top of page
The Life of Your Gerbil Before It Reaches You
We take this very seriously. Checking every detail, ensuring every single thing is just right, since this is a very delicate process. In a sense, we are creating new life. For these gerbils, we are acting 'God' and that is a big job.
We start by introducing the male and the female. For this, we'll be following the steps of Ziggy, the mother, and Onion, the Father. The introduction can be a tense process that requires patience. We place them in a completely neutral environment, and (with leather gloves on!) we wait for them to figure things out. Most often the male will do some chasing, and the female some squeaking, but it is all part of the natural process.
After we are assured they aren't going to fight, we place them into a calm tank with nothing but a bit of bedding, so that neither stakes territory.
The next day, if everything's still going well, we add a house, a wheel, and some soft bedding. This is when they start to bond.
Next, comes the long wait. It may be a week before Ziggy accepts his mating advances, and after that it will be another 28 - 30 days before she gives birth.
First she becomes pudgy... then fat. All in the stomach of her body. If she trusts us enough, we can place our finger gently on her tummy, and feel the babies wiggling inside!
Now, new life! A month later there will be a nestfull of loud, wriggling, hungry babies.
They will look like pink, sticky blobs at first, and make you wonder if it's possible for them to grow into such creatures! We assure you, it is. Though no matter how many times we see it, the magic never ceases. For the first week, it is imperative we do nothing inside the tank but replenish food and water, so we do not upset Ziggy or babies. Resist the urge to touch! Follow this link to see a video of her giving birth!
This is how they'll appear during the first three days. Sadly, this is the point we will often lose the runt, due to underdevelopment.
How they'll appear for the next five days. At this point, we can determine colors, and are sure they will make it.
For the next six days, they'll develop light peach fuzz.
Next, they'll turn into little furry creatures as they grow further and develop fur. They'll stay like this until they open their eyes, after which they'll continue their development again. At this point, they start leaving the nest and bumbling blind around the cage. This is a crucial point, as we must handle them to get them used to human touch before they open their eyes. In the picture below they can be seen at three weeks old. Now we can determine their sexes.
After this, they'll complete their bumbling stage, and then their eyes finally open! They become little streaks of lightening bounding around the tank! In extremely rare circumstances, a female is unable to care for her pups, as it was in this particular litter. The babies were transferred to a surrogate mother named Skittle. At this point, they are four weeks old.
You may be wondering what part the father plays in this magical process. He is the caretaker and provider of both the mother and pups. While he's not warming the pups while the mother drinks water, digs, or leaves the nest for a bit, he's bringing her food and giving her massages (yes, massages!). The male will impregnate the female again the same day she gives birth. The reason we allow him to, is so he can help her raise the first litter. He is not needed to raise the second litter, since the babies of the first litter will replace him in helping to raise the second litter. A lot of gerbil families are more efficient and caring than many human families today!
Now they're all grown up! Six weeks old and ready to be adopted. We post them up on our website at this point, all except for ones that have been reserved or bought ahead of time.
We hope you've enjoyed this, and perhaps learned something!
Now, when you see pups on our website we hope you will see the magic behind it, and the joy that playing 'God' brings!
bottom of page