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Post by alen78 on Apr 3, 2022 12:38:17 GMT -8
Hello. 2 years ago we adopted our first 2 gerbils. Two brothers. One of them had a stroke this morning, we took him to the vet, but his situation was critical, and the vet said he will probably not survive. And he was right, the little furball just died.  I'm really worried what will happen with his borther. They were very close, and the brother that survived behave strange all day. He saw something was not right. I want to give him new company ASAP. First we will clear his cage completely to get rid of his dead brother's smell. As we have a lot of space for the gerbils (one big cage full of toys connected to a deep tank, 70 gallons in total) I would like to get 2-3 new gerbils (babies). All male. I read that is best to have a pair of gerbils, but as the survivor is more then 2 years old, there is a good chance he will meet his brother any time soon. So getting just one new gerbil would lead us to a same situation in the future...one gerbil dead, the other left alone. Something I want to avoid. As those are our first gerbils, this situation is new for us. Any advice if getting for example 3-4 new gerbils, possibly brothers, would be a good idea? Of course, we would separate them from the older gerbil at first (by dividing the living space in two parts and trying to introduce him to the new gerbils slowly). Thank you in advance for your help. We are all very sad right now, I would never said that the death of a small pet could be so devastating, it's like a member of our family just died. So I can only imagine how his brother feels right now. I want to do everything possible to relieve his pain. Hopefully with some new playing mates... |
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Post by sparkbubble on Apr 4, 2022 5:26:51 GMT -8
I'm sorry for your loss. I have had three gerbils die due to massive seizures, so it is hard. I would ask you this (please forgive me if this sounds insensitive): are you getting more gerbils for the benefit of your single one, or to have new buddies in preparation for the worst? Less is often better clan-wise, as the more gerbils you have, the riskier it is; the the gerbils may decide to reject the outsider. However, if your little guy is extremely old (did you adopt them as pups or as adults?), then it might be worth the risk now for later on. Three or four gerbils may be difficult, because the split-cage method could get tricky and there's always the possibility of a mis-sexed gerbil in there.
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Post by alen78 on Apr 4, 2022 11:24:45 GMT -8
Hi. I would ask you this (please forgive me if this sounds insensitive): are you getting more gerbils for the benefit of your single one, or to have new buddies in preparation for the worst? BOTH. I really want to give my buddy some company, don't want him to live alone the rest of his life. And yes, I want be prepared for that situation. Having at least 2 other gerbils would avoid a new situation of one gerbil being alone. did you adopt them as pups or as adults? We've adopted the 2 gerbils when they were 5 months old. And because of that we had a huge problem. They never let as touch them or take them with a hand. Thay lived 5 months in a pet shop and probably were too old tho trust a human. Younger gerbils would be easier to befriend. So this time I would surely try with babies. My idea is to adopt a trio of male brothers. I know there would be a higher risk of declan, but even in that situation maybe 2 pair could be formed. And I will set 2 separate enviroments for the 2 pairs in that case. Of course it would be nice to have all 4 gerbils together, but you never know with them. It can happen, but maybe it will not. If I buy ONE new gerbil and the older one doesn't accept him I will have 2 alone gerbils. If I get 2 new gerbils and there is a declan...I will have a situation of one pair and one alone gerbil. But with 3 new gerbils (brothers) there is always a chance of make 2 pairs if there is a declan. Sounds that as a good option to you? |
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Post by LilyandDaisy on Apr 4, 2022 11:45:21 GMT -8
It wouldn't be a good idea to get 3+ new gerbils unfortunately. The split cage method is designed to work with two gerbils only, and the only time you should generally stretch this rule is when you're introducing two very young pups to one adult gerbil.
The thing with introducing two pups is that it might work out fine to begin with but when the pups mature they might start to bully the older gerbil. So people often recommend it only when the older gerbil isn't expected to live much longer.
Around two is an awkward age because gerbils do sometimes die from natural causes from two onwards, but they can also live to three or beyond. It's also impossible to predict how long an apparently healthy looking gerbil will remain healthy. Health issues often crop up very suddenly.
So you have three options really:
- Introduce one new gerbil, of any age, but be prepared to have to do another introduction when your older gerbil does
- Introduce two gerbils, but they must be young pups (5-6 weeks). There is higher chance of a declan down the line but a lower chance of you having to do another introduction too soon.
- Keep your gerbil alone. At over two it is a possible option.
