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Post by ayashinohikari on Jun 16, 2015 8:23:52 GMT -8
I recently adopted three 1 year old male gerbils, I got them and the place they are used to live in, it's a big tank of 273 liters/72 gallon. They are brothers and live together since birth. It's a colopoint pied, a black and a burmese.
On the very first day they got here the black and the cp had a small fight, I separated them by split cage and in 2 days they were sleeping next to each other and grooming each other, I took off the split cage and they seemed really fine.
One week has passed since they were living together again, today I woke up and the cp pied (the dominant one) had a little wound on his face and the black had lost a piece of his tail and it's very hurt on the base of his tail. I took both off, cleaned their wounds and watched how they would behave. Again they seem really fine, they groomed each other and even slept together while I was watching them... They are together now, I can't feel any tension between them but of course I'm keeping my eye on them.
I really don't know what to do, should I separate them? They get really depressed when alone. Is it possible that they had solved their issues and will live in peace from now on?
If I put them in separated tanks they won't have the life standard they are used to, there's no way I can buy another 72 gallon tank, I don't have room for it, but I can put the separated one in a smaller cage with another young male...
Any chance I can keep an eye on them and keep them together? Or it's too risky? I stay home all day as I work from here but I'm not sure if I'll hear a fight while I'm sleeping.
The burmese get along with both, never been into any fight.
I have 7 females in different tanks and never experienced a fight like that, I'm kinda surprised as everyone use to say that females use to fight more.
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Post by betty on Jun 16, 2015 9:49:29 GMT -8
It is weird they fought after the move if everything was still the same with the tank. And their wounds seem in odd places for a declan, the end of the tail is certainly unusual. Are you sure you didn't put anything in their task that was from the ladies?
Unfortunately, once blood is drawn, gerbils rarely ever settle back down together as the reason for the blood is that one wants the other one gone for good, and that's that. There's no negotiating their social hierarchy. However there will only be more blood as they can't go anywhere if they are stuck in the same tank, so you start to see them sitting alone up on a shelf or platform and eventually you get the chasing and scabs on the bum.
I would wait for more signs of an ACTUAL declan rather than this scuffle, but once you see any other signs I would seriously consider separating them for good.
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Post by ayashinohikari on Jun 16, 2015 10:29:53 GMT -8
Nope, nothing. Not even the drinking bottle, which is the only thing I didn't get from the previous owner, I bought a brand new for them.
They are sleeping together right now, sharing the same nest on the same little house. No chase at all. The three are together and acting pretty normal. I don't think it was declan but a hierarchy issue as the Black was mounting the Burmese on the first day, however, the former dominant was always the CP.
I had an hierarchy issue before with my girls when their leader got old, the fight drawn blood but it was less compared to today. They took care of each other, even the ones who got into the fight, and nominated a new leader on the next day, since then they are living together for one and a half year happily and without any fight so I don't believe in this 'once the blood was drawn there's no other way' thing.
But I don't have much experience with boys, I don't know if they are more inclined to fight or if they can get along well together when the hierarchy is well estabilished as my girls did. I don't want to see them hurt but I also don't want to split them if it's not necessary as they won't have the huge space they are used to.
Maybe split cage until the Black recovers? It breaks my heart... as I write they woke up and the two fighters are grooming each other right now T_T
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Post by betty on Jun 16, 2015 11:14:17 GMT -8
Wow - I have never had any gerbils stay together for longer than a few days after a serious scuffle - mind you I haven't left a lot of them in. That is really amazing.
And it is certainly interesting that your former dominant one ceded to the new leader as I have never seen that before either. I didn't think it was possible, even?
I will certainly still continue to recommend splitting up after serious bloodshed though (bums and faces), as I have had a lot of declans and they are not nice at all and I wouldn't wish being ripped apart on ANY gerbil. Better safe than sorry in my book.
I would certainly be open to hearing more about it if others have managed to keep clans together...
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Post by ayashinohikari on Jun 16, 2015 11:39:33 GMT -8
Really? I didn't know it was so unlikely to happen lol It seemed pretty natural when they decided that their mother was too old for leadership, of course the leader fought back, she got one bite on the side of her body but got accepted back into the clan as soon as she showed herself submissive, it was pretty fast, they slept together even after the fight. They are 5 females living together in a large tank, a mother (former leader) and 4 of her daughters, one of them named "Nut" is the new leader.
As for my males... I think I will keep them together as long as I can keep an eye on them, I will split them by split cage when I go to sleep and when I need to go out to keep them safe. If they show no sign of fight in one or two months I may let them together.
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Post by betty on Jun 16, 2015 12:02:24 GMT -8
How very interesting. All my de-clans have ended with more than a bite on the side! Perhaps yours was a semi-de-clan, perhaps something I have missed with mine? I don't pay too much attention to 'who is boss' if I am honest.
Mind you - I have also never had more than 2 females live together for their entire lives. All but pairs of litter-mate sisters end up de-clanning at some point.
That is why I am the split-cage queen - I have had to do SO many...
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Post by ayashinohikari on Jun 16, 2015 13:05:17 GMT -8
As for the 5 females, that I knew it was kind of rare. On the beginning I was doubting myself that it would work, I even had an extra cage ready to be used, but I wanted to know who would get along better with who so I kept them together until I realize. And that was... one and a half year ago lol.
Now I'm starting to believe that I won't have to split them at all, they are living in a pretty peaceful community of females. Hope they keep that way until their last days.
The only thing I do differently from my other cages is that I never do a full cleaning, I always keep the cleaner part of the bedding to keep their scent on the territory. Dunno if it works but I do it anyway.
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Post by betty on Jun 21, 2015 12:30:28 GMT -8
Still all very interesting.
And yes, most gerbils get on better with only a part clean, only some of mind will I feel confident enough to do a full clean. I know you CAN do a full clean for everyone, but why would you risk them fighting when leaving a bit of used bedding in there isn't gonna hurt anyone?
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Post by ayashinohikari on Jun 26, 2015 0:20:31 GMT -8
Just here to report that my 3 males are doing fine with each other! They are together again, sleeping together everday, grooming each other, no tension at all since I put them together again 10 days ago. My Black had lost a big piece of his tail unfortunatelly but he's fine.
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Post by betty on Jun 26, 2015 1:42:14 GMT -8
That's great news so far then, always good to keep friends together...
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