Pet Store said two males can't be kept together, or else...

[mcats]

So I now have two more gerbils whom I bought yesterday with my SO on a long trip, despite how foreboding the pet store employees were upon learning I wanted to keep two males together(I did not let them know I had planned to introduce these boys to my own gerbil).

When I first called the store, who is supposed to breed their own small animals(according to the website), I was told they had two month old pups available but "we only have males and they can't be kept together."  I called back later to reserve them and she once again told me this, in detail, and this time I told her about my last trio, and she responded with silence.  I didn't get into the social needs of gerbils/the facts/the science as I hate sounding like a "know-it-all" but I do plan on writing the pet store an email.  Before we hung up, she once again told me they could not be kept together and she'd go over that with me when we arrived there.  She also said they have to tell people that because, those who try it, return to the store and tell them they're fighting, dead, and so on.

Last night we arrived at the pet store, which was extremely busy for a Saturday night in a college town.  The guy(college student) whom we asked for help proceeded to tell us the same stuff: they would kill each other.  He said we couldn't keep two males together repeatedly(it was a busy/loud place and we were tired so it was hard to get a word in) and even said things like "10-15%" chance of getting along and "you could wake up one day and one of them is dead, killed by the other, that happens all the time."  When they employee I spoke to over the phone came over to greet us, he said cheerfully "they're the ones getting the gerbils" to which she replied in a foreboding manner.. "I know...two males."  My SO doesn't know a great deal about gerbils(I'm the 30something year old gerbil lover here) but he does understand animal behavior and of course witnessed the love(and zero fighting) among our previous trio of gerbils.  He was shocked, and we just wanted to get out of there as again..very tired, long drive ahead of us.  But it was a bizarre experience and has left me with a lot of questions today..

They said the gerbils actually came from one of two breeders whom they use; not born in house.  They look older than 2 months but I was given an exact birth date and the store DOES have a good reputation.  I'll be posting pictures of the little guys to confirm this..

Given that they've supposedly heard so many horror stories involving two males kept together, could these gerbils carry a genetic trait that would predispose them such aggression?  My guess is that they were not kept in proper conditions, and yeah.. a NUMBER of things can happen with gerbils that could lead to behavioral issues.  I imagined a child keeping them in a cramped habitrail, taking one out for days to Grandma's house, then reintroducing them, for example.  They did not discuss food, "Do Not's," housing, or anything with me.  They simply warned: do not keep two males together. 

So we're home now and, after that experience and my doubts of their age, I'm a little fearful of introducing(via split cage) them to my 6 month old.  A part of me is leaning towards keeping them together, and introducing another male to them.  I'm not sure that my SO will go for that, however, understandably as it would involve a 2-4 hr drive.

And, yeah, I'd like to write an email to them, citing plenty of websites and whatnot.

Thoughts?

[crittercrazy]

Pet stores drive me nuts. You'd think a store completely devoted to animals would know at least the basics!

Anyway- I'm guessing there is nothing wrong with these gerbils. My guess is that the pet store has had customers whose gerbils declanned (in some cases probably because they weren't caring for them properly) or something like that, and that they have a preconceived notion about the whole males can't live together thing.

So my advice would be to quarantine them for two weeks. Not only is this a good idea in any case, but it should also be enough time to guarantee that there isn't something "off" about these males and that they aren't going to kill each other. If they two of them get along, then I'd say its safe to introduce them to your current male.
Definitely write that email too.

Good luck!

[kristinenote]

I had the same problem when I got my first trio of gerbils. The girl said they can't be kept together, blah blah blah. I thought she had confused gerbils with syrian hamsters to be honest LOL.

Did this pet store say just Males could not be housed together? Or Females can't be housed together either?

It is my understanding that females de-clan a lot more often then males.

An informative e-mail sounds great imo

[Shooting Star]

It's "common knowledge" that male rodents can't live together peacefully. As far as I know, that's actually only a problem with mice, and even that's not absolute.

[betty]

I had my two male mice together for their entire lives - they were brothers though as that might make a difference - and all my male rats lived just fine too.

However my female gerbils.... that's another story!

[mcats]

Yes, mice or hamsters... or horribly cared for/kept male gerbils, would be my guess.

They're both doing well so far and I'll be posting pictures in an attempt to be reassured about their ages. One DOES have a severely kinked tail but they both appear healthy and sweet. It's horrible to think of the gerbils who are forced to live a life in solitary confinement, most likely not within a stimulating environment(they asked me nothing about this) due to the ignorance of pet store employees. Of course, it just takes a simple Google search to see that they're wrong but, from my experience, people simply aren't willing to do their own research.

[highflyer]

Ugh, the Pet Store people drive me nuts.

What they're telling you is bogus.



I went to go get Holly, a newer female gerbil who I was hoping to introduce to my other female Heather, and you know what the lady said?



"You're lucky you're introducing two females. Males are WAY harder to introduce."
(When in reality females are way more territorial than males ^^")


An email to them sounds good. They shouldn't be talking if they don't know what they're talking about.


Lol. Just trust your gut. I've never actually tried to introduce two gerbils to one, and I'm a bit curious, so please, could you let me know how it works out?


Thanks!!


Hope I helped!! Xxxxxx Good luck with your new gerbils!!

[Awaiting Abyss]

Many customers who come in my work assume all male small animals cannot be kept together because males are "dominant." They are usually shocked when I tell them gerbil males are less dominate and must be with another gerbil.

I've successfully kept many male mice together; both fancy and show quality. It really depends on the particular mice. People are also always shocked that female mice are dominant. Female mice will form a group and pick a male. If a male does not suit them they will chase him off or kill him.

[elliriyanna]

I think they may have been thinking of other male rodents hamsters and mice males have a much higher chance of fighting. ( though some hamster species are solitary) and even some male rats who are highly social can not live with other males without a neuter due to hormones. I usually ignore the pet store people since I know more than them anyway ( not being a know it all its just I have done research and here they don't hire people who actually care about the animals)

[the_gerbilpetsworld]

Pet Stores drive me up the roof

Male gerbils can live together with no problem at all so don't listen to what they say

Hope I helped
PetMad15

[leafwhisp]

Pet stores. I've only come acress 1 that had all correct info about the gerbils! They're not hamsters!

[daisy]

I got my two boys at a local pet store.  They were housed together in a clean aquarium, with some nice stimulating toys and a wheel.  The young employee gave me a friendly lecture on the importance of keeping them together, stating that they were litter mates.  They were almost identical in appearance.  I do think they were a little older than he thought they were, but he said wasn't sure of the age.

What a contrast to the first store I went to, where 5 or 6 gerbils were in a small aquarium and the employees had no idea what gender they were.  Naturally, I left that store without getting anything.  I returned some time later and saw one of the gerbils was injured.  I told the manager, who told an employee to take the gerbil out so he or she  could go to the vet and the employee started to pick the gerbil up by the tail.  I told her that was not the correct way to pick up a gerbil and told the manager.  The manager didn't seem overly concerned so I wrote the company - the store is a chain.  That store is closer to me than the other one, but I won't buy anything there, not even a tiny toy.

Daisy