Question - Do Male's Get Along?

[Fox Mother]

I only had one male gerbil in all my years of owning gerbils. I was about 10 when I got him, and he lived a lone in runged cage for 8 years. He was so sociable and loved for be handled, he was blind in one eye and had a backwards leg & foot. A rescue from the pet store that was going to kill him for not being sellable.

Since then I've only owned females. I have 4 wonderful girls that live in such a close nit family until. Now my leaves me to the question...

Would male gerbils get a long if living in the same tank? Like will they act brotherly and kind like the females do or will they fight and be aggressive like male hamsters or rats?

Thanks ^^

[amski]

Males get along fine - if anything, better than the females do!

[Fox Mother]

Thanks ^^ I wanted to get a male but I felt bad about it because i didn't want him to be all a lone because i know how social the females are with one another.

My rat lives a lpne in her cage, but she's like never in there, lol, just a lways on my shoulder, and th cats have each other and my family, and the hamster is just highly aggressive towards other animals. I wanted to get her a friend but I'm afraid she'll kill it or fight with it all the time, I know hamsters are one of few solitary creators if left a lone for too long. ... I just don't want the anything to be lonely, at least if I'm able to get two or three males then they're have each other to keep themselves conpany

[seabreezegerbils]

Yes, males do get along! They are even generally calmer about having friends than females. But you should really house your gerbils in tanks, not "runged cages", preferably 20 gallons per pair.
Are you sure that you're previous gerbil lives to be 8!?!?! I'm not saying that's bad or anything, I just find it completely amazing that he could live alone in a cage for 8 years, since the average age is 3-5 years, and 6 is like, ancient. Kinda sad, gerbils have such short lifespans . Are you sure of his age? If so than that's awesome. I wonder how old the oldest living gerbil was...
Also, be careful about female clans, too. Gerbils are matriarchal, so too many females together can cause declanning, especially if their home is big enough to form territories. So when it comes to housing clans, big, but not too big!

[Fox Mother]

I was 10 when i got him, i use to hold him daily after school, he was about a year old when i got him. I feel so bad, because i didn't know then what i know now about gerbils, it was more of aw it's cute, yeah i'll keep so the pet store dosen't kill him sort of thing. He was such a gentle creature, and will forever be in my heart. His amazing strength and will to live imspired me durring some of the roughest years of my life. Blind in one eye, and with a backward leg and foot, he let nothing stop him from living a long and happy life, he was active until the night that he died. I was almost 18 when died, i came home from my uncles funneral to find my gerbil hiding under his level house with blood every where, I'm still not sure what happened to him while i was gone, his pallet was punctured or cracks with blood coming from his mouth, i comforted him the last painful hour of his life..

The cage was the only thing i had for him, he out lived all my other pets, the hasmters that died around 5 or 6, and my rats around 6 and 7, he was the very last of my rodents. Then last year my father bought me Jenna for easter, i painfully put her in his old cage, i saved up and researched the breed. I watch her and learned, a few months laters i got a gerbil from school, also a loner, and put the in a tank. it's a 10 gallon, they'll always together now, and for my birthday this uear my fiance got me 2 more gerbils, right now they'll all living together in that tank, it looks a bit cramped so i'm saving up for a larger one, the only places i can find then are asking $50 - $70 + just for a 20g or 25g O.o

[ohmylokix]

Your setup is asking for an eventual fight to the death. You're lucky that no gerbils have killed each other yet, actually.

You'll need a MINIMUM 30 gallon.

Females are best in pairs-- I'd only do the setup you have with brothers BORN together.

[Fox Mother]

Well, I'm hoping to get a 25g long with levels in the next few months, Jenna takes care of all them as though they were sisters, she cleans build nests. She reminds me of a mama girl. If i get another 10g I could put the 2 younger ones i got for my birthday in a tank by themselves, and then Jenna and GG will have the whole tank to themselves again. I don't have a lot of money, so it takes a while save it up. But I guess I more or less asking, is 2 female gerbils to a ten gallon tank good? they nest together and take care of one another, building tunnels. Jenna & GG lived together in the same 10g tank for a little over a year before i got Crystal and Timber.

I'm still learning and reseachign this type of animal. They're so beautiful, and I have hopes that maybe by next year, when I've learned all can, and got a job that'll give me enough money to buy more tanks, larger, and a male or two, I would like ot become a bredder. Tough I might even take a few more years before then, I'm not in any great hurry though, I love my gerbils just the way they are and I afraid that breeding them might change their personality, but in any case.. that neither here or there.... I'm mostly just learning now.

[doug]

Given the old age of one of the females I would say look for a 20L, the actual floor space increase between 20L and 30L is not that much, and 30L are uncommon, you should be able to find a 20L on CL and 20.00 is a decent price.

Doug

[johanne]

Cage recommendations over the years have changed a few times. Cages with bars are no longer considered acceptable, yet the really long-lived gerbils I've known (6-8 years) all lived in them. The problem with them is that gerbils can't dig proper burrows, which is their natural behaviour.

Then ten gallon tanks per pair of gerbils became standard. And now, 20g per pair (or 10g per gerbil) is considered ideal. I find they are less stressed and generally healthier in bigger tanks or bins.

Four females together is not recommended, but a lot depends on their breeding and temperaments. Most people keep females in pairs rather than waiting for them to eventually fight in a group. Males generally do better in groups than females, as they are more easy-going. I find the best case is where there is one older gerbil who raised the younger ones.

[Fox Mother]

Alright, well, I found a 20g long for clearence of $45.95 at the local pet store, I'm going to be going this weekend to a couple of stores to see if I could find one for a lower price, I looked on amazon and found a few for 20 - 30 dollars but then it's like a 10$ shipping fee So.. I'll keep them a pasir per 10g tank until I'm able to get a 20g long in the week or so. Travel's a little tough with the fact of I don;'t drive and my baby's only 4 months olf for finding a baby sitter a bit of a hassle, though most times i'll just bring her to the petsdtores with me, she loves the large fish tanks, last time she was laughing at the koi's in the fround of the store becuase you could walk right up to tank and they kept swimming up to glass where she was looking.

But any ways, i don;t want them to fight so I'll be getting a 20g long soon, in the next week or so if all goes well, my fiance just started a new job, so it might be a month before i'm able to get it.

[doug]

Did you check CL? I found several recently for 20-25, do a search for small animal, reptile, fish tank, or aquarium.

Doug

[Fox Mother]

what's CL suppost to mean? I've check, petco, petland, perfect pets... I'm in CT - the tax to death state.

[ohmylokix]

Craigslist. People giving things away for free/cheap.

[kayjay]

i have 2 males and yes of course there are gonna be some rift rafts but overall they act "brotherly"! like all brothers..... they disagree/argue.... but not fight til the death................

[Fox Mother]

Thanks Everyone!! - I decided not to get the males, heehee, i learned more information, and well, decided not to breed them. It's too much risk, and I don't want to loose my Jenna just incase anything goes wrong, like complictions and such. I'm a perfect example of that, every thing was fine until last minute and because of complication i ended up with a c-section. I don't want to put her threw all that. I got another tank, and for mother's day, though it's an early gift, lol, my fiance got me a honey golden (same color i wanted) and a golden spotted, (the color&markings i was going to breed for) - both females, only 2 for that tnk, sisters of the same litter. They're so adorable, only a few weeks old, too! <3