Birth

Since gerbils do not appear visibly pregnant until the last few days of pregnancy and typically give birth quietly in the early morning, your first awareness of a pregnancy might be the soft chirp of hungry pink babies.

Should you have the privilege of seeing birth take place, observe quietly. It is seldom necessary for a mother gerbil to require assistance. If you do observe your female gerbil in labor for a very extended period of time, for more than 8 hours, a call to your vet is in order. Labor can be stalled by low calcium levels, which can be boosted by administering a slurry of a ground-up Tums or Rolaids with a bit of water. This is given orally in a syringe.

A female truly in danger will require a C-section, which is effectively a spay surgery. It is unlikely that most or any pups will survive a very extended labor, so brace yourself. But do seek help for the mother if she is in pain. This is one of the risks you accept as the owner of a breeding female. The chances of a mother gerbil needing surgery are, in my experience, less than 1%. Many long-time breeders will never see this complication.