Momma keeps eating older babies!

[khaski]

I know gerbils will devout their young if they get a scent from handeling or if one dies in the nest, but this is not the case with my girl. This was her 3rd litter...the first went off no problem, but in the last two she has eaten babies roughly 3 weeks old (look healthy, running around, eyes open- she is still willingly nursing). One is completely gone, one had it's head gone. I supplement her diet with dried beans/legumes, so I think she has enough protein. Is she just sick of her litter? Any ideas how to prevent this in the future? Any advice appreciated!

[amymlc]

they will only kill the litter if they are stressed out, or too young. When my gerbil had babies, I could touch them and move them around and had no problems. I am sorry that this happened but I have no explanation for you, except my gerbil went insane after she had babies. She used to be calm and very tame, now she's a schizophrenic (sp?). She has literally gone psycho!

[khaski]

I don't know why either....she never minded me handeling the babies, and then, a little before weaning, BAM! She starts killing them off...I stopped breeding her because of it.

[Blazindrpapi01]

To my disgust I woke up to see my male girbil has eaten off all of the babies faces. Is it cause of the little squeaks that they do and he wanted to stop it?!