When do gerbils stop having babies? Do they breed their whole life?

There is not really much you can do other than remove the male (put him into a separate cage) and make sure she has enough bedding material. She will do the rest. You will have to remove the male, because he will mate with the female shortly after giving birth and then you will have more babies within 3 to 4 weeks. Gerbil males are fertile by the age of 3 weeks, so you will need to separate the babies by gender at that age. There are videos on the internet, where you can see how to tell the difference.

I recommend separating the male and female now before the female gives birth to avoid potential cannibalism of the pups by the male. Other than the female having an obviously distended belly, females have a shorter anogenital distance than males and lack a scrotum. For the pregnant female, I would not try to house her with other females until after the pups are weaned at 3 weeks of age (also to prevent cannibalism). When ready, the split cage method is recommended for introducing males or females that are not from the same litter. It involves keeping the 2 males (or 2 females) separated by a divider (plexiglass with holes drilled placed corner to corner dividing the enclosure into 2 triangles works well) and switching the gerbils 4-5 times a day for at least a week to get them accustomed to each other' ascents. After a week remove the divider only when you are able to carefully monitor them for fighting for 5-6 hours or longer. Generally they cannot be safely left alone together until you see them grooming each other and sleeping next to each other. Even then, if you notice any bite marks/wounds on either gerbil, separate immediately and do not attempt to rehouse together. Best of luck!

Mice are prolific breeders. Gestation is about 3 weeks and they can reproduce throughout the year having 5-10 litters each year. Separating males from females is necessary to stop breeding. Females can breed at 3 weeks of age, so it is important to separate them prior to this age.

It definitely sounds like Red may be a pregnant female, but he should be seen by a vet if he is not eating/drinking or urinating/defecating normally. Though it is unlikely, this drastic increase in size could be due to a growth within the abdomen or gastrointestinal disease. You can tell if a gerbil is a male or female by looking at the distance between the anus, located just under the tail and the genitals. In males, this distance is longer than in females. If the distance between Red's anus and genitals is shorter than his cagemates, he is most likely a female. The length of a gerbil's pregnancy is about 24 days, and it sounds like Red is nearing the time to give birth. As long as Red is eating, urinating, and defecating normally, you should not need to intervene with the process. Try to interfere with the new family as little as possible, and only spot-clean the cage, as gerbils are easily stressed and may eat their young. The mother and pups should also have free access to food and water. Keep in mind that gerbils can mate immediately after giving birth and become pregnant again, so consider separating Red from the cagemate as soon as possible if (s)he is pregnant.

Gerbils are excellent at hiding that they are pregnant, however it will be obvious obvious a few days before they are due to give birth. Gerbils can reproduce at approximately three or four months old, some even earlier, ‘Once your gerbil looks pear-shaped, it is a pretty sure sign that she is pregnant and close to giving birth. Pregnant gerbils will start to build a nest, which is a sign that giving birth is imminent. Since you have already noticed that Margo has gained weight and that your Gerbils obviously were mating, you can be pretty sure that you will soon have more than two ;-) . If you do not want to have another litter I suggest you separate the male before the birth of the babies. Here is some good info: http://petgerbils.org/breeding-babies/

Thank you for using Pet Coach to address your questions about Shine and your male hamster. That is unusual behavior. Hamsters can produce prolifically. So only producing two litters makes me concerned that something in one of the hamster's body is not normal. Likely one of them has abnormalities in the reproductive tract making it difficult to conceive. I would agree with the other vet that something was likely wrong in the milk which is why the pups didn't make it. Additionally, hamsters generally live 2-3 years. At their ages, fertility is going to be significantly decreased. At Shine's age, I would also be hesitant to breed her again. Pregnancy in older animals carries higher risks. I'm not sure there is anything you can do to increase fertility short of seeing a specialist for hormone supplements. If you are looking to breed hamsters again, I would advise to get a young adult female OR get a new pair of a male and female. Younger hamsters have much better fertility rates. I hope I have answered your questions. Thank you for using Pet Coach.

I would first recommend to check their genders. Make sure they are both females, otherwise you may end up with babies. Sometimes gerbils do play rough. Observe the behavior and check for wounds. Make sure they have space to get away from each other is needed. Please post again with any further questions!