How long should i wait to clean out my gerbils cage after she had pups?

Question

my gerbil just had pups and i want to know the question above. ive read that if you clean it right away then the mom will neglect the pups and fix up the cage. Is this true?

Answer 1

I am not sure if gerbils would be the same as mice in this regard - but generally they should be given a week alone with the babies without disturbance.

After this you can clean the cage ( but not the nest - mum will usually keep this immaculately clean anyway ), and possibly start handling the babies to socialise them.

Hope this helps.

Answer 2

if you touch the babies or move around the bedding, the gerbil will abandon her babies. wait till the babies are weaned to clean the cage. it should only take a few weeks. you can remove soiled bedding, but not the bedding the babies are in.