Paranoid about declanning/are these signs?

[lovebug6413]

Ive posted on here a lot lately due my anxious nature/overall paranoia over the happiness of ym gerbils. I have no experience with them and just want to make sure I am doing whats best for them by getting experienced owner's advice. 
So on a different thread I posted on how my adopted now three month old boys seems to be fighting.(theres three of them) I did a lot of research at that point and took people's advice saying it looked mostly social but Ive been noticing more. Koji who seems to be the aggressor before is now being bothered for a lack of a better term by Enzo. Koji will be minding his own business and Enzo will start pushing him around, sniffing his butt, and following him around everywhere. I even noticed him mounting Koji, though they were in a jar for a sand bath and it could've been the tight quarters that caused the supposed action. Ive been looking for signs of fights when i come back from school (blood on faces, tails, butts, etc) and have seen nothing yet. There usually isn't squeaking when this is happening and they will go about their business afterwards. In their tank I have two nesting areas/houses that all three go between on any given night. One is much smaller and they have been occupying that one since Ive noticed this behavior. They are currently all sleeping/hanging out in there together fine, but I have noticed every so often Koji will come out and go in the other house on the other end. He isn't being pushed out by Enzo, he just walks out and runs around on the wheel then goes in the unoccupied hut. The thing is he doesn't stay in there for a long time and he has always been more independent/willing and/or very lazy to sleep everywhere. After a little while he will just get up eat some more, drink some more, dig some more, and go back with the rest of them. 
I would also like to mention I have been remodeling their tank the last couple of days to add a DIY tank topper to give them more space and have changed out/cleaned the tank as such. This is been when Ive noticed the behavior.
Could all the changes and new smells be setting them off? Should I hold off on the remodel until the behavior settles or would it be okay to continue in the hopes the extra space will give them more freedom/area from one another? Is this true signs of declanning and should I separate them? If so who and how? Am I being the most paranoid gerbil mom out there and need to calm down?

[blanknote]

Are you sure you aren't just paying more attention to their behaviour than before?

To me it sounds pretty normal behaviour. I'm pretty sure one of my boys sometimes bothers the other one (pushing around/sniffing his butt, following him), and to be honest, the first time I started to notice them doing things like that I was worried they would start fighting. They are sleeping in the same place, so I think that should be a good indication that they still like each other.

I would like to add, though, that I have only had my boys since October, so I do not know gerbils as well as some others do, and haven't experienced declanning.

[crittercrazy]

Sounds normal to me. I understand being paranoid as well. . . but try not to worry too much.

Also, just a quick note if this makes you feel better at all. . . I've owned a total of around 22 gerbils, all of them in groups of one or two, and have never had a declan. So long as the gerbils have enough space and are appropriately grouped, I don't think declanning is that likely.

[lovebug6413]

It makes me feel better that everyone thinks it should be normal. Im going to keep an eye on them, but am happy they are cuddled up tight in the smaller hut. I think the stress of the changes/action around the cage was getting to them. I gave them a sand bath, hough it was more me putting sand on them since they don't get the concept to give them all a more neutral smell to one another. Will keep things updated.

[betty]

On an aside with the sand bath, I often find that when I put a clean sand bath in with a litter of pups from 3 weeks, it becomes the face-off arena. It's so cute.

They will spend ages battling each other, hands hitting faces, leaping in the air, pushing each other over, etc. This usually continues until only one is left guarding the sand bowl, or the mum or dad jumps in and ruins the game...

Perhaps yours are just having fun?

[lovebug6413]

They seem to have settled down now hopefully it'll all blow over, thanks everyone for the advice

[theia]

Sounds normal to me, my three girls (well the bigger two anyway) do exactly this sort of stuff - , chasing, mounting and all. Often the dominant gerbil will try to put his/her scent mark on the other subordinate gerbils, or if they're not scent marking they could just be feeling a bit frisky and trying to 'breed'.

As long as they are sleeping together and grooming each other then they should be fine. I believe you were the one who put up a video of their 'fighting' that you were worried about? If so, from what I saw that was just wrestling, happy friendly gerbils will wrestle each other every now and then for a little bit.

I would only separate them if one starts spending all his time away from the others, sleeping somewehere else and never with them, or if you see any wounds/blood appear. If you ever see two of them in a tight ball rolling aroun the cage (it will literally look like a ball) then that is a true (potentially fight to the death) fight and needs to be stopped and seperated immediately (I suggest you get hold of some thick gloves in case that ever happens with these boys or any other gerbils you may own in the future as it's very likely you'll get bitten accidentally when separating them, I got bitten just the other day when one of mine got herself worked up over a different gerbil in another set up, ouch).

But as it stands currently your boys sound fine to me.

[lovebug6413]

Just a quick update, for most of the day the three of them slept in the small hut together, as it came to my night time routine (quite early on some days due to early morning shifts) I did my normal hand taming treat distributing and hay/TP for nighttime nesting and I saw Koji running into the larger hut where Enzo followed him in, all was good and I looked away only to hear a loud "thud" from inside and to see Koji running out and going to hide in the small hut. I looked him over, no cuts or bleeding and no scratches on Enzo, he didn't pursue Koji, just came out to see where he went. Koji has since been very wary of Enzo, only going to cuddle for a short time or staying on the outskirts of the hut. They are all settling in for the night it seems and Koji is in the large hut on the other side of the tank alone, which has intermittently happened all day. I want to add the "small hut" is just as described, a small wooden house that theoretically should only fit two at the most, but they like to borrow into the bedding and all get inside. Is the small space causing tension between them? I notice when two are inside and the third comes in squeaking starts up as I can imagine heads, tails, etc are getting stepped on. Should I take the small one out? They've only taken a liking to it since I have cleaned the tank this last time, they used to all stay in the larger house all together with no issues.

[crittercrazy]

I really don't think you have much to worry about- I hear "thuds" and see gerbils running and hiding all the time. And its fine to have the small hut in there; my three male gerbils all squeeze into a small hut, doesn't seem to bother them.
Honestly, I wouldn't worry too much unless you actually see them fighting. (and not just play-fighting)
Hope that helps.