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Duprasi Breeders

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Duprasi
(Pachyuromys duprasi)

Article By Dennis Quinter

Genus PACHYUROMYS (Fat-tailed Gerbil) is new to the U.S. market. The body length is 4"-5" with a tail length of 2". The tail is the unusual part of this animal. It is used to store fat and water. In most cases the bigger the tail the healthier the animal. They are Diurnal (active day and night) and normally very docile. The gestation period is 19-23 days with litter of size 3-6 young. The eyes are open and they are on there own at 3-4 weeks. They will breed all year round. They are of chunky build with Chinchilla-like fur of some length. The tips of the fur is light colored and the base dark.

In the wild, the north Sahara Dessert, they are mostly insectivorous and live in gravely plains with patches of bushy vegetation. They are sociable animals and sometimes live in colonies. They some- times go into a state similar to hibernation, but not true hibernation, for periods of time. They eat rodent blocks, raw peanuts, and Deluxe Hamster and Gerbil Mix , but pick through it and eat certain seeds. They will also eat spinach, Romaine lettuce, and most any greens including most weeds. They love mealworms, crickets, moths and almost any other insect, even beetles.

The mating ritual is rather unusual. They stand on their hind legs and wrestle, making squeaking noise. They never seem to actually bite each other but they get rather rowdy. If she is not receptive and he don't give up, she will turn and kick bedding at him. When the female is ready to have her litter, she will make a nest and get a little nippy. It is probably best to remove the male, but there is not a problem with the male, the female gets stressed out in small cages. They are good mothers.

They are very docile and have never try to bite when being handled. There is no noticeable odor from their cage like you have with Hamsters and Gerbils. They spend a lot of time grooming their fur and washing their face. They like a sand bath and it is good for their fur. They alternate between napping and activity all day and night. They like a wheel to run in but sometimes they may fight over who gets to use it.

Some Comments From Dennis On Breeding:
I took the male out and put him back with the SAME female. I had 4 cages two marked 1 and two marked 2 so I knew for sure I got the same pair back together. Switching can result in severe fights. I left the pair together until she built a nest in the bedding. I took him out until after the babies were removed and the cage cleaned. They start eating seed before their eyes open and wean at 18 days or so. My adults were imports and calm as could be. They never bit me. I could lay them on their back in my hand and they just stayed that way. Rub their nose and they went to sleep. I fed mine a lot of greens and insects and they bred constantly producing 4-6 babies per litter. They should have a running wheel.