Recommendations
-
In the first week, you must stop to fee the baby when its stomach becomes
white. You'll see a white area on its belly. After a week, the baby will turn
the head when he is full.
-
Advice: Do not overfeed the babies. This can cause diarrhoea.
-
Feed the babies very slowly. If milk comes out trough the nose, this means that
you go too fast.
-
Hold the babies vertically when
feeding them.
-Make
sure your hands are warm.
-
Before 7 days, the babies
can't keep their temperature alone. Once the fur begins to grow, they will be
able to create more heat by themselves. Place a heat pad under them to keep them
warm. But be careful, too hot isn't better then cold! Keep the temperature
between 24°c (75F) and 30°c (86F). Build the nest in a way that the babies
can't run around, this way, they will more easily keep their heat.
-You
must replace the mother at 100%. This means a little more then only giving milk.
You must also activate the natural need of the babies. They won't excrete alone,
so you must rub the ano-genital region slowly with a damp piece of tissue or a cotton bud. If
you are lucky and that the father can still take care of the babies. Leave them
with him. He will keep them warm and will also to this for you. If not, you'll
have to do this until they are 15 days old.
-
Even if your young gerbils
begin to eat by themselves at around 12 to 15 days, they still need milk.
Increase the quantity of Pablum in the recipe. You can give them a little amount
of damp pelleted food. Place a water bottle in a way that the young gerbils can
get to it easily. Always provide fresh water to your gerbils.
©Manon
Tremblay
-
Livre
"La
gerbille"
Édition
Le
jour
Translated
by Joelle Clermont
