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Post by Coco on Mar 22, 2006 10:21:36 GMT -8
Hello, today I got my lonely gerbil another brother (the other one was killed at the petshop yesterday) supposedly they are from the same litter, same age and were apart around 30 hours.
I put a fence inside the cage, both went mad I was terrified but they seemed to be kissing!, they were desperate to jump to be with each other, the one traumatized by the death of his brother even started acting normal!, jumping and chewing trying to meet the other one, I feared they wanted to kill each other but suddenly one jumped and they seemed to be playing.
It's been about 40 minutes, they are running everywhere but have been to the nest together, now both look happy BUT the old one seems to want to mount the smaller one, and sometimes when inside the nest I hear a squeak, do I split them again?.
They are grooming and they weren't apart inside the cage more than around 8 minutes total (when I split them a second time they licked each other again).
I fear leaving them alone or them starting a fight in a few hours, do I have reason to worry?, do I leave them sleep together?.
Sorry it's long, I hope I can get some advice.
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Post by doomgerbiluk on Mar 22, 2006 11:07:24 GMT -8
Mounting is a dominance thing. Same sex gerbil colonies exhibit same sex mounting, it's perfectly normal and nothing to worry about.
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Post by Coco on Mar 22, 2006 12:02:38 GMT -8
Thank you doomgerbiluk for another prompt and useful reply, I guess I don't know how much mounting is normal but the two gerbils have now been sleeping together for about 2 hours so I hope there aren't any problems.
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Post by doomgerbiluk on Mar 22, 2006 12:21:01 GMT -8
I'm glad it helped. How much depends on the colony so there is no yard arm measure I'm afraid.
As they are so comfortable now I suspect you;ve cracked it but you are sensible to be cautious and alert for a while... at least for the enxt 48 hours.
I am glad things are going well for you.
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Post by lizzy on Mar 23, 2006 9:37:17 GMT -8
They probably wouldn't forget each other within 30 hours. I agree with the other posters on keeping an eye on them etc, but it sounds like things will be okay.
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Post by Coco on Mar 23, 2006 10:34:47 GMT -8
Thank you doomgerbiluk and lizzy for your comments.
It has been 24 hours that they met and even if they're still sleeping together the big one keeps chasing the other one and they seem to ball fight (or just box?) for a few seconds every few hours, they act more normal in general but I'll definitely keep paying close attention to them.
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Post by pepandmax on Mar 24, 2006 5:33:17 GMT -8
Good job for keeping a close eye on them.
When I originally got gerbils, I brought home just Pep (before I found out that lone gerbils are a no-no). Two days later, I brought home Max. Again, not knowing what I was doing, I just put them in a cardboard box together, grabbed some gloves, and watched and waited. For a little bit, they seemed anxious and unable to settle down, but within an hour or two they nested together, and they have been inseperable since.
So, I don't think it is that unusual for littermates to recognize each other after 12-48 hours apart. It is still very important, however, to proceed with extreme caution.
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Post by Coco on Mar 24, 2006 7:48:53 GMT -8
I appreciate the info Pepandmax, I'm impressed your first two gerbils remembered each other after two days, mine possibly did too but I don't know if I'm overreacting when I see them chase each other so eagerly.
It's been 48 hours and now they seem jumpy and hyper towards me, I guess this will take a while, but I really wouldn't have had the heart to keep them apart after seeing how excited they were within seconds of having met.
But, I'll keep updating.
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Post by AndreaS15 on Mar 24, 2006 9:15:45 GMT -8
with my very first pair of gerbils I did the same thing, got the one sister, then 2 days later got the second.
I don't know how old they were but they were not small. I just put the new sister in the tank with the other one, and all was fine.
I wouldn't even try that now!
But I think after 48 hours, it's a bit risky whether or not they will recognize one another.
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Post by Coco on Mar 25, 2006 18:19:03 GMT -8
Well, here's an update.
They both seem to be doing well, the aggressive "games" have decreased a bit and the small one is no longer scared of me, in fact he's desperate to escape the tank using my hand.
I left them alone for 6 hours today and things were normal when I returned.
I'm about to say that 70 something hours later the introduction was a success. Thank you all who replied to this thread.
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