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Post by ava :) on Mar 31, 2021 7:53:44 GMT -8
help!! hello, i have 2 male gerbils and they are both brothers. one got very sluggish and could barley make any sort of movement (monday, march 29) so i brought him to the vet as soon as i could. he had gas pains and was unable to poop. so then i knew it wasn't contagious and he could be back with his brother. they were perfectly fine for a day until, today, march 31 they were constantly casing each other and squeaking constantly while running. i took the decision to put up a split cage as i had one on hand for introducing another pair. ones now sleeping and the other one is constantly exploring. before i put it up, they couldn't look at each other without chasing or anything.. is this fighting or play fighting? and how long should i keep them seperated? they have been in a split cage for around 30 mins now.
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Post by yeti218 on Mar 31, 2021 10:25:57 GMT -8
I’d keep them in the split for now.
How old are they? Is the sick gerbil back to normal or is he still unwell? Did they have a history of chasing, squeaking or any other excessive dominance behaviour before this incident?
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Post by ava :) on Mar 31, 2021 11:13:20 GMT -8
they are around a year old now, the sick one seems to be doing tons better. they never had any sort of history like that besides squeaking. last night they were both sleeping together. i of course, still have them seperated.
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Post by yeti218 on Mar 31, 2021 16:09:30 GMT -8
I dont have any personal experience with this, just what I've picked up from reading on the forum. So I'll just share what I would do if it were me.
Sometimes fights can be triggered by illness or if they're apart for too long.
It is a bit weird that they didnt squabble during the illness, or just after the vet visit, if one of these things was indeed the source of the conflict.
Sometimes gerbils do just decide they dont want to live together anymore, but since the illness and vet visit happened just prior to this falling out, I'd personally try an attempt to get them back together before accepting that was the case.
I'd wait til the sick guy is all the way better, and then do a normal split cage intro, swapping sides a few times a day. It sounds like you've done this before? If you havent I can elaborate a bit and theres load of information on this site about it.
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Post by betty on Mar 31, 2021 17:31:26 GMT -8
Yes, this seems like a weird mix up in time here for them - perhaps it is out of confusion that they started chasing each other.
As said above, before giving up (or rushing in) I would wait until you are happy that the poorly one is feeling better first otherwise he won't be acting himself. The reason I say this is becuase if he is acting weaker now, the other one might assume the role of 'boss' and you think they are settled - BUT - if it was really the other way around and the poorly one then gets better and wants to be the boss again - it could get messy.
We can never really tell who is who in these clans most of the time - so best to have them both totally fit and in the best of health before trying a full split again. After time alone they may well rebalance out in the split so when you finally reintroduce them they have reestablished a new friendship.
If in the end they don't get on again - you are no worse off than now anyway - so that might be the best plan. Just do give them every chance that the split can work (slow, steady, sparse: no other scents, neutral spaces or playtimes) and that will be your best shot.
Good luck.
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Post by ava :) on Mar 31, 2021 20:21:07 GMT -8
thank you guys so much for the advice! i will be waiting until the Moo gets better until doing a split cage intro again. I will update in the future to let everyone know how the split cage method works! once again, i really appreciate every ones help :]
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Post by ava on Jun 26, 2021 0:08:23 GMT -8
🌸Hey! I was able to get my boys happy and together again! I have been meaning to post on here but I have been busy  once I removed the divider, they groomed each-other and started making nests and napped together! They absolutely love being with each-other as they sleep so soundly cuddled next to each-other <3 I thank you guys for your help giving me a happy ending!! Words can’t describe how happy I am  the split cage re-intro saved my boys :,) <3🌸 Once again, thank you 🌸💜💫 -ava |
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once I removed the divider, they groomed each-other and started making nests and napped together! They absolutely love being with each-other as they sleep so soundly cuddled next to each-other <3 
the split cage re-intro saved my boys :,) <3🌸