Mottled Mania

[callimico]

My mottled slate girl Fate, daughter of a DPP lilac and mottled slate:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v245/larisajo/Fatefront.jpg

and her mate Risk, son of PKK's Shamokin and PKK's Tigue:
http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y246/gerbilpicturesfromchris/DSC07033.jpg
http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y246/gerbilpicturesfromchris/DSC07614.jpg
http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y246/gerbilpicturesfromchris/DSC07037.jpg
http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y246/gerbilpicturesfromchris/DSC06995.jpg

Just gave birth to their Fourth Litter June 15th at 3pm!! I've been dying to post pictures of everyone for months but my camera hadn't been working properly, now at last I can post again!! :grin: This is her last litter, as she is now split-caged with Risk over summer, to prevent litters until next fall when I'll be home more often.
The pups:
http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b42/Gerbilshows/4FmyBday.jpg
I was able to watch her give birth for the first time, from stretching, to pulling out the first pup to eating the last afterbirth, and burned about 45 minutes on film. I'm so glad I got to see it, she's such a great mother and so gentle with the newborns.
http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b42/Gerbilshows/4Fallpup.jpg

[callimico]

She had Four Fat Little Squeakers ;D

The Mottled Bob-Tailed Black Male & Extreme Mottled Black Male
http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b42/Gerbilshows/4FEMandMottle.jpg
These next 5 ones I didn't take very well so some of the vargated markings were erased or dimmed down:
http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b42/Gerbilshows/4FMottlepalm.jpg
http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b42/Gerbilshows/4FSPblacks.jpg http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b42/Gerbilshows/4FSppups.jpg
http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b42/Gerbilshows/4Fclimb.jpg
http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b42/Gerbilshows/4F2SPpups.jpg

The Extreme Mottled pup stretched out:
http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b42/Gerbilshows/4FEM.jpg

A Mottled Golden Agotui Female:
(I'll get a better picture later)
http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b42/Gerbilshows/4Fagoutipup.jpg
http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b42/Gerbilshows/4FMagouti.jpg

The Tuxedo Black Male that can be seen in the first picture

Fate nursing the litter:
http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b42/Gerbilshows/4Ffatenurse.jpg

Fate is the best mother I have, she'll NEVER step on a pup and carefully places her feet to the side of them whenever she's near. The first week she rarely leaves the nest even for a bite of food, I can't even lure her out with treats! Her pups are always fat and happy, larger then pups older then them. Fate babies them no matter how big that, and is so gentle with her pups-she spends all her time grooming and nursing them, and doesn't leave to stretch her legs until after the first week- then only for brief moments.

The pups from her lines are always so friendly- Fate is so devoted to her family, it's hard to keep her and Risk split but I can't have any babies while I'm gone in August, but I didn't have the heart to seperate them permanently. They still get to visit each other under supervision, can't have Risk starting any more pups for awhile, lol.

Hope you like the pictures : D

[Cornflakes4ever]

Wow beautiful gerbils!! I am surprised that Fate is such a good mother. Tiki kinda runs around on her pups.. :(

[callimico]

I am surprised that Fate is such a good mother.

Yes, I was to- she's the only mother I have like that. The rest end up stepping over their pups, once I caught Pepper digging in the nest and scattering the babies(she put them in the other corner when she was done), and Pepper even STOOD on a newborn once, but she was a little distracted with 8 older pups running around (the newest litter of 8 was born a week early). The other mothers are good, but they run off to play, burrow in a jar, chew some cardboard, dig in a corner and leave a lot of the grooming and sleeping in the nest to dad. But Fate never has, each time she seems fascinated with her new pups and can't get enough of them.

Sometimes Rhea or Pepper would bound out of the nest when I lifted off the lid (begging for a peanut) and drag the nursing pups out until they fell off. I've never seen this with Fate, a lot of the times the pups aren't nursing because they're full (she's always with them), and if not she waits in the nest and I have to bring the treat over to her, but once she sort of nudged the pups off, and groomed them a bit before jumping out.

But she doesn't mind running around on the bed (and jumping off to the floor) while I'm taking pictures of hte pups and never seems to get worried. After I put them all back in the tank she'll bury herself in with the pups again, once their eyes are open she'll jump around for a little bit afterwords rather then going right back to them, hoping to get out again.

[lilkaymin]

nice gerbils

[callimico]

thanks :smiley: How are your boys doing? Did you come up with names for them? I hope they settled in well, I bet the siamese boy has grown a lot.



Here's some pictures of the two pups I've kept from Fate's litters. One EM black male from her first litter, one EM black female from her third litter. Anyone have name suggestions? :wink:

EM Black boy:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v245/larisajo/mottleex.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v632/LarisGerbilpics/Fates%20Litters/1Fmarextrememottle.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v632/LarisGerbilpics/ExtremeMottle.jpg
http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b42/Gerbilshows/1Fgreatback.jpg
This shot came out kind of dark, but his tail became more white as he matured, and lost some of the peppered appearance:
http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b42/Gerbilshows/1FEMwhite.jpg

EM Black girl:
http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y246/gerbilpicturesfromchris/3FEM.jpg
http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y246/gerbilpicturesfromchris/3FEMeye.jpg
http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y246/gerbilpicturesfromchris/3FEMgnaw.jpg

[Gerbil1189]

WOW you have very beautiful gerbies!

