Split Cage Questions

[tumbleweed14]

So I decided to Split my little Bingo with a female because I figured it was less complicated and less stressful - thank you Markpd and betty for the helpful information - and I just want to ask a couple questions...

• I have seen many sites and read a couple books about Split Caging, and the time I need to wait before pulling the divider is a bit unclear.  Both females are calm and laid back - as laid back as a gerbil can be, anyway - and not aggressive in the slightest.  When should I pull the divider? I put them in the Split midday yesterday.
• Can I handle them at all?  As I just got Harvey (Bingo's friend), she isn't tamed or used to being held.  Will it lengthen their time in the Split or is this okay?
• And can I give Bingo cardboard?  I have been giving her a couple pipes, which she devours in minutes, but is there a limit so she isn't busy gnawing instead of sniffing Harvey or something? I have also been giving Harvey some cardboard - only a small tube - and, as she's so tiny, it is taking her forever to chew  .

Thanks, Tumbleweed14.

[Markpd]

Might've been easier if you'd carried on from your original thread , like I can't remember how old they are?

I don't believe you should handle them whilst in a split (unless you really have to of course), your scent on them could throw things out. I recall 1 member here saying her gerbils who'd been together for ages were unbalanced by handling 1 of them! lol (that's not common btw for settled pairs).

Re giving Bingo more card, I guess if she's ploughing through the tubes in minutes, then you could give her some more substantial, but see what betty, or others, say.

[tumbleweed14]

Thank you. Yes, I probably should have continued on my earlier thread now that I think about it...Bingo is just barely one and because I got Harvey at a pet store I don't know how old she is as the people at the store didn't know, but I'd say she's around seven or eight weeks...maybe even nine.

[Markpd]

Hmm, ok, at your upper end that's at the upper end of what's considered a pup (if you follow ). I know with a young pup (6-7 weeks old) it's been said that they can be intro'd in 3-4 days all being well, but it's safe to say yours is older than that. Unless betty et al think otherwise, I would consider 1 week a minimum. Including considering behavioural signs between them, as per the good and bad intro signs sticky thread in this forum section.

If you have any doubt, go for longer.

[tumbleweed14]

Okay. Thanks, Markpd. So I found a thread on behavioural signs for after you pull the divider of the Split. Are there any signs to look for while the divider is still is? Or am I just blind and there's an obvious thread about that 😊? Bingo is deciding to make her nest on the opposite corner as Harvey, which I am a bit concerned about, while Harvey snuggles right up to the divider. Is this normal? It's day 2.5 in the Split since I put them in Sunday evening. They sleep close to each other in the daytime but the next morning I always wake to Bingo in the opposite corner...This is already nerve-racking, I don't want to take out the divider before they are ready.

[LilyandDaisy]

From what I've read, sleeping side-by-side against the divider isn't essential. In a bare cage such a split cage, gerbils will tend to sleep in the corners anyway (to feel safe) and it doesn't necessarily mean anything. Since they can't properly snuggle together through the mesh they probably think there's no point going out of their way to be near each other? Once the divider is removed they should be sleeping in the same nest though. If they make separate nests it's a big red flag.

Positive signs when they are in the split cage include:
- Relaxed behaviour after swapping sides. No scent-marking, definitely no aggression towards the mesh (note that gerbils may try to chew the mesh out of boredom), definitely no destroying the other gerbil's nest. Ideally they would just have a quick sniff to get their bearings and then settle down to sleep/eat/chew etc. Some scent marking will be normal in the beginning, especially from the older gerbil but it should lessen.
- Sleeping in each other's nests. Not destroying the other's nest.
- Friendly and relaxed behaviour towards each other through the mesh, such as touching noses or grooming.

I agree with Markpd that I'd wait at least a week, and there's no need to rush if after a week you don't think they're ready for an introduction.

[tumbleweed14]

Thanks, LilyandDaisy! I have definitely decided on at least a week, although I might wait a little longer to be on the safe side. I just want my little furballs to be happy together 😊!

[tumbleweed14]

There's quite a story to the introduction of Bingo and Harvey, so bear with me here...

So, I decided to introduce them as they were getting along well with no signs of aggression or anything towards each other. Bingo was no longer scent marking when I swapped them, and all seemed to be going well. I slid out the divider after one last switching-of-sides, and Bingo scurried up to Harvey in a happy hello. Everything went well. There was no fighting, no signs of aggression - they weren't moving as smoothly as normal, but that slowly went away - and Bingo started grooming Harvey.

I was super excited, and I might have given them nesting material a little too soon, but I granted them some fresh tissue. Immediately Bingo built a nest and soon both of them were snuggled together.

