Post by Thelodar on Mar 27, 2015 12:31:28 GMT -8
As a bit of background, I have three male gerbils in a 40 gallon aquarium. Half of the aquarium is deep bedding (8-10 inches) and the other half is shallow (2-3 inches). The sides are divided with a plexiglass half wall. I have had all three gerbils, Theo, Darwin, and Logan, for 1.5 years. They were adopted from the shelter as adults so I am unsure of their actual age. They were already together when I adopted them but I'm not sure if they were always together (litter mates) or if the shelter put them together. They were in the shelter for maybe 4 months before I adopted them. The 40 gallon tank is new, they've been in it for about a month, they were previously in a 20 gallon long. I cleaned the tank on Sunday for the first time since they've been in it. As usual I dumped all of the bedding and completely cleaned out the tank.
On Tuesday night when I went to feed them I noticed that Darwin had something on his face. Upon further inspection I realized he was covered in big scabs, especially around his neck. I posted a thread in the health section ( gerbilforum.proboards.com/thread/30623/frightening-skin-condition ). Members said they looked like scabbed over fight wounds. I looked over my other two closely and discovered two things. One, Theo had lost lots of weight but had no scabs and two, Logan had a few scabs as well, one on the nose and a few small ones around the neck. After a vet trip Theo's weight loss is being taken care of (teeth problems), I only mention it because someone suggested it could have helped trigger whatever went on between Darwin and Logan.
So the scabs suggest that there was a fight between Logan and Darwin in which Darwin got the worst of it. I didn't see it happen and have seen no signs of discontent between them since. They have been a bit more skittish than usual with me but I assumed that was because I had started allowing the dog into my bedroom (where they are) for the first time this week in hopes of getting him used to the gerbils. He has not been allowed in my bedroom since I got them as he's a known rodent killer but I was hoping I could start desensitizing him to them. So I let him in for about 15 minutes on Sunday and Monday. He pretty much stares at the tank and cries the whole time so I'm sure it's a bit stressful for them.
So I'm not sure what caused the fight: the new tank, cleaning it, the presence of the dog, or Theo's declining condition, or all three. My guess is the fight occurred on Sunday after I cleaned the tank. I can't believe I would have missed the scab on Darwin's face when I removed them from the tank to clean it Sunday morning since I noticed it so easily when I fed them on Tuesday and I definitely would have seen the chomp on Logan's nose but I think the wounds were too scabbed over to have occurred Monday or Tuesday.
So my reason for making this thread is to to ask: do you think I need to split Darwin and Logan up? I'm so unsure of what to do since I have not seen any problems, I didn't even see the fight, I've never seen bullying, they are being their normal selves with each other. But everyone says once there is bloodshed there will be bloodshed again. I don't want a dead gerbil. What are your thoughts?
On Tuesday night when I went to feed them I noticed that Darwin had something on his face. Upon further inspection I realized he was covered in big scabs, especially around his neck. I posted a thread in the health section ( gerbilforum.proboards.com/thread/30623/frightening-skin-condition ). Members said they looked like scabbed over fight wounds. I looked over my other two closely and discovered two things. One, Theo had lost lots of weight but had no scabs and two, Logan had a few scabs as well, one on the nose and a few small ones around the neck. After a vet trip Theo's weight loss is being taken care of (teeth problems), I only mention it because someone suggested it could have helped trigger whatever went on between Darwin and Logan.
So the scabs suggest that there was a fight between Logan and Darwin in which Darwin got the worst of it. I didn't see it happen and have seen no signs of discontent between them since. They have been a bit more skittish than usual with me but I assumed that was because I had started allowing the dog into my bedroom (where they are) for the first time this week in hopes of getting him used to the gerbils. He has not been allowed in my bedroom since I got them as he's a known rodent killer but I was hoping I could start desensitizing him to them. So I let him in for about 15 minutes on Sunday and Monday. He pretty much stares at the tank and cries the whole time so I'm sure it's a bit stressful for them.
So I'm not sure what caused the fight: the new tank, cleaning it, the presence of the dog, or Theo's declining condition, or all three. My guess is the fight occurred on Sunday after I cleaned the tank. I can't believe I would have missed the scab on Darwin's face when I removed them from the tank to clean it Sunday morning since I noticed it so easily when I fed them on Tuesday and I definitely would have seen the chomp on Logan's nose but I think the wounds were too scabbed over to have occurred Monday or Tuesday.
So my reason for making this thread is to to ask: do you think I need to split Darwin and Logan up? I'm so unsure of what to do since I have not seen any problems, I didn't even see the fight, I've never seen bullying, they are being their normal selves with each other. But everyone says once there is bloodshed there will be bloodshed again. I don't want a dead gerbil. What are your thoughts?
