does anyone know why a father gerbil would eat all his babies and his partner??

they have no manners.

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i take it this has happened to you?

Im not sure if it is the same but when you breed hamsters you have to seperate the mother and father straight away and you should not let the babies near the father as rodents do not feel sentimental to them and will kill them as they can see them as a threat?! as far as i gathered when i bred our old hamsters hamsters - especially males can be quite solitary

someone who keeps gerbils may be able to explain properly

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we do keep them and the father should be left in as they help raise the family, they have been together a year the mam and dad and this was their 5th litter and out of the five babies only one is alive hes missing most his toes and he has a big chunk taken out of one of his paws

so any ideas anyone??

sorry to hear that - i want having a go i just thought maybe they were simular to how hamsters are housed but i was wrong.

I hope you get this sorted soon

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it could be absolutely anything but the most common reasons are:

no food
no water (even one day late with the water change can do it)
someone has been messing about with them/handling/moving/counting babies etc

but it literally could be anyhting, a smell he didn't like etc.

Mason

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this isnt rite!!!!

were after checking another box with three girls in it and two are deafd and ones dying...
we think they got a cold.... this is so horrible!!!! im sitting at the computer crying i cant deal with this peters trying to save sid....

god this is just horrible!!!!

sorry to hear that, not nice at all, my freind used to breed gerbils, guinea pigs and hampsters and they always split the male away from the family because of cannabolism

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Sounds like a disease that the male noticed and tried to kill the infected animals.
If it was and he was in the same cage them he most likely has it too, sorry.
Could it be wet tail or something like that?
Unfortunatly there is not a lot you can do for small rodents when they are ill.
I would however put all the adults in seperate cages if possible to reduce the spread of infection.
At least this way some may survive.

Good luck
Stephen.

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www.SnakeBreeder.com
Various types of corns including Opal, Anery Lavender, Lavender, Snopal, Hypo Lavender, Hypo Bloodred, Bloodred, Butter, Butter Stripe, Hypo Butter, Ghost Butter, Currently for sale

yeah, i was going to say stress. those gerbils can be nasty! i've seen them all beat up! hate 'em!

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