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Post by alen78 on Apr 4, 2022 11:52:17 GMT -8
It wouldn't be a good idea to get 3+ new gerbils unfortunately. The split cage method is designed to work with two gerbils only, and the only time you should generally stretch this rule is when you're introducing two very young pups to one adult gerbil. The thing with introducing two pups is that it might work out fine to begin with but when the pups mature they might start to bully the older gerbil. So people often recommend it only when the older gerbil isn't expected to live much longer. Around two is an awkward age because gerbils do sometimes die from natural causes from two onwards, but they can also live to three or beyond. It's also impossible to predict how long an apparently healthy looking gerbil will remain healthy. Health issues often crop up very suddenly. So you have three options really: - Introduce one new gerbil, of any age, but be prepared to have to do another introduction when your older gerbil does - Introduce two gerbils, but they must be young pups (5-6 weeks). There is higher chance of a declan down the line but a lower chance of you having to do another introduction too soon. - Keep your gerbil alone. At over two it is a possible option. Thank you for your answer. Of the 3 options, I like the 2nd the most. The 1st one gives us a big chance we will have the same situation as today any time soon, the 3rd one is out of question beacuse it hurts to see the survivor searching for his brother all the time. I really want to give him at least a small chance to get some play pal(s) ASAP.  P.S. If we manage to find 3 brothers (5-6 weeks), you really think it would be a bad option to take all 3 of them? |
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Post by Markpd on Apr 4, 2022 11:54:35 GMT -8
Firstly, sorry to hear about the loss of your gerbil  , they do get to our hearts! As for getting 3 gerbil pups to intro with your older boy, I see why you have that in mind. But their would be quite a higher risk* of declanning when the pups grow up, and also the possibility of the 3 brothers ganging up on the lone elder if they did. How about getting 3 pups and aiming for 2 separate pairs right off the bat? If the older one doesn't get on with the 1st pup, you could try one of the other pups? That of course does mean splitting up that pair and having to do 2 split intros at once though. And of course means that when the older one passes, you'd have to re-pair the remaining gerbil. But I don't see how you'd avoid that unless you just bought a pair of pups to intro to the elder one, assuming that works out! If you search for betty posts she's certainly covered this before, and you may find your answer. AFAIK she is by far one of the most experienced keepers here when it comes to split intro's (and maybe she'll answer here  ).
Unfortunately this is a classic dilemma for gerbil owners, hmm we should create a new guide for this scenario.....
*Unfortunately we can't provide solid numbers atm, but we're working on it, see this thread for more info. |
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Post by Markpd on Apr 4, 2022 11:57:53 GMT -8
Lol, me and lilyanddaisy replied at the same (ish) time! Glad to see we're on the same track  . |
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Post by LilyandDaisy on Apr 4, 2022 11:59:54 GMT -8
With every extra gerbil beyond a pair, you increase the risk of a declan. So when introducing two pups there is a higher risk than introducing a single, introducing a trio is more risky still.
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Post by LilyandDaisy on Apr 4, 2022 12:01:48 GMT -8
I would also add that young pups can be really needy and frankly annoying (just ask my gerbil Daisy) so 3+ young pups might be more than an older gerbil really wants to deal with in his retirement.
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Post by Markpd on Apr 4, 2022 12:02:12 GMT -8
I just thought, none of us has mentioned it, how about intro'ing another adult gerbil of similar age? (from e.g a rescue).
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Post by alen78 on Apr 4, 2022 12:04:32 GMT -8
How about getting 3 pups and aiming for 2 separate pairs right off the bat? If the older one doesn't get on with the 1st pup, you could try one of the other pups? That of course does mean splitting up that pair and having to do 2 split intros at once though. That does of course mean that when the older one passes, you'd have to repair the remaining gerbil. But I don't see how you'd avoid that unless you just bought a pair of pups to intro to the elder one, assuming that works out! I don't want to accept a 2 pairs situation as a primary option. I would leave it as an option IF the claning doesn't work. I would really like to see al my gerbils (2? 3? 4?) together. And if doesn't work, I will have a plan B of 2 pairs (if I take 3 new babies) or one pair and the old one alone if he doesn't accept the newcomers. If you search for betty posts she's certainly covered this before, and you may find your answer. AFAIK she is by far one of the most experienced keepers here when it comes to split intro's (and maybe she'll answer here ). Thank you for the link. I will surely look at it.  P.S. I will not rush. The alone brother will have some time for grieving, in the meantime I will study all the possible solutions. |
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Post by alen78 on Apr 4, 2022 12:07:38 GMT -8
With every extra gerbil beyond a pair, you increase the risk of a declan. So when introducing two pups there is a higher risk than introducing a single, introducing a trio is more risky still. So 2 pups looks the best option on a long term (if the old fella accept them, the moment he dies, we still have a pair). Introducing 1 pup looks like the best one for a shorter period (higher chance of claning)...until the older guy dies. And it can happen soon (I hope not), as happened yesterday with his brother. In that case we are again at the start. |
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Post by alen78 on Apr 4, 2022 12:13:42 GMT -8
I just thought, none of us has mentioned it, how about intro'ing another adult gerbil of similar age? (from e.g a rescue). No such thing in my country (Croatia). Gerbils here are unusual pets, very hard to find. I've mentioned before that our first 2 gerbils lived 5 months in a pet shop. And they were the only gerbils there. So 5 months no one wanted to adopt them! Here only dogs and cats are popular. If someone want to adopt a rodent, is always a hamster. 99% of people doesn't even know what a gerbil is. So finding an adult gerbil is impossible. Even finding babies would be difficult. I will probably have to travel to Italy to buy them. |
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Post by Markpd on Apr 4, 2022 12:15:24 GMT -8
Ah that's a pity  |
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Post by alen78 on May 4, 2022 10:08:45 GMT -8
Update! After a month, I've finally managed to find new gerbils (hard as hell where I Iive). Three male brothers. 6-7 week old I guess. The older one looks worse everyday it passes. It's clear he misses his dead brother. We will try the split cage method to see if he accepts the 3 babies. Or at least one. In that case we are prepared to have 2 pairs. But right now we will see if all 4 can live together. I know there are small chances, but is worth trying. |
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, they do get to our hearts!
).
), late 70s
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