[Meshanne]

callimico,
They are all such beauties! Every last one! :D
Keep up the pics!!!
M

[Gerbil1189]

Gerbil Pups are so much fun! It is neat to watch them grow. I can't wait to see more pics!

[Jiffykat]

How come some of them have shorter tails then the rest?

[Artagiel]

OMG! Your gerbils have the most amazing tufts I have ever seen! You soooo have to come to next years gerbil show and bring some of your EM beauties. I really thing they could win!

[callimico]

Thanks Meshanne & Gerbil1189 :grin:

How come some of them have shorter tails then the rest?

long story, yes 2 of the pups above have short tails, the EM black from the third litter, and the mottled black from the fourth litter... Fate & Risk had their first litter, 4 pups (3 males, 1 (Gamble) was adopted immediately, and the female was paired with a group of female pups). I left the other two boys (1 I was keeping the EM above, 1 wasn't adopted) in with mom, they helped raise the second litter. I planned on pairing the male I wasn't keeping to a male from the second litter, so he would have a companion. Second litter only had one female agouti (Juniper), 3 males. They all got along so happily, Fate was pregnant with her third litter
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v632/LarisGerbilpics/DSC05123.jpg

They were a very close family
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v632/LarisGerbilpics/DSC05080.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v632/LarisGerbilpics/DSC05085.jpg

All the pups loved Fate, the boys would wrestle but flip onto their backs and beg to be groomed by mom (she always obliged)
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v632/LarisGerbilpics/DSC05079.jpg

Her children would always run to her for comfort, and just to check on her, the older pups were just as gentle with the younger litter, as Fate was with her newborns
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v632/LarisGerbilpics/DSC05093.jpg

The older litter cared for the younger litter, when the lid was off they'd all run over to the log, in hopes of getting out to run around together:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v632/LarisGerbilpics/DSC05068.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v632/LarisGerbilpics/DSC05065.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v632/LarisGerbilpics/DSC05050.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v632/LarisGerbilpics/DSC05038.jpg

It wasn't smart, but I procrastinated splitting them up, they were just such a happy family, at night they'd all settle down in one corner, and Fate would groom them all, and Risk would groom her. Then the third litter was born, I knew I had to take the first two litters out, but I let them stay for a couple days, Fate stilll babied them and the newborns were thriving, fat and full of milk. Then I took out all hte males from the first and second litter, leaving only the daughter from the second litter in to help out with the third, the agouti, Juniper.

[callimico]

For whatever reason, the day after her big brothers were gone (she was used to being the center of attention) she nipped off the tuft of hte EM girl you see above,I removed Juniper when I found the pups had bob-tails, she only nipped off the white tuft but didn't harm them otherwise. She groomed and cared for them like her mom. It was awful, plus I would have loved to show the EM girl, she has beautiful markings and is so curious about everything.
http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y246/gerbilpicturesfromchris/3FEMgnaw.jpg

Fourth litter was born, I split-caged Fate X Risk just before (I'll be gone all of August) so I couldn't let her get pregnant until I was home. It's so hard to keep them split,

Fate X Risk
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v632/LarisGerbilpics/DSC05109.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v632/LarisGerbilpics/FateandRisk.jpg


Risk has the EM daughter in with him, until the fourth litter opens their eyes, then I'll put her in with mom.
http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y246/gerbilpicturesfromchris/3FEMwithdad.jpg

Fate had a daughter in with her to, one who's tail had been nipped by Juniper. http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y246/gerbilpicturesfromchris/3Fheavymot.jpg

To my horror, when the babies were 6 days old, the daughter nipped the mottled male pup. I took her out the next day, and split up my female group, so that the younger ones could be paired to her, and she wouldn't be lonley, the other 3 pups in the litter were fine, fat & happy. I guess a split-cage was just to small for a growing pup, because of the newborns she only had a glass jar to play in, and hay. :(

[callimico]

OMG! Your gerbils have the most amazing tufts I have ever seen! You soooo have to come to next years gerbil show and bring some of your EM beauties. I really thing they could win!

Thanks!! :grin: I would LOVE to make the next show, and finally put some names to faces. I kept two male EM's with good tufts, and Risk, I wish I could enter the EM black girl, she has the sweetest personality...do you think she would be allowed in the pup class? I was really hoping to bring some of Taffy's pups, he had three honey creams with brush tufts last litter, I haven't seen that before- I can't remember but wasn't heir a "stud" class, orsomething similar where you show the father, and 2-3 pups of his but they have to be the same color?

Are you going to bring your schimmels next time?? If Sbonnier can start the small & furry meetings again, maybe I could bring home one of your girls then :grin: . Risk carries either e or ef, and is unrelated to SFM's lines, if one of his pups carries ef.... :wink: It would be great just to see everyones gerbils, and swap stories. I was thinking of pairing of the EM black males to the friendliest pied siamese female I couldn't let go, from Rhea's first litter (plus half the EM's carry Ccb, half CC) in hopes of starting a new EM CP line.

[Gerbil1189]

I agree, those gerbils are definately show quality!

[Maya]

They are so beautiful, I wish I could find gerbils like that here... (but then I'd have too many *S* )... Good luck with them all!

[callimico]

I agree, those gerbils are definately show quality!

Thanks :grin: Risk's father, PKK's Shamokin competed in AGS shows, and did well, from what I've heard.

Thanks Maya, :biggrin: I've heard there's beautiful dilutes available in some parts of Sweden?