The Mongolian or sharp-clawed gerbils are lovely little rodents which are often supported in houses as pets. Despite external similarity to hamsters, gerbils belong to family of mouse. Unlike mice, gerbils are completely covered with short wool and differ in friendly temper. Gerbils never bite therefore they can be picked up without any fear.
Instruction
1. Gerbils are social animals. If you decided to buy a gerbil, then get two animals better at once, the lonely rodent will feel unfortunate and suppressed. Not to turn the house into the kingdom of gerbils in several months, you can buy two same-sex rodents. But there is a question: how to define a sex of gerbils? What signs distinguish the self-check from males?
2. It is not so simple to define a sex of a cub of a gerbil. Testicles at males are formed only to seven-week age. Experts advise to distinguish the self-check on existence of nipples. Accurately take a rodent big and index fingers for the head, and at the same time support buttocks by a palm. In such situation the gerbil will not turn, and you will be able to consider her paunch. At female gerbils nipples have to be well visible. If the tum already managed to become covered by a hair, then can blow on it, and then nipples will become besides well visible.
3. One more checked way of sex determination of gerbils is a distance between sexual and an anus. Part to a rodent of a pad and look to him between pads. At the self-check distance between two openings very small - literally couple of millimeters, at males the distance is much more. As soon as the gerbil reaches age in 6-7 weeks, it will be much simpler to define its sex. At males testicles under a tail are well visible.