Lone Gerbil Intro/Travel and Why Can't I Create an Account?

[NotYouHahaha]

Hey everyone!

Heres a quick version of the questions for those who don't have much time on their hands  :

Can you introduce a gerbil that had declanned from his siblings very early on to another gerbil? How do you travel with a gerbil? And how can I get my account accepted so I can be a member?

Heres the background with the more specific questions   :

I bought Jerry (short for Geronimo hehe) a gerbil, from a pet store a couple weeks ago. He had been there for a while, had fought with his siblings and had to be separated from them (he has a kink in his tail- possibly genetic, possibly from the fights) (Also don't know if it was him that initiated the fight or his brother) and had bit a few employees. They said he was a lot more "feisty" than the others. No one wanted him. I had been keeping an eye on him for a couple months and it looked like his health was deteriorating in there, so decided to save him. They kept trying to show me the ones in the back, as though Jerry was unadoptable..  They let me put my hand in the tank with him - he didn't bite me (which surprised the employee) but retreated to a corner and carefully watched. They didn't know his age but guessed between 4 and 6 months. I gave him a day or two to adjust to his new home and have been working on gaining his trust every day since then. I have since realized that he is not aggressive, but is scared, especially of hands. Dogs don't scare him, but hands do. He's become a lot more tame and hasn't bitten me once. He has made HUGE steps at improvement!  Now he comes and sniffs my hand every time, will jump up on it, and seems eager for play time in the bath tub  (Still doesn't like to be picked up..its like he turns into a wild jumping kangaroo when I try to scoop him up hehe but thats a work in progress lol) He seems perfectly happy being the only gerbil, but it makes me sad that he doesn't have a buddy. Especially since classes will be starting up again soon, and I want him to have a buddy for when I'm not there to entertain him. So this leads to the first question... Is it okay that he is alone? I'm thinking about adopting another gerbil and trying the split cage method. Have any of you had experience introducing another gerbil to a gerbil that had declanned at such a young age? Are there certain personalities that seem to get along best with scared troublemakers?   If I do adopt another gerbil to be his buddy... Do you suggest waiting a couple weeks so that the new guy can get used to me and become more tame as well? Or should I put him in the split cage right away? (Also... after I bought him, they put his brother on display. Has anyone had luck reintroducing siblings after they declanned? They had them in little five gallon tanks, could it have just been a space issue? I feel bad for his brother now, but don't want them to wind up killing each other)

Second question: I am spending the summer at my sister's home, and bought Jerry at the pet store near her house. I will be driving about 8 hours to get back home next week. Jerry will be coming with me, but I have never traveled with a gerbil before. He's currently in a ten gallon tank (best I could do on such short notice   ) and has a smaller travel carrier as well. Do you have any tips on traveling? Should I get window covers to prevent the suns heat from being magnified in his tank? Should I take him inside with me at every rest stop? (Have you had any problems taking your gerbil into a gas station? Or been told pets aren't allowed?) Does the water bottle and wheel need to be taken out while on the road? Ive heard about putting an apple slice or carrot in there for water- but would I have to change that out every couple hours? Would think it would get brown and nasty 

Also, is there any particular way to be approved by an admin to join this forum? I tried to join about five years ago when I had two females. But my account was never accepted? Tried again a couple weeks ago, but still nothing? Does anyone have any tips on joining? It feels strange, like I've been creepin on everyones posts for five years now

[Gerbilmeee]

1 it's possible u could intro another gerbil but if ur gerbil is really aggressive it might not be a good idea.
2 when traveling put a food bowl,bedding, and carefully spray the side of the tank lightly and add a carrot so it doesn't get dehydrated. I also suggest if possible a 10 gallon for a pair and 5 gallon for a single gerbil when traveling so ur not using a huge 20-70 gallon tank. I also suggest when u stop offering ur gerbil the water bottle cause it will drop If u leave it in the tank when driving.
3 u just have to wait to be exepted it to me 1 1/2 to 2 week to be exepted. Hope I helped
Ps I'm not on member account cause it won't log on unless I'm on the computer

[t1gg3er]

Hi, I can't help at all with travel arrangements as we've never had to transport our gerbils for more than a few miles.

In regard to friends, there are others on here who've done lots of intros. We're a week in to our 1st go at this. We have Comet, a timid young boy (13 weeks) who we took away from dad & brother as he seemed terrified of them & was staying as far away as possible. We're splitting him with Ernie who we adopted recently. Ernie had been in the rescue centre for a few weeks & had been handed in due to 'personality'. Basically, he'd be fine one minute then try to take your fingers off the next. He's stopped doing that now he's used to us.

In every other way Ernie's a confident escape artist & older/bigger than Comet so we thought they'd be a good match as Comet can relax & let Ernie be boss. On day one we had sniffing & grooming through the mesh. We've had one attempt at a nip which happened when Ernie decided to climb it & Comet tried to nip his stomach. Not sure which one of them was more surprised! Other signs seem all good - Comet is gaining more confidence, they groom through the mesh, sleep in each others' nests etc... We won't try removing the split until the time feels right. We're in no rush but are hopeful that by taking it slowly it'll all work out well.

[crittercrazy]

Also not a whole lot of help on traveling with gerbils- I've never done it.

But yes, you can introduce another gerbil to a gerbil that declanned with a different gerbil. (a bit confusing there) Just because a gerbil declans doesn't mean that gerbil is an aggressive gerbil that cannot live with other gerbils. People introduce new gerbils to their declanned gerbils a lot.
Most people quarantine a new gerbil for 1-2 weeks before putting it with another, and that will also give you some time to start taming the new guy. From there, definitely use the split cage.

As far as becoming a member- it often takes a few weeks to be accepted. The admin/moderator is pretty busy, so it takes awhile sometimes. But hopefully you'll be a member before long!

[betty]

I introduce declanned gerbils all the time - although I usually make sure I think they will work before I just split them together. Sometimes they have both been the beaten up one, sometimes they have both been the aggressive one And one particularly aggressive (to gerbils) gerbil took 3 separate splits before she found the perfect partners (unfortunately they beat HER up 6 months later!).

And of course, don't introduce a 'new' gerbil too soon - just incase it is poorly or has something crawling on it! Give it a few weeks to spot any signs.

Good luck!

[NotYouHahaha]

Oh thank you so much everyone for all of your insights and advice! They are all greatly appreciated!   I think I will try and pair him up with a good buddy once we get back home. 

Another couple questions have come up since the other day hehe I love being able to pick all of your brains for all of this gerbil knowledge   Have any of you personally witnessed a gerbil seizure? I heard those born with kinks in their tail were more prone to seizures. I wasn't really concerned about it until now when I looked over and little Jerry was shaking. It didn't look like he was scratching.. just sitting there noticeably shaking for about five seconds and suddenly pooped several pellets. Its not cold, so this worries me a little. 

Also, when in pairs gerbils greet each other by sniffing noses right? Last night I was giving him some play time. He crawled up on my shoulder and then came up to my face and kind of kissed me lol is that just a greeting? As though he's treating me as a fellow gerbil? It caught me by surprise haha

Thank you everyone for responding and sharing your experiences!