gerbil pup abandonment please help!?

Question

ok i am not sure why but my gerbil mom keeps moving the pups (5 of them ) around every where! she acts stressed out and i dont know what to do plz help! i dont want her to abandon them!

extra things you may want to know:
1 the dad is in there with them
2 i handled the babys reagularly and she didnt mind but i stoped any way
3 they have food and water
4 its not very loud in the room
5 the pups are 6 days old


now plz HELP

i have and aquarium and the babys are now in the corner ( there are still 5 luckaly)
but they seem more interested in other things than them.......
oh and the dad is spending more time with them than she does!?! i am confused!

oh and i dont put too much bedding in there because she burys them!

p.s she is a first time mother

Answer 1

You might try putting them in a larger cage with a partition to make one corner a little 3 sided cubicle for mom and the pups. If it is the female gerbil's first litter, she may be stressed so you might give her a few insects every morning for a month to raise her protein level. Males will rarely harm their young so given a large enough cage, the father is best left there to co-parent. If he is removed, the female may not bond with him when he is put back in the cage with her later. Don't handle them and put the cage in a dark corner away from loud noises and upset. Also, be sure any bedding material is clean & deep enough for her to make a burrow or nest for them. When her body heat isn't there to keep them warm, the bedding serves as a blankie for the pups. This is natural and a good thing so put in some more bedding.

Answer 2

they start ingesting nutrition around 10 days previous. that's while they start wandering around in spite of their eyes nonetheless sealed close. i've got had domestic dogs stay to tell the tale as youthful as 3 weeks without their mom and no particular medical care. attempt feeding them toddler nutrition and KMR (Kitten Milk alternative) until they are greater advantageous with known gerbil nutrition. verify they are waiting to get to water or the KMR. i exploit shallow bowls so as that they'd get out while they fall in and not drown.

Answer 3

i would watch the dad don't know but a friend told me some gerbil eat their baby's but the mom is just being precocious its natural with fist time mother or any mothers she just showing motherly love

Answer 4

She may be moving them around so she feels they are more protected, my cat moved her kittens around about 4 times before she finally found a place she was comfortable with them being. I think its just a built in instint though. Dont worry about it too much, if she isnt comfortable with the male being in their with them you should take him out but if you dont see any fighting or anything he should be fine..

Answer 5

take the dad out . my gerbils had 7 babys last year. dont handle them very much.

Answer 6

someone told me today that gerbils and all other rodents tend to eat their first litter. i have a male and female together and they ate their first litter. so i guess it could be worse. the important thing is are the babies suckling? if not theyll die and then they will indeed be eaten

Answer 7

chips you are being a total jerk!

sorry about that i agreee with her and i have two female gerbils one gray one black holly the black one and athena the grey. do you have an aquarium? if so fill verry highwith litter then they can dig, they are dessert animals the were ment to dig maybee if you do that then she will make a den and stop fidgeting:)
hope it helps.

Answer 8

As long as the mother doesn't turn on them and start hurting them I'd just leave them.Keep a close eye.If mom gets bad you will have to remove her.

Answer 9

maybe she dosent know what she is she is supposed to be doing but moving them is what she thinks is right.

Answer 10

I EAT GERBILS