Reptile & Amphibian Forums

does anyone know how to breed gerbils ? do they breed fast as mice and rats? are they cleaner ? etc any info would help.

Google "American Gerbil Society" for information. I just rescued two male gerbils from a pet store and I found the AGS site to be very helpful. There are plenty of other sites that will give you good information as well.

Whatever you do, PLEASE start with animals from responsible breeders. That will increase your chances of having healthy babies, and will give you a better idea of what to expect from the parents. Plus if you buy from a truly responsible breeder, they will be there for you throughout the lives of your animals. They'll give you advice whenever you need it, for breeding or anything else. Pet stores won't do that for you. Start with good stock, and you'll have a good line. Start with pet store stock from questionable sources and you won't know what you're passing on to the babies. It's always good to know what genes your animals are carrying. Do lots of research on genetics. I'm relatively new to the world of rodents, and I like having people to go to if I have a problem with any of them. I have gotten mice from four sources: two pet stores, which have been absolutely zero use to me since I purchased the mice, and two breeders, both of whom have asked about the mice I got from them and who I know are ready and willing to answer any questions I have about the mice I got from them, or about mice in general. I would really encourage you to become a breeder that can be trusted to answer those kinds of questions, who reads a little more every day to learn more about the animals they're breeding, who has a very, very large gene pool and who is willing to travel far to get new stock (the breeder of my most recent female mouse addition flew from IL to the west coast with another breeder, then drove back with their new mice so the mice wouldn't have to be flown in the cargo section of the plane), who can be counted on to take back any animal of their breeding, no matter the age, so that no animal they've produced gets sold as a "feeder" or to an unacceptable home, and who genuinely loves the animals they breed. That's the kind of breeder who gets repeat buyers, and who people recommend to others. Nobody recommends Petco to their friends who are looking for a new addition to their family! I've bought mice and rats from Petco and Petsmart, and I wouldn't recommend either of those places. I would, however, recommend the breeder we got two of our rats from, whose two children were feeding the rats treats when we got there, and the breeder we got our last female mouse from, who knew I liked the color orange so she picked a beautiful fawn rex girl for us. Be a good breeder, you'll have better homes for your babies and you'll be spoken well of. Read all you can about breeding responsibly, and follow the advice as closely as you possibly can. If you choose to bring lives into the world, do it responsibly.
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Kadee Sedtal

home of old lady Lucy (boxer/lab/garbage disposal), pretty girl Fancy (beagle), Crusher (yorkie), the rats-Chopin, Tchaikovsky, Pachebel, Fillmore, and Franz, the mice- Vivaldi, Schubert, Bartok, Johann, Giordi LaForge, Dorothy, Glenda, Em, and Rosa, and the wonderful winter white dwarf hamster- Feather
"I wish I had a dollar for every time I spent a dollar, because then, yahoo! I'd have all my money back." -Jack Handey