Is my gerbil a boy or a girl? Learn how to identify their gender.

It's impossible to tell from the pictures, i would need to check her myself in order to tell you if it's a male or female. here is a website that can help you sexing Dust: thegerbils.com/breeding2sex.htm

The easiest way to tell if your hamster is a male or female is to look at the distance between the two openings at the rear. In males the anus and the penis are further apart. In females the anus and the vaginal opening are much closer together in comparison to the male. Also, once they have reached 4 weeks old they will have noticeable testicles that hang down below the rear end.

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! At least on these pictures, they both look like males. Keep in mind that it is not that easy to determine this based on a picture. This will be easier to determine when they get a bit older as well. Have a great day!

I can't see based on the photos. I need to see lower down below the opening to the urethra. Sometimes though this is still difficult as the male guinea pigs can pull the testicles into the abdomen. Try holding Buddy up and taking another photo. You can likely also bring him into a pet store or a vet's office and they will likely be able to tell. I hope this helps and best of luck!

There is not really much you can do other than remove the male (put him into a separate cage) and make sure she has enough bedding material. She will do the rest. You will have to remove the male, because he will mate with the female shortly after giving birth and then you will have more babies within 3 to 4 weeks. Gerbil males are fertile by the age of 3 weeks, so you will need to separate the babies by gender at that age. There are videos on the internet, where you can see how to tell the difference.

It definitely sounds like Red may be a pregnant female, but he should be seen by a vet if he is not eating/drinking or urinating/defecating normally. Though it is unlikely, this drastic increase in size could be due to a growth within the abdomen or gastrointestinal disease. You can tell if a gerbil is a male or female by looking at the distance between the anus, located just under the tail and the genitals. In males, this distance is longer than in females. If the distance between Red's anus and genitals is shorter than his cagemates, he is most likely a female. The length of a gerbil's pregnancy is about 24 days, and it sounds like Red is nearing the time to give birth. As long as Red is eating, urinating, and defecating normally, you should not need to intervene with the process. Try to interfere with the new family as little as possible, and only spot-clean the cage, as gerbils are easily stressed and may eat their young. The mother and pups should also have free access to food and water. Keep in mind that gerbils can mate immediately after giving birth and become pregnant again, so consider separating Red from the cagemate as soon as possible if (s)he is pregnant.

I recommend separating the male and female now before the female gives birth to avoid potential cannibalism of the pups by the male. Other than the female having an obviously distended belly, females have a shorter anogenital distance than males and lack a scrotum. For the pregnant female, I would not try to house her with other females until after the pups are weaned at 3 weeks of age (also to prevent cannibalism). When ready, the split cage method is recommended for introducing males or females that are not from the same litter. It involves keeping the 2 males (or 2 females) separated by a divider (plexiglass with holes drilled placed corner to corner dividing the enclosure into 2 triangles works well) and switching the gerbils 4-5 times a day for at least a week to get them accustomed to each other' ascents. After a week remove the divider only when you are able to carefully monitor them for fighting for 5-6 hours or longer. Generally they cannot be safely left alone together until you see them grooming each other and sleeping next to each other. Even then, if you notice any bite marks/wounds on either gerbil, separate immediately and do not attempt to rehouse together. Best of luck!