Baby Gerbil Help !!?

Question

The Mother gerbil is not feeing the baby gerbils and is scratching them and running all over them, is there any way we could feed them our self ? we have took the babies out the cadge and are warming them up as they are stone cold. please answer.

Answer 1

Gizmo i like you but what you said not the truth I have pick up second old pup with nothing worry,

Running on them happen all the time it best to just put them in the nest and let mom do her job.

also do not move cage or do anything with the cage she wait for the pups to be 2 or 3 weeks old before clean and other things like that

Answer 2

The best thing to do is consult a vet but don't try and feed the baby's because they cant eat anything yet usually they would feed from their mother here's a website that a girl asked how to take care of baby gerbils and the answer:

http://en.allexperts.com/q/Gerbils-Hamst...

hope that's okay!

Answer 3

Picking up the babies will not cause the mother to reject them. Sometimes the mother will reject them for apparently no reason. Warm them up in your hands for a bit, and then place them back in the nest. The mum could be feeling pretty stressed, causing her to act this way, so drape a towel ovet the tank or cage to give her some privacy and hopefully she will calm down and start to take care of them better.

If she refuses to raise them, then you will have to do her job for her. Take an eye dropper or a small syringe (without a needle) and fill it with kitten replacement milk - you can find this at a vets or try the 'Whiskers' cat milk that you can find in most pet stores and supermarkets. Place a small drop at the corner of the mouth and allow the baby to suck it up. Avoid the centre of the moth and the nose as you don;t want them to be drowned by the milk. Continue until it stops wanting to feed. This has to be done every two hours for the first week and every three hours for the following weeks until the baby is completely weaned (around 6 weeks). Give them their own cage or tank with small food, like oats, shelled sunflower seeds etc and a low water bottle so they can beging to feed themselves when they are ready. Keep them warm with a lamp to provide heat (40 watts max) or a heat pad/hotwater bottle underneath the tank. Try to keep the temperature at 26-27 degrees celcius. You will also have to encourage them to go to the toilet, as this is what the mother would do. Take a warm, damp cotton bud and clean around the bottom. This recreates the way that the mother would l**k them to encourage them to pee/poo.

Hopefully your mummy gerbil will realise her responsibilites, as often litters that have to be handraised within the first two weeks rarely make it :(

Best of luck!

Answer 4

Yes im not sure how but you can feed them yourself. I would ask the vet ASAP!!!! Good luck i know this has to be sad and frustrating. But good job taking the babies out of the cage because much worse could have happened!

Answer 5

The one thing you should not have done is pick them up. Now your scent is on the newborn pups, the mother will completely reject them and most likely attack them. It is possible to hand read baby Gerbils but not if they're younger than 6/7 days. They would have had more of a chance surviving with their mother.

This behaviour is very common in new mothers. If this is her first litter than it will take her a while to adjust to her new "Mummy" job. You should just leave them alone with her and let her do her job. Also, leave the father in the cage, removing him will only stress the mother out more.

If they die, they die. I know it's hard and very frustrating but you have to let nature take it's course.