Well, I have had Sunshine and Daisy for about a month, and they had added so much more to my life that I am considering having more. I am a ways off from this decision, as I finally finished my thesis and will soon be returning to work, and will need to get adjusted to my new schedule and see if I can handle the added responsibility. But while I am in the preliminary stages of considering it, I was wondering if anyone had any opinios or advice for me.
My babies are sweet and wonderful, but are obviously a bit shell-shocked from having been in a pet store and taken away from their parents too soon. What I am considering then is getting an additional male and female from a breeder, maybe Dark-Eyed Honey or Polar Fox - I'm not really sure - and allowing them to breed once. Then I could have the male neutered directly after, so only one litter is born, and raise the new family together until they become sexually mature at which point they will be divided into small same-sex groups. I don't want to breed to sell, or on a large scale. I just would like to have more around for fun, and go through the process of breeding because there's so much to be learned there. However, I have never been involved in an animal's pregnancy and birth before, and so am concerned about making it safe for my gerbils. Also, there is the necessity of having to wash my hands thoroughly after dealing with each cage, and making sure I have enough time for all of them. Besides that, I am wondering about gerbil neutering - how much does it generally cost, and does it pose any risks to the gerbil? I want them to be happy and not to have to separate them from each other, as I understand gerbils usually mate for life, and the male can certainly help with raising pups. For those of you who have done it, is it difficult to raise one litter of pups, are there any potential hazards I should be aware of, how much time do you think it might take per day to care for them, etc. Any thoughts on this would be appreciated. If I do go through with it, it would likely be at least 3 months from now. I live in NYC, if that makes any difference to you in prices and resources available. Thanks, Dana :) __________________________________________________ Move your email to a better address. Over 1,000 domains to choose from! FREE! PRIVATE! http://www.MailSpace.com
