Has anyone seen a birth like this?
My 10-month-old female gerbil normally gives birth to 3-5 offspring. She has
had several healthy litters. She delivered the previous litter of four June
2, and mated shortly thereafter.
She produced a peculiar litter of pups this morning. There were a total of
eight, with four healthy pups and four pups whose development was clearly
very incomplete. The incomplete pups appeared to have no external
abnormalities other than their reduced size and "fetal" appearance. The pups
were produced in pairs of one healthy, one underdeveloped (and stillborn).
The pairs were each delivered almost as one birth, with the live pup first.
As far as I could tell, there appeared to be only one placenta per pair.
Any ideas as to the explanation of this event?
Thanks,
Amy H. aka MScottMGP
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