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Gerbils are social animals with a bold and curious personality that enjoy observing the activity of a busy household. Gerbils love to burrow and play in tubes and boxes.


Average Size

The average size of a Gerbil is 4 to 5 inches in length.

Life Span

Up to 5 years

Feeding

Fresh food and water should always be available. Small amounts of vegetables and fruits can be given daily. Vegetable and fruits not eaten within 24 hours should be thrown away.

High quality gerbil food containing a minimum of 14% protein and 4% fat and a maximum of 5% fiber. Treats should not exceed 10% of total food intake. Do not feed chocolate, alcohol or caffeine; these are dangerous. Clean, fresh, de-chlorinated, filtered water changed daily. Animals on premium foods do not need additional vitamin supplements.

Housing

Gerbils acclimate well to average household temperatures; be cautious of extreme temperature change; habitat should never be in direct sunlight or in a drafty area. Habitat should be glass, plastic or metal, escape proof and with a solid bottom. A 15 gallon aquarium makes a good home for two gerbils.

Maintenance

Remove wet spots daily; change bedding weekly as needed and wash all items in the habitat. Clean the habitat once a week by scrubbing it with mild soap and water, rinse and allow to completely dry to minimize fumes before placing hamster back into the habitat.

Spot-clean your frogs enclosure as necessary. When feces/urates/uneaten prey items are present, remove them as soon as possible. Clean & disinfect the water bowl on a weekly basis. Depending on cage conditions, remove all substrate & cage furniture and completely disinfect using a 5% bleach solution approximately every 30 days. Rinse the enclosure thoroughly and allow to dry before replacing cage furniture & your dragon.

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BASIC REPRODUCTIVE INFORMATION

Mating and Birthing

Your gerbils will most likely mate at about three months of age. If one of the pair is older and especially if one is an experienced breeder, mating is likely to occur within a couple of weeks. Gerbils usually mate in the early evening and it is a two hour ritual of chase, "tag", and each checking their undersides. A female gerbil will produce pups until she is two years old. A male gerbil will produce babies throughout his lifetime.

If this is a first litter or your gerbils are not raising/nursing pups when they mate, the gestation will be 24 days. Mark your calendar! The pregnancy might go as long as 28 days.

When the babies are being birthed it is best not to disturb the parents. You might watch from a distance; but not too close and do not disturb the tank or handle the parents or babies. A female gerbil will reach down from underneath, pull out the baby, clean it, and eat the placenta. During the birthing or immediately after the gerbil pair will mate, again this may last for a couple of hours. Do not worry about the babies being neglected for that time, they will do fine. The mother gerbil should gather the babies into a nest, but sometimes might not do this until after the birthing and mating is complete.

The First Few Days

Most gerbils are excellent parents and would never cannibalize their babies (unless their water source ran dry). However, if a baby is stillborn or dies shortly after birth, the parent’s instinct is to "clean up" to keep the tank sanitized, if you do not remove the body right away.

If only one pup is birthed or only one pup survives the birthing, it normally cannot stimulate enough milk flow on its own. The best thing is to foster with a litter of young pups. After the birthing the father gerbil is usually kicked out of the nest for 24-48 hours while the mother attends to the babies. On occasion a dad gerbil will sneak a pup or two into his nest for company. I generally will return those to mom.

Always wash your hands before you handle the pups – though gerbils usually don't mind the smell of their people, foreign smells such as soot, strange gerbils, stale litter, etc. could make the gerbils reject or even attack the babies.

If the mother seems to be distracted and is running around, digging, or scratching in the corners, leave her alone in a quiet room, drape a towel over half the tank, and give her some unscented toilet tissues. You may want to warm one corner of the tank, but not too hot! I use a clamp lamp and a 40 watt grow light positioned several inches from the tank. Use a thermometer to make sure the temperature is not any higher than 85 degrees F.

A mother gerbil may move the litter from one corner of the tank to the other, especially if she feels nervous or threatened. This is normal and nothing to worry about. Usually after a few days this behavior will stop and the mother will keep the gerbils in one corner of the tank.

It is important in the first several days after the pups are born that you do not to change anything about the environment. Do not clean out the tank, do not move the location of the tank, do not give them cardboard or new toys, and do not take anything out of the tank. Most definitely do not remove the father gerbil. Any change may cause the mom to spend several hours putting the house back in order, neglecting the gerbil pups.

When breeding gerbils, I check on the babies two or three times a day from day one, but try to leave raising the litter to the mom and dad without interfering. Female and male gerbils are usually wonderful parents. Sometimes in the first couple of days a pup will get separated from the nest. Put the pup back into the nest, but make sure to wash your hands first (or cover your hand with a plastic baggie).

The First Few Weeks

Before I handle the pups, I give the parents just a bit of cardboard to distract them and keep them busy for a few minutes. Or I give them some food.

I start taking the babies out of the tank starting when they get a light coat of fuzz – at about day 5-7. Be careful! Even at this age gerbil babies crawl fast, and being blind they will crawl, wiggle, and flip right out of your hand which could result in severe head injury. Always take gerbil pups out of the tank completely enclosed in two hands and hold them directly on top of a pillow or blanket.

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All animals regardless of type, need and deserve our respect and will rely on our care. In the same fashion, the respect and care for your family, friends and your parents we need to do the same for our pets. Treating your pet with gentleness and kindness is the perfect way to show you that you care for it.



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Petware House is conveniently located at 7477 Lima Road, Fort Wayne, Indiana, which is just moments north of West Cook Road and a few minutes drive from the I-69. While heading north on Lima Road, you will find us on the left hand side of Lima Road, next to DAVCO Auto. We have ample parking for our visitors, parking for seniors, handicap and expectant mom’s. Additional accessibility is available for handicap and for the delivery of large items into and out of our store location. Come into our new showroom for the largest selection of healthy pets, pet food, pet accessories and let our friendly, knowledgeable staff help you find that perfect pet and solutions that work best for you.

Our store is conveniently open Monday through Saturday, 10 AM through to 8PM and on Sundays from 12 noon to 5 PM. If you have any questions regarding our store location, business hours or for general inquiries, don’t hesitate to reach out to us for further assistance.

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