Oh Help I Just Found Pups ... or I'm expecting to be a gerbie grandmother, HELP

First of all, take a deep breath and relax.

Second, you may need to remove animals, cage decorations or things of that nature.

Third, you may have to make more plans to prevent having lots more litters.

I'm going to be writing for the person that wasn't planning on breeding, but you can still use some of the information to help with your jitters if you were.

If this is a male and female, only two animals in the tank, congratulations and yes no matter what you do, plan on you'll have to deal with two more litters.

If there are two females in the tank, just two, and one or both are over 8 weeks old, you have to take the NON mom female out IMMEDIATELY. Period. Females when young may cooperate and help each other over raising litters (this is why breeding trios may work for a time). But. Eventually the matriarchial bit over ONE breeding female, the DOMINANT female, per group, will kick in. This means the females will fight over pups, the non lactating female will steal pups and since she can't feed them they'll starve, and the mother will probably kill her pups because of the stress.

If it's a mom and pup daughter of hers, you can leave the two together if the daughter is young enough. She'll have to come out with this litter if mom is pregnant with another one.

Gerbils can raise litters alone but it's best if they have a partner to help. The 4-5 days old range is when they really need some help.

If you have more than two animals in the tank when the female delivers you have to take the rest out... All other females over 8 weeks old. All but one OR all of the males.

It doesn't matter if the pups were sired by that male or not. He is 'programmed' to help raise all pups and he will help her raise them. IF you want to do the 'three litter breed' then leave a male with her to raise this litter.

A female with pups, this is NOT the time to try a split cage intro. Unneeded stress. Wait until she's all done and pups are removed first.

Unless she already knows the other gerbil(s), wait until the pups are removed to try to redo her living arrangements.

If in doubt, let her raise a litter by herself. Unless she's really young (like under 10-12 weeks) she should be ok.

REMOVE OR BLOCK: take out the wheel. Take out any other toys. Block off tubes if you've put a cage topper on the tank. It should be a bare basic tank. Wheel-aholics will go crazy looking for their beloved wheel, it's often best to remove it a few days before she delivers, if you notice she's turning into gerbilcoaster or catch other signs she's about to deliver.

Wheel-fanatics may run in the wheel and neglect their pups, who die from lack of care. Or they will try to run with a pup in their mouth, which gets dropped and may be fatally injured. Or the female will alternate between packing neststuff in the wheel and moving pups and she or the male will try then to run in the wheel. Or make nest UNDER the wheel and the disaster of someone then running in the wheel.

When there's pups that's supposed to be the only thing they do. No distractions.

That's why you don't clean the cage until the pups are eyes open and into weaning. Parents can get so into frenzied housekeeping that they neglect the pups.

If there's a male in with the mother, he will try to breed her, often before and during deliver. Usually she'll send him packing although he'll be a bother. In the 12-24 hours after delivery, she'll usually let him breed, and the two will be torrid, often him being a serious pain, and the two trampling pups and the pups getting scattered around.

As long as you don't have the room really cold (under 50F or 15C) the pups should be ok as long as you find 'milk belly spots' at 12 hours post birth, and no pups looking bluish or shrivelled looking.

Look at the lower center of the stomach or to the side for a whitish spot. The skin is very thin and it's very easy to see the milk in the belly. If you see that then the pups will be ok. After they settle down she should gather them into nest and care for them.

She may toss him out of the nest for about a day, then let him back. Also you may see the pups divided into two or more nests and dad sits one batch and she sits another. Just check for milk bellies. If she goes and feeds them now and again they will be find. And that dad will have favorites to sit on. Just do make sure they're being fed, because it can make a real difference in those first four or five days, on their later development.

Pups go through stages... first fuzzing and dark fur especially showing up at 4-5 days, and decent fuzz about 10 days.

At 10 days you can clearly see the nipples along the stomach of females, three on each side. If you're lucky you can remember or otherwise know later which one is which...

About 20 days eyes will open. Peeks can be as early as 16, and eyes over 24 days that haven't opened should be checked for glueing by mucus..at 28 they will need to be opened. You may have one eye open and one not, the other should open or be opened within two days to help vision development. Earlier opening usually helps the pups mature earlier. Do NOT attempt an eye open unless you really have to.

About 21-23 days the pups should start to wean. Around 24-25 days you should see pups eating, and licking at things, and their parents' mouths for moisture, as mom starts drying up. Usually they will lick at the parent's mouth, then the parent will go to the waterbottle and they will follow and learn about the waterbottle. Drinking with the parent, and later a few pups may team up to work the bottle. By 28 days the pups should be weaned enough to be removed if they have to..BUT. They still need some socialization skills they learn from older gerbils. If you have to remove them, and the father hasn't been being nasty to them, remove him with them too. They can stay with dad for a week to a week and a half more to learn what they need to.

Don't adopt out your pups until five weeks to six weeks old.