How to Breed Gerbils
Breeding gerbils is a hobby that many people enjoy. While it's not a very good choice as a cash flow operation, if you love gerbils, you will probably have a great time breeding your gerbils and enjoying their new families.
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Instructions
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Obtain a breeding pair of gerbils if you don't already have some. You can sometimes buy pairs that are already used to living together. However, if you have to buy two separate gerbils, you should use the split tank method to get the acquainted.
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Use the split tank method by placing a see-through divider in the middle of a large tank or cage, such as a piece of screen. Place one gerbil with food and water on either side. After one week passes, put them together, watch them and check for fighting. If they fight, keep them on separate sides of the divider for another week. They should become friendly in less than 3 weeks, but if they don't, then you should consider finding a new mate for one of your gerbils.
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Wait for your gerbils to mate. Female gerbils come into heat around every 5 days, but it might take your gerbils months to get around to mating with each other. You probably won't know when they mate, but around the 18th day of gestation, the female gerbil will display a change in her abdomen size.
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Look for pups to arrive 25 to 27 days after the gerbils mate, or around 7 to 9 days after you first notice a change in the female's size. Remember to leave the male with the female after the babies are born. He will help her with the new family.
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Refrain from picking up the new babies until they have hair. After this time, you should take them out and play with them from time to time to get them used to human contact. This will get them ready for their new homes once they have matured enough to leave their mother.
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Remove the pups from their mother's cage at about 8 weeks of age. They can start mating at 10 weeks, and you don't want them inbreeding with their siblings or parents.
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Tips & Warnings
It's rare to find mother gerbils who try to eat or harm their babies. However, if you notice behaviors such as these, remove the babies from the mother immediately.
Don't clean out the cage for one week after the babies are born. For this reason, try to clean the cage shortly before the mother gives birth so that the cage won't get too dirty.
