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Post by peeps on Jun 19, 2021 16:34:34 GMT -8
No, I was waiting for you to reply first so I didn’t do anything Wrong. I think I will try tomorrow when I am done babysitting though because my gerbils do seem to want to be buddies.
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Post by betty on Jun 20, 2021 4:17:35 GMT -8
Ah bless - no worries. There are often pinning down and over groomings - and maybe even a bit of chasing off and siding up - when they bump noses on an intro. They key is that noone does it for too long and the one it is being done to is nonfussed and often walks off seemingly dissinterested (like walking away from a bully without anwsering back). The bully lets them walk off and carries on what they were doing.
On meeting for the first time without the divide, they need to physically remind each other who they are so the boss often does a bit of bossing and the other one just has to accept it (without reacting) so the boss knows. If they do things - especially siding up - for too long or they have long staring out contests or they scuffle a bit and when one walks of the boss one follows and immediately does it again - are these all warning signs. Not an instant stop, but you need to put a bit of card between then for a bit or throw in a treat of a bit of hay/toilet roll to distract them for just a short while, so they can reset back to mainly ignoring or not following up on anything.
If they go back to the side-walk off-follow-side pattern again with the same one always being the follower, then they are possibly not ready yet, but could still work with a bit more time and effort on your part.
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Post by peeps on Jun 20, 2021 8:40:04 GMT -8
Thanks! That is extremely helpful. I am going to try again with them this afternoon and I will let you know how it goes. K, so I just put them in together and it was sorta the opposite of what I saw in split cage. Odo wanted Remme to groom him ensted of visa versa and he pressed himself eyes closed under Remmes nose. Remme did a little grooming but mostly just looked at me wide eyed. After a while, Odo got board and started sniffing at Remmes sent glands. Remme always hates this and they got into a little ball fight but without bites. Just a scuffle. I will let them calm down a bit and try again. Ok, there back in now and they seam to be ignoring each other. I think that’s good? Thare was also a little face grooming and chasing but now Remme is up in the cage part using the wheel and Odo is down stairs Chooing. Another skuffle, no bites Remme was arching his back at Odo. Is that what siding up is? They are still mostly ignoring each other. Remme seams a little afrade. He just darted downstairs let Odo groom his nose for one second groomed Odos cheek for one second and rushed back up stairs. He is agitatedly debating between the stairs and the wheel. Odo is chilling with a toilet paper roll. Now Remme is almost entirely avoiding Odo who is still just chewing away. They keep seeing each other and getting really over excited and I think Remme is scared. I have had to separate them with a hand a bunch of times although thare not trying to bite each other they arnt being super friendly. Remme just tried to go down stairs and Odo emedetly jumped on him. Remme ran back upstairs and Odo didn’t follow. It’s like they have chosen territories or something. Later Odo went up stairs and let Remme groom him. Then he ran on the wheel and Remme watched and groomed Odos nose. Remme went down stairs and let Odo groom him then got scared and ran away.
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Post by peeps on Jun 20, 2021 18:51:44 GMT -8
OH MY GOSH I JUST RELEASED SOMETHING! Odo is dominant down stairs and Remme is dominant upstairs!!!
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Post by betty on Jun 21, 2021 16:37:38 GMT -8
Well, my first thoughts are - this sounds good - however normally you don't do an intro in a two story enclosure. Split cages are generally smaller and simpler to make it easier to control the mixed scent and to prevent the upstairs down stairs situation you have going on here.
I see your updates were nearly a whole day ago (sorry I missed this) - how is it going still?
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Post by peeps on Jun 21, 2021 18:17:11 GMT -8
(That’s fine!) I separated them overnight but have been putting them together when I have time to watch them. They are together now and seam to be getting more and more Comfortable with each other. Remme has not been grooming Odo obsessively, but gently. Odo still try’s to groom Remme from time to time, Remme occasionally allows it. Usually though, he just walks away or grooms Odo instead. Sometimes they get a little tense and have a face of but they always walk away. (:
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Post by betty on Jun 23, 2021 10:39:06 GMT -8
Walking away is GREAT news. Fingers crossed it stays that way.
Be very careful putting anything new in the enclosure though, I think a longer more cautious approach to them settling in would be my plan - but you can see them obviously so go with what looks right for them.
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Post by peeps on Jun 28, 2021 9:09:12 GMT -8
Cool! I haven’t had a ton of time lately so they haven’t been together for a while. But now they are together and still buddies. The only negative thing they do is sometimes Remme gets mad at Odo grooming hism and they sorta scrunch up and claw a little or one rolls on thare back and they scuffle for a second that way. then I put my hand between them and they are good again. They never hurt each other this way and are being vary sweet with grooming sniffing etc. so I think it probably is nothing to worry about (:
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Post by peeps on Jun 28, 2021 13:46:28 GMT -8
Err bad news, I went in to check on Remme and Odo and they looked fine. Remme was nose to nose with Odo and Odo was squeaking softly. Then I saw that thare was blood on the glass. When I reached in to pick Remme up they freaked out and started chasing each other. Turns out Remme was bitten on his stomach. No wonder he never let Odo sniff his sent glands. I separated them. Not sure what to do now. Update: Odo wasn’t bitten and I think Remme will be fine although he wouldn’t let me touch it and so all I can see is a clump of bloody fur and a little blood on his sent gland.
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Post by betty on Jun 29, 2021 15:08:50 GMT -8
Argh, I missed this yesterday.
How are they today? They can bite each others scent glands in a fight - but difficult to know what happened.
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Post by peeps on Jul 5, 2021 5:46:19 GMT -8
Oops sorry haven’t talked in a while, they have both been doing good in split cage and I took them out together without eny fighting so they are still pals. Also Odo had something up with his eye and I think he might have like a gerbil cold, although it doesn’t seem serious.
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Post by peeps on Dec 17, 2021 5:05:42 GMT -8
Update: after being in split cage most of the summer, the two got vary used to each other and stopped getting in fights. They have now been together for about three months with no fighting. It's adorable! They sleep on top of each other and when the get scared they run to each other. Thanks so much for all the help, I guess they just needed more time to be sure the other gerbil wasn't a threat before they could be buddy's.
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Post by betty on Dec 18, 2021 6:55:36 GMT -8
That is wonderful news - thanks for the update. I will have a look back through the thread again to learn from any of the signs and your own actions that could have suggested this would eventually work out. Great to know that persistance does sometimes work - especially for that other comment I just updated about trying the split again at a later date.. Brilliant peeps.
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