How to Breed.....

[Cornflakes4ever]

I wanna breed to gerbils but don't wanna go through the trouble of getting two new ones. Will two gerbils from the same cage mate. What I mean is: I got two gerbils from Meijer, a boy and a girl. They were both from the same litter and have the same mother. Will they mate. I don't think they would but I am not entirely sure. Please help!

[Zouave]

Why don't you just rescue some unwanted and unloved gerbils from a shelter the way I have, instead?? Half of my two dozens are rescues. There is nothing nicer than saving a life.

[Cenn]

Personally i wouldn't mate from the same litter...
if there are any problems in the genetics it more likely to show up.

There are lots of articles out there on gerbil genetics.. read up a little :)

[Doom Gerbil]

Inbreeding, as breedign close relatives is called, is sometimes done by experienced breeders to 'fix' a desired charactersitic.
I have done it myself to produce gorgeous argente golds
BUT it has a number of flaws
the first is that you will increase the risk of any genetic faults being multiplied, the other is that you lose 'vigor', the litters tend to be smaller by no, the pups will be smaller and they will be less resistant to illness.
Breeders will generally use line breeding to produce desired results (I will not go into that) but regular injections of genes from new introductions is needed.

While Zouave is right that there are a number of gerbils needing rehoming (rescues) it is not necessarily a good move, especially for beginners. Rescue gerbils come with all sorts of physical and emotional issues which are best tackled by experienced keepers. they also come with very little background and therefore you do not know what they may be carrying, or what genetics they have.

One more thing..you want the 'bother' of pups but not the 'bother' of getting new gerbils?????!!!!!! This makes no sense!! Have you considered the possible vets bills, the extra cages for seperating male and female pups, the finding new homes etc etc.

I suggest you go away and rethink what you want. You consider all the pros and cons of breeding and then IF you still wish to breed you find a local breeder and get gerbils with known historys and genetics so that you have an idea of what colour pups you will get as well as the quality.

Do not breed from undersized gerbils, ones which have had dhiorrea or breathing difficulties, gerbils with any physical abnormalities or bad-tempered gerbils.

For breeding you want healthy, nice natured gerbils with good form. In this way you increase your chances of healthy desirable pups and decrease the risks of problems.

[Jakamoko]

You really shouldn't be breeding from these two siblings. You have no idea of their history or of their genetics. How do you know if their parents weren't inbred, and if their parents parents weren't???

I wouls seriously advise against doing this.

Yes breeders will inbreed, but they will very rarely ever breed sibling to sibling. Instead they will do what's known as 'line breeding' this is where you breed siblings to parents, aunts, uncles etc. To breed siblings is the most dangerous method and you really do risk major problems happening.
As already mentioned, yes the generations will slowly get smaller and smaller, probably less healthy each time and definately have personality problems as they are so similar - just like with humans inbreeding causes us to go mad the same happens with gerbils.

I advise for you to go look up breeding on the net, there is a lot of information as well as scientific research out there.

re rescues - this is a tough topic and I would have to agree that rescuing really is for the more experienced owner out there. As rescues can (not always granted) have personality problems and often have been mistreated and bite as a result - that is not a good pet for a first time gerbil owner.

[Doom Gerbil]

As you can see have seen breeding siblings is for experienced keeper of gerbils of known genetic heritage in rare occasions
AS for rescues Jak has stated the case very well.
I have posted before on this subject and I have to say in my case my rescues have been very valued pets BUT we had to retame a snake because it hadn't been handled regularly (in fact most of its handling was by my son who used to go round twice a week to keep it tame), feed up another snake who has growth issues as she was kept on short rations to prevent her growing and work very hard with a rat who was totally unapproachable and took two weeks of constant work to tame, and was never fully trustworthy with anyone but me.


these, and far, far worse, are the type of problems rescues often have. For this reason I usrge people to be aware of the problems and extra expense a rescue may entail. If you choose to rescue all well and good though, but do so with open eyes not romantic rose coloured glasses.

[SBonnier]

Very well said Doom and Jak, I couldn't of said it better myself!

For years I have taken in rescue dogs. I had one kennel that would call me every time they had an over-aged dog that no one would take. I have taken 8 different rescue dogs in to let them live out their lifes. Some lasted a couple of years, some only months because of past abuse. Rescue animals can be very heart breaking, especially for a child. They do not make a great first pet. Please be aware of this understand what you may be getting yourselves into.

[Revenge]

My Idea for you is too have your gerbils put into pairs of the same sex wait till you get another Male and Female so if you use the New Male on the Female you have and if you Use the New Female on the male you have there won't be a problem with that like what Zouvae said get them from a recuse center

[Doom Gerbil]

no no no no no
DO NOT get rescue gerbils for breeding
With no history you would be setting yourself up for disaster

[Revenge]

Alright Alright I didn't know thanks for the reminder Doom

[Doom Gerbil]

lol Revenge I know
But I cant emphasise too much that the majority of breeding problems can be removed with careful selection of breeding animals
Healthy stock leads to statistically more successful breeding, you may still get problems but the risks are reduced

[Revenge]

Oh so like if the next I breed another pair I have to be more careful?

[Doom Gerbil]

eh?
That was a little cryptic Revenge

When you breed any animal you choose your pairs carefully.
You decide what you want out of the pairing.
The first thing you wnat is healthy parents so they produce healthy pups.
Now with gerbils the danger period is between eyes opening and weaning. At this point their immune systems are under the most stress. Gerbils (rarely) can be carriers of certain diseases. you find out at this stage of development when suddenly your pups get ill and often die. Breeders usually know not to breed from any pup that had breathing difficulties or diorrhea. With a rescue gerbil you do not have that history.
The second problem is genetics. If you are just breeding for pets you may not be too worried about particular colours BUT it is worth considering which colours are most popular so you can rehome your gerbils. And of course if you do not know the genetic history you do not know if their have been any problems which could turn up in your gerbils. The most common genetic fault in gerbils seems to be a tendency to chest infections during weaning (as mentioned above) and certainly breeders who have consistently not bred from clicky pups have found that after a few generations their gerbil pups do not get clicky.

Of course people do breed from pet shop and rescue gerbils, but in reality is unwise without being prepared for the increased risk of problems/illness and certainly a bad idea for 1st time breeders.

Hope this clarifys Revenge and is helpful to others too.

[Revenge]

Thank you Doom