Split cage questions: during and after bonding

[TokalaAislin]

-should a new gerbil be housed separate for a time or is it better to start split cage right away?

-is it okay to do solo playpen for each gerbil during the split cage process? Same question for after bonding, how soon can playpen time happen?
If it is best to leave them be, what can I do to continue my bonding with them?

-once bonded, how long should they stay in the bonded tank before upgrading to their permanent tank?

The split cage method is nerve-wracking enough, don't want to do anything that could cause a declan soon after. 💜

[mygerbilprince]

I'm no expert on this topic, and I don't have much experience but I'll help the best I can.

So your first question sounds a lot like quarantining your gerbil which I think is what you mean. Sometimes rescues will do the quarantining on their end, but you might want to do it anyway. If you get a gerbil from a breeder who has many other gerbils, it would be a good idea to quarantine for 1-2 weeks. But that is up to you.

So I think they can each come out in separate playpens during the bonding, and after they are bonded they can definitely go in the same playpen. I'm not sure how long to wait, if any, after they are bonded before taking them out in a playpen.

I'm not sure how to help you with your last question, hopefully others will come who have more experience. Don't worry too much about declanning. Though it is a legitimate concern, many gerbil bondings are successful.

[betty]

Should a new gerbil be housed separate for a time or is it better to start split cage right away?
As said above, if you want to quarantine an adult gerbil before an intro you can - but it needs to be done in a separate room and without any chance of cross contamination (ie never go from the new gerbil to your exiting gerbil/s with anything even treats). If you can't or weren't planning on using the aseptic technique (almost) properly then it might not be worth doing it at all. If you were getting VERY young pups then you wouldn't do it all (as you lose the advantage of them being very young) - but if you are getting your adult gerbil from someone you would have got your pups from, then again, there would be no point quarantining the adult if you aren't going to quarantine the pups from the same place.

-is it okay to do solo playpen for each gerbil during the split cage process? Same question for after bonding, how soon can playpen time happen?
Ideally you wouldn't have your gerbils outside of the split tank/cage at all during the split as this is the whole point of a traditional split - to have them slightly bored and in the same smells all the time. If you let them out for play time - they will neither be bored nor smell the same - so it can sometimes slow down a split considerably. If you are doing a very young pup split intro it should be over in a matter of days anyway - and if they are adult it could take longer anyway - so it is up to you whether you wanted it to possibly take longer with your play times. Some gerbils bond just as well with play time and distractions etc, but just be prepared to revert back to nothing if the extra freedom is affecting their progress.

If it is best to leave them be, what can I do to continue my bonding with them?
Two gerbils you want to bond with each other is far more important than them boding with you per se. It is great if you can interact with them - talk around them, offer them treats and make sure they aren't fearful of you as a giant hand, but your time with them can come after they are happy together. Gerbils don't take long to tame down and most are naturally friendly anyway. Not all gerbils are bold and outgoing though, so it just depends on the luck of the draw - not how quickly you start handling them.

-once bonded, how long should they stay in the bonded tank before upgrading to their permanent tank?
I take the slow approach - so it doesn't backfire. I move faster with the young pup scenario - perhaps within a week I start tinkering, but when I have had a tough split with two adults - I go real slow, like a week before a partial substrate change, then gradually slipping in some things and a bit of handling - but not full on play times outside of the enclosure, then I do a full change inside that same split tank, and only after the sandbath challenge hasn't caused an upset do I consider moving them into the new set up. I always wait until they are a few days past due for a clean out, then just move all that used (and wonderfully scent-marked) substrate into the new set up. After a few days I start adding clean substrate until over the week it is up to full capacity - then we are done. sounds a bit long, but I always think how annoyed I would be if they had been stuck in the split for 3-4 weeks and then I blew it for them by going too fast and they had to do it all over again...

[TokalaAislin]

Betty, thank you so much for all of that great information!