the babys are here :)

[rofn]

Well, ok...perhaps no one is really interested in that but anyway...

perhaps you didn't noticed but i just love animals and got hmm lets say a lot...:rolleyes:

i got 10 mongolian gerbils living in 5 groups...with 2 pairs i'm also breeding...

in one of that 2 pairs i was expecting babys almost a week till now...but nothing happend...i was finally getting nervous that perhaps something went wrong with my gerbil mum and almost thought that if they won't come till the weekend i'll probably had to take her to my veterinary surgeon... :(

gerbils are breeding out about 23 - 26 days in average....this time it took 31 days and the last days i was really starting to be worried...

but today...i came home from work an hour ago or so...and they finally are here!!!

pheeeeew :)

there were 6 cute little naked babys lying in mum's nest...they are all very strong and there is no evidence that their mum has eaten one in case it was to weak....

so you can guess i'm so happy at the moment :bouncy:

here is a first picture i made of them:

http://members.nextra.at/rofo/babys.jpg

my color guessing:
3 of them are Black (spotted on head and collar)
1 Sapphire (perhaps spotted)
1 spotted Nutmeg, bright (perhaps mold)
and 1 cute Red Fox, bright (perhaps mold)

:|party|: :thumbs:

the proud
rofn :)

[magicfan241]

Awwwwww!

They're soooooo cute. (ok so there are a few new babiesin our church, so I know the "drill")

Probably looked my hamster when he was just born :)

magicfan241

[the-mk]

:|party|: Congratulations! You are daddy of gerbil babies! :cheers:

At the moment they look like poor, naked and helpless creatures... will you keep us posted with photos when they have a fur? I think they'll look much more cuter and sweeter with a fur :thumbs: (my opinion...)

How will you name them? How many are male and how many are female?

Best wishes for your tiny little gerbils!

[Moogie]

That's pretty cute. When you breed them do you keep them? Sell them? Give them away?

[rofn]

@the-mk

well at the moment they are helpless...but their mum is just great...always taking good care of them which isn't always like that...some are good some are bad mums...till now i always had the luck on my side and there were never dead or eaten babys...

its the 3rd time she is having babys now...when i made that photo she was quite angry at me but she already knows the drill...i gave her a few sunflower cores and she almost forgot that i open up her nest ;) i later looked back into her aquarium (i held my gerbils in aquas which are 100x50x50cm big...gerbils just love to dig and they dig a lot) and mumie took all the babys back into a fresh made nest and nursed them.... :) so she is really a good one, others are so upset then that they eat their babys or just let them die.. :(

sure i'll keep you updated with photos if you want...but it will perhaps take a few weeks till i get them into sight again...usually i wait 2 weeks till i take them into my hand the first time...they'll open their eyes with about 3 1/2 weeks :)

@ Moogie

i keep a few one...well actually it will get more and more if you breed long time but i got a own room for them which is big enough for some more...so if i can't give them away i keep them...also i keep the rare colors if i don't already have/had them...

i usually try not to have too much of them...i once almost had 20 without the babys counted in...

i dont really sell them like to pet shops or something like that...i give them only into responsibly private hands or to other breeders which i know well...

every year in may i go to a Convention in Germany (Hamm) called Exotic Animal where i'll meet a lot of breeders which i know over the net and take a few gerbils back to austria to breed with...

so as you see i'm quite gerbil addicted *g*

i also have 4 persian gerbils, and 3 dsungarian twarf hamsters...at the moment i'm playing with the thought of getting fat sandrats or degus... :D

rofn

[Moogie]

Well, I'm thinking you are too far away for me to get a couple of them for my girls then. :)

We are building up on our pets. So far, only one dog and 3 beta's...looking to get another dog...and Lord only knows what else. :)

[matrix_fan]

Speaking of baby animals.........Last Friday i acquired these boogers(they're actually rabbits): http://baby-rabbits.yatta-yatta-yatta.net

[PY 222]

Dude... they looked so small and fragile!

Congrats man. Its time to celebrate again! :cheers: :cheers:

[rofn]

@ matrix-fan

:eek: they are soo cute... their poor mum will sure miss them :(

i hope you take good care of them...did you already thought about what you'll do with them when they are old enough to stand on their own feets? will you keep them? wild rabbits can be real rude...

since i don't know how the law is in the us but here in austria and also in germany its forbidden to take animals out of the wilderness...even when they are babys and their mum has died...the only thing we are allowed by law is to take them to a animal raising station...

i know that because i once found a fawn(?) (young deer) on a street which was hit by a car and her mother left her...i then took her to such a station...the deer had two broken legs but wasn't more badly injured...they later brought her to a special deer station where they raised it and wildered it back :)

rofn

[rofn]

ok here we are again...

the babys are almost 2 weeks old now so they should open up their eyes in another week and a half or so...

i didn't see them often because mum is taking good care of them and always closing the nest for outsiders :P

here are 2 new pictures of them i made yesterday...

its downside...they are getting nursed here...look at the big feets...its mumie spreading her legs for opening the milk bar :D
http://members.nextra.at/rofo/babys2.jpg

aren't they cute? mumie took them into sun side and opend the nest here :)
http://members.nextra.at/rofo/babys1.jpg

i'll take new pictures probably in a few days when they are taking their first steps outside the nest with closed eyes ;)

greets
rofn

[the-mk]

:blush: sweet!