why does my gerbils keep eating there babies?????????

Question

my kids pet gerbils keep eating there babies they have had 2 litters of 4 in total and all are gone help!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Answer 1

Leave her alone. do not touch her cage and try to feed water her while shes sleeping.

Sometimes first time mothers will neglect their first litter, but this isn't often the case. It also can take them a few hours to settle in. So wait til the pups are several hours old and check their tummies for milk before deciding to foster. Small litters of 1 or 2 are especially prone to abandonment but this isn't always the case. As for cannibalism, you first want to be sure you're not overreacting. Sometimes new gerbil breeders mistake a mom or dad eating a dead pup for cannibalism. Unless you see them tackle the live pup and consume it, don't assume she killed it because that will probably do more harm than good. If you did see the act, or a mom has repeatedly eaten her young after several litters, then you have two options. 1. foster them - which is by far the most favorable. If you have another mother with babies born within a day to a week or two of the pups, you may be able to give them to her. Just take mom and dad out of the tank, rub each pup in their soiled bedding, and bury it amongst the other siblings. A gerbil mom can probably handle up to about 10 pups. Most mothers will take to new young pups but this isn't always the case. I have had mothers kill other mother's pups even when they're rubbed on and buried. However if circumstances are that dire, the pup would have died if left with its original mother anyway. Option 2, you could try to hand feed them yourself. This will probably not be successful. You can try feeding them KMR (Kitten Milk Replacer) from the pet store. But hand-rearing baby rodents is very rarely successful if they're newborn. You'll need to keep them warm under a heat lamp (NEVER put them directly on a heating pad or they may get burned, even on "low"), or if mom just isn't feeding them, dad might keep them warm enough between feedings. Also you'll need to feed them every 2 hours, including in the middle of the night!

If a mother gerbil eats or doesn't feed a litter, give her one or two more chances. Sometimes first-time mothers don't know what to do, and sometimes they eat their babies, or don't know how to feed them. They may learn next time. But if this behavior continues, separate the pair and do not breed this female

Answer 2

Baby gerbils, like other rodents, are born blind, hairless, and mostly helpless. Though rarely, under population stress, baby gerbils may be killed and eaten by littermates or parents-- so make sure they have enough space. Male gerbils are excellent fathers, and should be left with the family to help raise the pups. However, gerbils will mate immediately after giving birth, so leaving the male insures another litter will be on the way. If another litter is not desired, a daughter from a previous litter can be left to help raise the pups instead of the father. Gerbils reach puberty quickly; males will attempt to mate with their mothers if allowed to reach maturity in the same enclosure, but make sure not to remove them too early, either.

Answer 3

Some of these have the right idea. You need to separate the parents before the babies are born. So they can not see each other. Be sure her cage is really clean and put it some where that is will stay warm, but there is a place in there a little dark-she will feel like she has hidden her babies and they will be safe. If you mess with her and/or the babies for the first couple weeks, she will get nervous and eat them, some how that is the natural course of their lives. Good Luck

Answer 4

Generally small animals eat their babies either because the babies die naturally so they eat them or because the mother is stressed for some reason. Possible the cage isn't big enough, or is in a noisy place. Gerbils live quite happily in groups so providing there is sufficient space the father shouldn't bother the babies. Some rodents need to be separated in order to rear the young sucessfully. All you can really do is try and provide the optimum envirnoment for them to live in and make it as stress free as possible. Try not to disturb the nest after the babies have arrived. I know it's tempting to look in and see if they've arrived but it's really best to leave them until mum brings them out to see you, which won't be until they have fur and their eyes are open.

Good luck for next time.

Answer 5

Stress apparently makes these creatures eat their babies, because they don't feel they are safe. Or maybe you've been feeding meat to your gerbils and they have a taste for it? If male and female are kept together, try removing the male to reduce stress on the mother.

Answer 6

Separate the female from the male when she gives birth. The male may eat them so she'll go into season again; male cats sometimes kill the kittens. Also the female may feel stressed at having the male in close proximity to her babies, so she may kill them.
Always separate the expectant mother toward the end of her term, or during the whole pregnancy. She needs rest and quiet.

Answer 7

Its is usually other adults that will eat the babies especially if other females are pregnat at the same time and so must be seperated at this time, however, rodents often do this to their own young, unlike humans rodents are about self presevation and will eat their young if they feel threatened by them or if the food supply is limited. The only thing i can advise is to seperate them next time.

Answer 8

because something in your setup is not right. They do not feel safe either from other gerbils or you if you are handling or looking at the babies too much.

Answer 9

you must separate the mother before they are born and you must never touch them or stroke them(the babies or the mother)if the mum feels threatened she will eat them, also disturb the cage as little as you can . ... unfortunately lots of small animals do this and apart from the above theirs not much else you can do good luck with the next lot

Answer 10

it is essential that you do not touch the babies or disturb the nest in any way!!! Get a book from your local pet store all about gerbils and their young, it may help!!