gerbil pregnant??

Question
i recently bought a gerbil on 7-18-07...she had a male in the pen when i bought her but didnt think anything of it...now im starting to think she is pregnant...ive been checking around and it says that they have vaginal discharge, drink alot, and sleep more than normal and she is doing this...also since i have gotten har shes gotten bigger...could she be pregnant?

Answer
Hi Audrey

These little creatures become sexually active from 4 weeks - therefore if she was left in a cage with a male in the pet shop there is a strong possibility she will be pregnant.  Gestation period for a gerbil is around 23-25 days, although I have heard of it being 30 days on the odd occasion.  

I would advise that you don't over feed her right now - just give her the usual gerbil mix and some fresh vegetables - if she produces a litter, then you can supplement her food to give her added nourishment.  Be careful if you go near her nest - when you are cleaning her out or emptying some of her bedding, do this gently in case she has produced a litter.  You don't want to disturb it.  Gerbil babies are great fun to have - so if you do end up with a litter, once they are a couple of weeks old and start leaving the nest they are very entertaining!

It is a case of monitoring the situation for the next few weeks to see if she produces a litter.  If she does - it might be worth telling the pet shop and see if they will take back the babies when they are 4 weeks old.  Any girls in the litter can continue to live with the mum providing your cage is large enough, but the boys will need to be separated from them at 4 weeks - but could live together in a cage of their own.

Good luck with this - please let me know how you get on.

Regards