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Post by cambridgeferret on Sept 7, 2014 2:57:09 GMT -8
We lost our lovely white boy this morning, leaving his brother alone. The remaining gerb was the non-dominant one. At the moment the options are to leave him as a single or get him snipped and find him a lady friend . I'm not really sure what's the best option - anyone help?
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Post by crittercrazy on Sept 7, 2014 14:31:17 GMT -8
I'm so sorry to hear about your gerbil! There isn't really a definite answer- it all depends on how he reacts to being alone. If he's fine, you may want to just let him live alone, since if he is 2 years old he may or may not have much time left, and once he goes you'll have the same issue if you get him a friend. On the other hand, if he is lonely and you are able to get him a friend, then I would say go for it!
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Post by qtoffer on Sept 7, 2014 18:56:55 GMT -8
I say it really depends on your gerbil's behavior. I would watch for changes in behavior that last for longer than a few days like lethargy, loss of interest in cardboard, food, sand baths, etc. One of my gerbils lost her cagemate at age 2.5 years. Like yours, she was the submissive one of the pair. I felt that it would be too stressful for her to endure another split cage intro. (The first intro didn't take, so she was in a permanent split with a more dominant female, 6 months older.) After the loss of her cagemate, she never displayed any signs of depression. If anything, she comes up into the topper more now than she did when her cagemate was around. She still destroys cardboard, runs on her wheel, begs for treats, and enjoys her playtime.
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Post by ziipangel on Sept 14, 2014 7:59:54 GMT -8
we lost one this week, leaving behind a 1 year old male. We've decided to leave him alone and not try to introduce a friend. For us its the only option as a previous attempted split failed and they've been in a permanent split for the last 8 months.
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