of birth, do not attempt to touch the gerbil pups! This may result in the mother abandoning or even eating the pups! To be safe, I wouldn't touch them until they are weaned. The survival rate is 75%, so don't feel like you have done something wrong if a few gerbil pups die in the litter.

     Stages in the Growing Process:

- At three days, you will notice the pups changing colour to what they will be when they are adults.

- Around the fifth or sixth day. hair will start to emerge from the skin of the pups.

- Around the tenth or twelfth day, the pups' eyes may start to open. This is what it said in a book, but I found with litters that my gerbils had that it can take as long as eighteen days. The pups wil not actually be able to see very well until about three days after the eyes open

     Note: If you ever see a gerbil pup crawl away from the nest wait an hour or so to see if the mother notices. If she doesn't, with a device other than your finger, gently push the pup forward to the nest. If you touch the pup, the mother may stop feeding him, leaving him to starve to death.