how old do gerbils have to be to have babies.

Question
hi kelly, i got my gerbil from a friend and they didn't tell me how old they have to be to have babies. so can you answer? also, where would they dig a whole, where they usaly sleep or somewhere else. one ore thing, when she has them, should i separate the male and the babies? i hope you can answer all 3.  

Answer
Hi Leah,

1.Gerbils are able to have babies at around 3 months old.
2.Gerbils tend to make their nests in corners, or pet houses.  A good option for your gerbils' nest would be to buy a medium-sized wooden home made for small animals.  This way, the gerbils have a place to nest, and they also can chew on it to help file their teeth down.
3.The female gerbil needs the male to help raise the babies.  Without the male, she will be stressed and more likely to cannibalize her own babies.  (Gerbils *always* need to be kept in pairs.)

As a side note - *Please* don't enter into gerbil breeding lightly.  Gerbils must be kept in pairs - therefore, a female and male gerbil must be kept together for life.  That means that you will be dealing with a LOT of baby gerbils.  Gerbils can have litters (up to 8 pups) every month.  If you can provide adequate housing for all these gerbils, that's great.  But don't count on giving your baby gerbils to a pet store - pet stores have their own breeders, and most of the time they won't take other gerbils.  Here's a link to a good website that goes into more detail:

http://www.geocities.com/heartland/plains/9792/how2breed.html

If you have any other questions, please feel free to ask.

Kelly