What do you feed baby gerbils if mother dies?

Answer 1

The best thing to feed them is Kitten Milk Replacement. You should be able to find this at most pet stores, but Wal-Mart almost always has it in stock. You can either buy the ready-to-serve kind in a can resembling a soda can, or you can use the powdered version.

One important thing to remember is that you should dilute the formula twice as much as they recommend for kittens. The reason for this being that the baby gerbils have a hard time swallowing it when it's so thick. For example, if you buy the ready made liquid formula, add water equal to the same amount of formula. 1cc formula + 1cc water.

You don't want the formula to be too hot or too cold, so heat the formula up by placing it in a bowl of very hot water for a few minutes, just like you would with normal baby formula. DO NOT MICROWAVE IT, AS IT WILL CAUSE VERY HOT PORTIONS WHICH COULD HURT OR KILL THE GERBILS.

I haven't found a specific amount for them to eat, as it depends on the gerbil, but I recommend getting them to eat at least 3-5 drops per feeding.

You'll want to feed every 2-3 hours....don't get lazy with this, it's extremely important to their survival. They've got small stomachs, so they can't go long between meals.

Once their eyes open after 2-3 weeks, you can mix a small amount of infant rice cereal into their formula to add a small bit of substance to it. Not so much to make it thick though.

One thing I should also add is that you ABSOLUTELY have to stimulate them to go to the bathroom, every single time you feed them. If you don't do this, they will certainly die from being backed up. Simply take a cotton swab, get it just barely moist in warm water (I usually just put it in my mouth for a few seconds), and begin to gently swab their pee area. Be patient, it sometimes takes a few minutes and they love to squirm. Once they're about to pee, they'll fall into a very relaxed state, and you'll start to see a droplet of pee form. Usually you'll want to see them pee at least 3-5 drops...the more the better. Don't forget to help them go #2, but don't worry, they don't have to do that every single time.

It's a very rewarding experience, because you're saving their lives. There are very few outlets to assist you, so they're completely in your hands...even my Vet said she knew very little about taking care of gerbil babies! Good luck!