should i get dewy a new friend

[katiecat]

so my gerbil sky recently passed away and her sister dewy seems super lonley she is search every were and sad she can't find her sister should i get dewy a buddy(err buddett or what ever u would call a girl buddy) she is about 11 months old should i wait a week or 2 and see if she is ok(in case whatever shy had was contagious) and if so get her a new friend(i would find one on craigslist or somewhere like that so she would have some one her age) or let her live her next 6 months-a year alone

[blanknote]

I would personally recommend getting her a friend, as gerbils do prefer to live with someone. She's only a year old, and she could even live up to 3 years or more!

If you do get her a friend, it would be better to find a pup (or 2). It is easier to introduce a pup to an older gerbil (especially when they are females), as the older gerbil is automatically the dominant one, so they are less likely to fight. (That's what I have read, I don't have personal experience in split caging/introducing new gerbils.)

[katiecat]

ok ill get her a friend:)
i thought i saw something that i saw something that said if you try to introduce one gerbil to a pair they won't get along i thought u can only introduce a single to a single

[PurpleSheep]

You can successfully introduce two pups to an adult, if the pups are very young (6-8 weeks). If your girl is under a year, just one pup might be okay, since the age difference won't be that big. Good luck with the introduction.

[cathy123]

I've had experience with introducing gerbils if you want any advice.

[betty]

Yeah, any of those combos should work - 1 young pup, 2 very young pups, or even an adult of the same-ish age.

Just read up on the Split method if you are trying adults as it can take a bit longer before they settle down together and decide who will be boss. Pups usually bond with the adult in no time as pups don't have any dominance value - so they just automatically take their place at the bottom.

You are right about mixing pairs of older gerbils - especially females - as it often doesn't work out long-term even if they go together in the first place.