Post by pepandmax on Jul 13, 2007 17:33:14 GMT -8
The Split: Why
One of the reasons that gerbils make great pets is that they are very social animals. It's great fun to watch them interact with each other—grooming, napping, and boxing. Because gerbils have a strong sense of who is familiar and who is not, two strange adult gerbils will fight if they are not properly introduced. This post outlines the best way to introduce two adult gerbils that either have never met or lived together previously or need to be re-introduced for some reasons.
The best way to introduce two gerbils is to use a split tank. A split tank is a regular, large tank that has a divider of mesh or hardware cloth in the middle, separating the tank vertically into two compartments. Each side has a water bottle, food bowl, litter, and some nesting material placed next to the divider.
The Split: How
One gerbil is placed on each side of the divider. The gerbils are switched from side to side several times per day. (Tip: Try to have each gerbil spend the night on the opposite side as the previous night. You can accomplish this by switching them first thing in the morning, right after work or school, and again before bed.) The goal is for the gerbils to become accustomed to each others' presence and scent.
The following are two different designs for a split.
1) Permanent Split
This split is constructed with ½'' mesh and wire. One piece is cut to the size of the bottom of the tank, and another piece is cut to the size of one of the sides of the tank. The middle divider is wired to the bottom piece. It's held upright by drilling small holes through the plastic at the top of the tank and wiring it into place. This design could be modified to have two pieces of mesh, separated by ½'', for riskier introductions where there is a possibility of noses or toes getting bitten through the mesh.
There are several disadvantages to this design. First, the only way to remove it is to remove all of the litter. In addition, litter gets trapped under the bottom mesh, and it's a pain to clean. It's important to put a lot of litter into the tank; otherwise, the gerbils will burrow down to the mesh on the bottom.
2) Removable Split
This split is constructed with ½'' mesh and aluminum channel. The aluminum channel is cut to size using a hacksaw. It can be attached to the glass using aquarium silicon, or hot glue (be careful that no hot glue seeps out the corners—your gerbils might chew at it). The wire mesh is slid into place. It is not as easy to modify this design to include a double-layer of mesh.
This method results in a tank that is much easier to clean than the above tank. Still, litter gets stuck in the channel and has to be pushed out of the way with a pencil eraser before the mesh can be slid into place.
One of the reasons that gerbils make great pets is that they are very social animals. It's great fun to watch them interact with each other—grooming, napping, and boxing. Because gerbils have a strong sense of who is familiar and who is not, two strange adult gerbils will fight if they are not properly introduced. This post outlines the best way to introduce two adult gerbils that either have never met or lived together previously or need to be re-introduced for some reasons.
The best way to introduce two gerbils is to use a split tank. A split tank is a regular, large tank that has a divider of mesh or hardware cloth in the middle, separating the tank vertically into two compartments. Each side has a water bottle, food bowl, litter, and some nesting material placed next to the divider.
The Split: How
One gerbil is placed on each side of the divider. The gerbils are switched from side to side several times per day. (Tip: Try to have each gerbil spend the night on the opposite side as the previous night. You can accomplish this by switching them first thing in the morning, right after work or school, and again before bed.) The goal is for the gerbils to become accustomed to each others' presence and scent.
The split tank set-up can last anywhere from a week to many months. It may be time to proceed with an introduction: once the gerbils appear confident in each others' presence; if they greet each other by “kissing” through the divider; or if they sleep next to each other, next to the divider. To introduce the gerbils, remove the divider, and watch their interaction carefully for the next several hours. Be ready to break up any fights. If a fight does occur, replace the divider and start the process again.
[edit 2 by Markpd. We're now compiling a new more detailed Split Intro guide here, currently still under construction as of 13-10-23]
1) Permanent Split
This split is constructed with ½'' mesh and wire. One piece is cut to the size of the bottom of the tank, and another piece is cut to the size of one of the sides of the tank. The middle divider is wired to the bottom piece. It's held upright by drilling small holes through the plastic at the top of the tank and wiring it into place. This design could be modified to have two pieces of mesh, separated by ½'', for riskier introductions where there is a possibility of noses or toes getting bitten through the mesh.
There are several disadvantages to this design. First, the only way to remove it is to remove all of the litter. In addition, litter gets trapped under the bottom mesh, and it's a pain to clean. It's important to put a lot of litter into the tank; otherwise, the gerbils will burrow down to the mesh on the bottom.
2) Removable Split
This split is constructed with ½'' mesh and aluminum channel. The aluminum channel is cut to size using a hacksaw. It can be attached to the glass using aquarium silicon, or hot glue (be careful that no hot glue seeps out the corners—your gerbils might chew at it). The wire mesh is slid into place. It is not as easy to modify this design to include a double-layer of mesh.
This method results in a tank that is much easier to clean than the above tank. Still, litter gets stuck in the channel and has to be pushed out of the way with a pencil eraser before the mesh can be slid into place.
[edit by Markpd. One thing that both of these pictures are missing is a lid to prevent a gerbil from climbing over the top to get to the other side. Make sure the divider meets up with the lid so that gerbils can't squeeze through!]
[edit by Markpd. Removed statement that silicone glue is permanent. Silicone glue can be removed too, so it is not permanent].