Pregnant gerbils can become aggressive and nervous as their due date approaches. Like all other mammals, gerbils reproduce sexually. A male gerbil must mate with a female gerbil for her to become pregnant.
Each embryo develops into a baby, called a pup. An average gerbil litter contains 3 to 6 pups, but litters of up to 10 are possible. Instead, their eggs mature in response to mating. This is called spontaneous ovulation. Female gerbils can get pregnant all year round. They go into heat and are fertile for four days at a time, with a 4-day break in between. Even baby gerbils can have pups of their own. Gerbils reach adulthood at around 6 months of age, but they can get pregnant much earlier than this.
According to Developmental Psychobiology , female gerbils can conceive at 9 weeks of age. Gerbils are good at hiding their pregnancies. This is also when the mother experiences hormonal changes, causing pregnant gerbil behavior.
According to Laboratory Animals , the average gerbil gestation lasts 24 to 26 days 3. But all gerbil pregnancies are different, and not all gerbils will display the same symptoms. Gerbils gain weight throughout their pregnancies. They will lose it again after giving birth and weaning their pups. The extra weight comes from:.
Most pregnant gerbils will gain 1 to 3 grams per day throughout gestation. Weight gain is slow at first but will speed up as the pregnancy progresses. It will be most noticeable in the last few days of pregnancy. When female gerbils are not pregnant, they will come into heat 4 times per month. While in heat, female gerbils are fertile and will mate several times a day if there is a male around.
You will know your gerbils are mating if:. Gerbils are in heat for four days and then have a four-day break. The only reason that a female gerbil would not mate for an extended period of time is if she were pregnant. Gerbil pregnancies last almost four weeks. However, mating can be confused with dominance mounting. Gerbils can mount each other to assert dominance, and this can happen during pregnancy.
The extra calories, protein, and healthy fats will help their pups grow. It will also help the mother build up her fat stores, essential for boosting her milk supply. She may eat faster or seem more food-motivated than she normally is. You may see her checking the food dish more often. Another indicator of pregnancy is if the other gerbils living with her seem to be losing weight.
This is a sign that the pregnant gerbil is eating more than her fair share. Usually, your gerbil will look slim and streamlined. Its body width should be approximately the same, from its neck down to its rump. After giving birth the mother will create a nest in the corner of the cage and move all the babies to the nest and nurse them. The female will stay alone in the nest with the pups for up to 48 hours to bond before the male returns to the nest. Always wash your hands before touching the babies to prevent the mother from rejecting or attacking the babies.
You should also remove high areas to prevent babies from falling. Everything else in the cage should be left alone to prevent stressing the mother and possibly causing her to neglect the pups. Babies Gerbils are born blind, deaf, and naked and could not survive without their mother. After about 10 days the babies will begin to grow fur but will still have their eyes closed.
Handling at this age will allow the babies to get to know you by your taste, touch and smell. How do I tell if my gerbil is a boy or girl?
Gerbil males have a distinctive bulge at the base of their tails. This is very obvious at four weeks old, which means you can easily tell the difference between males and females. Also, the two openings at the base of the animal's tail are close together in females, but much further apart in males. How fast do gerbils run? Gerbils were fairly slow sprinters, with maximum sprint speeds averaging How many babies do mice have? Each litter typically consists of five or six mouse pups, though it's not rare to see as many as 12 in a litter.
A typical female mouse can birth between five and 10 litters per year. She can mate immediately after giving birth, meaning mice can birth a second litter in as little as 25 days after the first. How big do gerbils get? Mongolian gerbil: 11 cm Pachyuromys duprasi: 10 cm Great gerbil: 15 — 20 cm. How long is a hamster pregnant? Roborovski dwarf hamster: 22 days.
Does PetSmart sell hamsters? Small animals and reptiles sold at PetSmart including, guinea pigs, hamsters, chinchillas, gerbils, mice, rats, certain geckos, bearded dragons, specific types of snakes, specific types of frogs, certain types of birds. When can I tell if my rabbit is pregnant?
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