|
|
Post by rjsusko on May 25, 2015 14:34:20 GMT -8
Hi all, I know it's been a looong time since I posted... hopefully I'll recognize some faces still  Since the last time I popped by a new generation of gerbil clan has established itself in our household (though they will never replace the 1st gen in my heart!!) and we have two lovely paired ladies and two young males. Each of the boys is probably no more than 3-4 months, about a month between them I would guess or maybe less. They were both lone pet store rescues (the idiots at our petco apparently tell people it's better to adopt gerbils alone - I KNOW - so we tried to take the stragglers and bond them when we were looking for our new little men). They've been in the split for a little over 2 weeks and are starting to sleep in the same nest between switches but very little barrier interaction and not sleeping beside the barrier. Since they are young males I tried to let them be friends today...didn't go terribly but the older male was being a little too aggressive (arching, getting annoyed when other male attempted to do friendly things) and I put the barrier back in after about half an hour. Older male was chewing cardboard and cleaning his face when not interacting with the younger one. I had poor luck with putting two older females together a couple years ago but that's not exactly surprising...but I really thought this would go better. I'm a very experienced gerbil owner and now I'm feeling like a failure  Any tips, am I just being too overprotective at the meeting? I dearly want these little guys to get along and it seems ridiculous that it could not work out. |
|
|
|
Post by crittercrazy on May 25, 2015 18:16:51 GMT -8
I've had a few intros go that way- they don't look too good (one of the gerbils is being a little aggressive) but they work out in the end. Maybe give it another couple of days and try again, this time giving it a little longer? And as a side note- sounds like typical Petco to me. That's where I've gotten most of my gerbils. . . ugh, they have no knowledge. Once they had a little lone female they claimed "wouldn't get along" with their other gerbils, so of course I took her home. I introduced her to my pair of girls in a week. So much for not getting along.  |
|
|
|
Post by betty on May 27, 2015 1:48:04 GMT -8
Nearly all of my successful splits never involved sleeping together next to the divide and grooming all the time through it too.
The only time I have seen both these behaviours is with my current split (2 oldies) and after an introduction the other day the ended up in a ball fight!
So I think it is just one of those things - wait for most of the right signs (I base mine mainly on being calm after a side swap) and then take out the divide. I distract with a large fresh dust bath - mainly co they don't fit in my split tank so they haven't had one for AGES and have a pot or two in my hand for about the first half hour - more if I am concerned.
I had loads of bad luck with splits early on in my gerbil career because I was thinking about what I wanted them to do I think. Now, I always follow the exact slow intro process of swapping 3 times, not distractions, no bedding or tank changes (as that is what the gerbils actually want) and I have had great success with all sorts of splits and ages (apart from these current grumpy oldies giving me contradicting behaviours. Mind you they have only been in the split for just under 2 weeks - so we shall see what happens this week.)
|
|
|
|
Post by rjsusko on Jun 11, 2015 16:23:51 GMT -8
Alright, an update - but bad news We gave them another two weeks and as of about 5 days ago they were consistently sleeping in each other's nests next to each other, they have been calm for awhile after a swap and were swapping 3x daily, NO bedding or tank changed. I just spent the last hour and a half watching them with gloves and a pot - again, the older male was standoffish but as of about 15 mins ago he began to allow the younger one to groom him all over his face and shoulders, about 4 times total. I had started telling them stories about my last pair of male gerbils and how well they got along and they were very calm, eating and chewing next to each other. I sat back from the tank to pick up my phone and message a friend about how it had started going well when the younger male, Charlie, tried to groom again but this time Arthur freaked out and they went into a ball. I got them off of each other with minor difficulty but ended up pulling Arthur out via his teeth in my finger, THROUGH the glove, and got him under a pot. Now I have a bloody divot and I'm sitting here in tears not because of the pain (although it does hurt like a &@*#) but because I'm so deeply sad that they don't seem to be able to get on. I have examined both and seems no blood drawn but this is failure #2 after over a month in split. Should I try again? I feel horrible. Our next best option is to get a pup for Charlie, but I'm so sad for Arthur. I feel like I failed them. Sorry for the sob story guys |
|
|
|
Post by rjsusko on Jun 11, 2015 16:45:22 GMT -8
By the way, Arthur, the older male, has now built a nest directly against the barrier.  I DON'T UNDERSTAND! |
|
|
|
Post by betty on Jun 11, 2015 21:50:37 GMT -8
Same here. Had to give up on my split for the exact same reason. They were showing all the right signs, so I finally took out the split and they got on fine for about an hour. I did actually text my friend to tell her before popping out of the room to make a cuppa. Then they fought.
A week later after more sleeping in each other's nest and grooming through the bars, after an hour, ball fight again.
Final week, everything out the tank, perfect swapping, took out the split, hour of fine, then ball fight. So I gave up. That's no life for an oldie....
I have other singles so will try them with another gerbil at some point.
|
|
|
|
Post by rjsusko on Jun 11, 2015 22:36:09 GMT -8
So do you think a third try is reasonable or based on the similarities I should give up and try the more friendly one with a pup? If that's what's best I'm prepared for it but it hurts my heart to condemn a 4 month old to a lone life. :/
|
|
|
|
Post by betty on Jun 11, 2015 23:10:36 GMT -8
It's always difficult when to stop or keep going. I gave up as the older male was a friends and he really was looking old and hokey - so I didn't want him to spend his last few months feeling like he has to defend himself. He was fine and relaxed in the split from what I could tell, and not too bothered when they went together - I think it was the female who had the problem what with all her foot thumping (she's been split to males before though?).
So I just think mine was a combination of personality clash (the female) and my projection of oldness onto the male.
I have split together incredibly grumpy gerbils before, but I left them in the split as a permanent split for the first month, with the odd side swap, and only after a long time together did I start the full splitting process. But, I didn't want to take that long for this old man. However, I probably will for that females next split.
As for yours - it can only be a personal choice for you. And sometimes it isn't condeming it is retiring - gerbil society can be quite stressful what with all the dominance things going on - so I wonder if it is a relief for the older ones not to have to 'be the boss' anymore (or worse - to be the lesser being to a bossy younger upstart?).
|
|
Any tips, am I just being too overprotective at the meeting? I dearly want these little guys to get along and it seems ridiculous that it could not work out. 
