Lonely Steppe after the death of her sister Dune.

[youps]

Good afternoon,

Sorry if my mail is too long but I need advices for my sweet Steppe.


Steppe is now alone : her sister Dune passed away last week. Since Steppe seems to be lost.

I have cleaned different things and the room , thrown away all cardboard boxes I could to remove scents from her sister as I read it could help her to cope. I have changed her nest ( anyway it was scheduled just before Dune passed away), bought and created new toys in order to make her busy. She was a bit with the nest that is a carboard box on hemp inside which I put recycled kitchen towel and toilet paper  : they loved to create their own nest with all these things , especially Dune. I slept on the sofa all night the three first days (during two days on the morning she came to see me, sat down on the pillow or went close to my torso ( I let a bit of the cover hanging on ) but after having changing the nest she did not come anymore). Then thinking I could disturb her I split my sleep and went back to their room only around 5 am as it's her time to wake up. I am trying to be present every time she wakes up. As I said before, she was busy with the nest a bit but she did not touch the toys or hardly. Sometimes  she also goes into her sand bowl ( Dune hated that but Steppe has always enjoyed a sand bath).
Well I am trying to do what I can but I get the feeling it's not enough and more perhaps I am doing things in the wrong way. I am worried : she still looks lost, not really busy , more waiting for her sister ( often she keeps herself close to the kitchen door listening ( when Dune was ill , she even followed me in as if she was thinking I had taken her sister into this room though Dune was in their room but seperated to give her some calm)  Also she still comes to see me when I crouch down with my head down ( they loved pulling my hair, or used me as a tunnel ... and she eats her treats or pellets I give her between my legs , hidden ..so I think she still trusts me but i's not enough and want to make her a good life.

She is 2 years and 10 months old. I can't introduce a new mate to her  as  two years and 10 months ago when I chose to have them , I chose to let them free : they had their own room with four big tanks we have created with my partner.The lower tanks are opened ont a first playground ( carpet, rolls, and cage to go on the top or hide under and places for their wood factory ;-).This playground is open onto the rest of the room almost entirely cover with rolls, cardboards boxes, covers in order to allow them to hide above or go on the top ...My friends laughed at me saying it was bigger than Buckingham Palace. Well I guess you imagine all the cleaning and the cares this organization needs and I am getting old.
Anyway, today I am wondering if I have to reduce a bit all this space : is it too big ?. I have already moved a fish tank I used as a different place for digging from a place inthe room onto the carpet part and even think of putting it inside the lower tanks ). I also did that for her sand bowl. 

 I do not know what to do : I just want Steppe to feel better.

She has always been shy, always been the digger when Dune was the nibbler , she was the dominated. She eats normally, drinks too but looks so lonely despite my presence. It breaks my heart. 

Thank you very much for your advices and for helping the sweet adorable Steppe.

[betty]

Difficult - as it all about how you think she is feeling, so you should do whatever you think is best for her.

However, you will never actually know if she is pining for a gerbil friend, or whether she has been freed up from being the submissive one and is now loving the fact that she gets to do whatever she wants all the time (following you around) without the other one telling her off!

I don't think it is ever too late to introduce them to a friend if she is still in good health, but it depends what you want gerbil-wise after she passes - whether this is soon or in another 2 years? You can add pups, or another older gerbil - but I think you are considering making the living space smaller - which isn't a bad thing for both you and Steppe as you said you are both aging.

It would be necessary anyway when you do your split - as it is best done in a tiny tank so they are closer together - so perhaps this would be an ideal time to shrink your room down to just half or less of what you currently have.

Lots of options - but always go with what YOU think is best - as you are the one who has to care for her (and yourself).

[youps]

Good morning Betty, 

Thank you for your answer.
Sorry not having answered you before. My companion who came ( he arrived at the strain station when Dune was passing away ) has just left. 
I understand that introducing a friend to Steppe could be a good thing but I do not want pups : one day I will have to go back to my country. I looked on the website of the RSPCA close to my home but they do not have old gerbils, I looked at the adverts too ( it broke my heart to see all these people who let their gerbils breed and make money with the pups or who take news to please the older left and do not know what to do with the new if the introduction failed) but again not old gerbil. And I have no car so I can't go very far to take a old gerbil

Until now Steppe eats, drinks but she has given up the sand baths. Perhaps it's because now she is able to groom herself. I had never seen her before doing it when Dune did.Funnily they use the same place in the front of me, a little bit as if Steppe grew up in one week. She does not chew so much cardboardboxes though she put in order her nest ( meaning making holes so chewing the cardboard box). By the way, it was Dune the nibbler and Steppe the digger. I have ordered a new bulk of 7.5 kg of hemp that will arrive today and I will create a bigger place to dig than her tank fish or the surroudings of her nest. This morning she came onto the sofa to say an hello something she had not done for some days. It made me happy. 

About the living space it was a question in fact (And sorry for my English ) 
What I meant was " do you think that such a big living space" can frigthen her as now she is alone ? ".
 My companion showed me how to create a photo album on bucket in order to pu some pictures here. I hope it will work ( I still do not know how to reduce the size) .The first picture is when people came to visit me, the second is when we were alone ( they liked to go under the radiator and it's here Dune groomed herself and now Steppe),the third was when having even not finished yet the "outdoors playground" Steppe was already in her tank fish throwning hemp everywhere. They made me smile or laugh so often all together they were partners in crime : ) ) Anyway it's to show you what kind of space Steppe has now alone. Perhaps it's too big ? Perhaps it can frighten her ?