Had to split gerbils due to fighting. What's next?

[KGood]

Hi everyone, I am very worried right now and I hope someone can help.

I bought two young female gerbils about a month ago. One, the victim in this recent fight, is and has always been smaller than the other gerbil. I think they were littermates, but the size difference makes me wonder.

About a week after I got them, they both started chasing the other around the tank, trying to mount the other one. At first I was alarmed and double checked they were both female then I read that mounting could be a sign of asserting dominance. I figured they would work it out, but I kept a close eye on them. They were still grooming and sleeping with each other, and there were no bites or injuries.

In the past week, I have noticed the larger gerbil chasing the smaller one around a lot with her nose under the smaller one's tail, basically in her rump. No fighting occurred after this, but the small one didn't seem to enjoy it.

Tonight, I was doing dishes and I heard some loud squeaking and thumps coming from the tank so I ran over. The large gerbil was chasing the small one around and they were jumping into the air and squeaking... I can't really describe it well because it happened so fast, but it was definitely not just normal boxing. I scooped up the victim as she's the easiest for me to grab. Neither seem to be injured.

I didn't really know what to do. We don't have an extra tank and it's too late to get materials for a split cage tonight. My husband taped a baking sheet in diagonally to act as a temporary split cage. I have a few questions, as I've never had to split two gerbils up before:

1) Why were they fighting? Was it a dominance issue?

2) Can I remove the barrier tomorrow morning and see if they are okay, or do I need to do a formal reintroduction? They would be split for less than 8 hours.

I really hope they decide to like each other again, because I think they would be sad without snuggle buddies

Thanks,
Katie

[johanne]

Good job separating them before anyone was injured. Unfortunately, we don't always know why any pair of gerbils starts fighting. Sometimes it can be set off if they believe they're short on something... food selection, water bottle jammed, toys, space, whatever. I assume they're in a plain tank with a lid?

Certainly don't just remove the barrier. You will need a split cage to safely reunite them, unfortunately. And give them lots of everything they could possibly want.

[maya]

Reintroduce them again. My gerbils always fight every morning. It is a case of dominance and they seem to be sorting it out a lot, they sometimes squeek. They smell each others buttoms because it is how they recognise each other. It is normal. They also may do something like sex occasionaly but I don't interupt mine too much as who knows what it all is.
Do you have a big enough cage for them? Maybe they do a bit get on each others nerves and maybe they are bored. Do you give them lots of biting toys? Make them busy?

[johanne]

matyamisha, one of your gerbils is very ill. If they're fighting every morning, that could be part of the reason. Fighting tends to escalate over time and gets worse, not better, if they're left alone. A proper reintroduction often solves their issues and they get along well again.

[KGood]

Thanks for the advice johanne! With the help of my husband, I made a sturdy split cage. They seem fine, and sleeping in each other's nests. They also seem very nonchalant when I switch them. I think those are good signs, right?

[maya]

Johanne.my gerbils always quarel a little, for nearly two years now. I used to worry but there was never blood so I stopped and let them be. They have a big gerbilarium and a running place. I don't thing illness of my gerbil is due to fighting, there is something wrong with her teeth. (She had them trimmed a week ago). I see it a good sign if Matya can fight Misha back now. I often saw them pull each others ears a little and other times lick each other (there was no pulling bullying this week). But obviously I'm not sure how Katie's gerbils get along. My gerbils are not the same litter. I supose they got used to each other. The dominant one is slightly older and stornger, always was. She often tries to steel food of the smaller Matya and therefore chases her but I noticed that it happens the other way round too. While one is trying to steel other one squeeks. At the moment I feed my Matya as she is not that well but getting better and stronger. She tries to eat a little on her own now too. If I see Misha steeling of her I just push her slightly with my finger away but then I feed them outside their cage in their running place. (They have food inside too.)
Best of luck to Katie with her gerbils!

[maya]

this is from website - hhgerbilry.com/gerbilcare.html
Gerbils also enjoy playing with each other. Common games include chasing each other around the cage and wrestling. Wrestling will sometimes look like the gerbils are fighting, but they usually aren't. The gerbils may stand on their hind legs, go nose-to-nose, and push each other around. They also will roll around the cage with each other. They may squeak when they are playing. The only time to be concerned about this is if you see blood or bite marks on any of the gerbils, or if two gerbils become rolled up in a tight ball (not to be confused with sleeping curled up next to each other) and are going for each others necks. Then they are fighting and should be separated immediately.

[claireandcoco]

I have a similar problem at the moment, just posted a thread asking for help.... I had 3 girls that i ended up having to seperate due to a lot of blood being spilled... i couldnt work out who started it so removed the most injured first (only 2 were injured in beginning)... then not long after (2 weeks i think) the last 2 fought as well, and were covered in blood!!! was horrific!!! all 3 ended up living (happily) on their own.... now i have 2 baby boys who are beginning to show the same behaviour....

[johanne]

Mar 2, 2011 18:30:52 GMT -8 @KGood said:

Thanks for the advice johanne! With the help of my husband, I made a sturdy split cage. They seem fine, and sleeping in each other's nests. They also seem very nonchalant when I switch them. I think those are good signs, right?

Yes, those are excellent signs, Katie ;D Give them a few days of back and forth in the split cage and they should be best of friends once again ;D

[johanne]

Matyamisha, of course we all need to learn the difference between playing and fighting. From Katie's description involving loud squeaking and jumping into the air, her gerbils were not playing. After a person has to deal with a few injured or dead gerbils, one gets to be fairly good at knowing the difference between playing and fighting and starts to err on the side of caution.

In general, I believe it's a good idea to study many different sources of information, in addition to our personal experiences. Different writers will have had different experiences and express themselves differently. A more balanced picture and better overall understanding of the topic is likely to emerge. This gets around that fact that no one knows everything or has had every possible experience.