I watched them all day and they were fine. They snuggled, groomed, gnawed, and ate like they'd known each other for forever. Then, right before I was about to go to bed, I checked on them a last time. They began to tussle - just a little at first, but then Bingo got all big and puffy and they both went for the neck. I didn't think twice, just snatched Bingo up and separated them (I've read about needing gloves and not shoving your hand into a gerbil fight, but in the moment that didn't even cross my mind).

I was dead tired and stuck the Split back in, plopped a gerbil on either side, and went to bed. The next morning (this morning), I tried to reintroduce them. This may have been a bit hasty now that I think about it...but I yanked out the divider. Let's just say they weren't all too happy with each other. Within the first minute they were back in a fight and Bingo's fur was puffed out. I separated them once more back into the split and here I am.

To be honest, I am just about clueless on what to do next. Should I give them another week to cool off? Try again in a couple days? Spot-clean another tank so they can be introduced in a tank with no smells?

-Just to note, Bingo has seemed quite...disgruntled in her tiny Split cage during the last week. I can understand this because she went from a 50 gallon tank with her sister Tumbleweed with handling and a playpen to a 50 gallon by herself with extra handling and a playpen to half a 15 gallon, no handling and no playpen.

I am looking for advice, experience, tips on what I did wrong so that if there is a 'next time' I won't make the same mistakes...

Thanks, tumbleweed14

[LilyandDaisy]

I'd give them another couple of weeks, if not more, before attempting another introduction. I think that argument on the first day may have soured their views of each other, and another attempted introduction too soon might just reinforce that. I know it's really tempting to want to get them together as soon as possible, but it really does pay to wait! Hopefully a couple of weeks will give them time to get over their argument and get used to each other more.

The way a split cage introduction works is by swapping sides regularly, eventually the bedding on both sides will smell of both gerbils equally, so they hopefully won't see it as "my territory and her territory", but rather "our territory". This is why you should have a thin layer of bedding (so their scent is concentrated in a smaller amount of bedding), and why you should avoid cleaning the tank during a split cage introduction, and why you shouldn't take them of the tank you did the split to introduce them on neutral ground.

[tumbleweed14]

Thanks! Bingo won't like the idea of another couple weeks in the Split, but hopefully she'll be happy afterwards😊.

[tumbleweed14]

I feel like a bit of a burden here with all of my incessant questions, but apparently my gerbs aren't overly impressed with each other because the intro went wrong again.
It started out with some quick sniffs followed by a small chase, but after a couple minutes little Harv was kind of jumping into the air after the sniffs, and a tussle began. I'm thinking of splitting my 50 gallon and giving them some gerbil luxuries such as deep bedding, wheels and maybe a hut or two (are the huts a bad idea...?) - like I read on another recent post - and not switching them from side-to-side.
I'm pretty sure the first intro went better at first because Harv was submissive to Bingo while this time Harv wanted to roam the tank with Bingo, chasing her after a sniff.
Do you think I should keep up with the split, switching them 3 times a day, or go for a - what was it called? - semi-permanent tank? Or maybe there is a different way to go about this...?
Thanks, this forum has helped me out so much!

[LilyandDaisy]

Please don't feel bad about asking questions. They're not a burden at all and everyone here wants to help you get your gerbils together

How was Bingo acting during all this? The jumping from Harv is interesting because usually you would expect a scared or nervous gerbil to be jumping around. Do you think she was scared of Bingo, and trying to "check her out" excessively, or do you feel it was more dominance/aggression? A tussle could be the precursor to a ball fight, but it can also be one gerbil "putting the other in their place".

The slow split might be worth a try. It shouldn't do any harm at least to give them (and yourself) a break from the intense split. It would certainly be interesting to hear how/whether it works for others. The alternative would be another 2+ weeks of "full split tank".

In my "semi-permanent" split tank, instead of houses I put platforms either side of the divider (see photo below). This provides a covered area for them to sleep in whilst also encouraging them to spend time near the mesh. I put their food on top of the platforms, also to encourage them to be near each other. You'll have to play it by ear. If you give them hides and the hides allow them to avoid each other more than you want them to at that stage of the introduction, you could take them out. It depends how fast you want to try to move things along really.

[tumbleweed14]

Thanks, LilyandDaisy!
First I must say, your gerbie is beautiful! Is s/he a Burmese or a Siamese? (I'm terrible at telling the difference)😊
Bingo was - what would you call it? - kind of like "don't come closer because you are strange, and I don't think I want to know you"...if that makes any sense. She seemed to be avoiding Harvey with only the occasional tense sniff, and she also thumped a few times. And she was marking like CRAZY. I don't think Harv was scared of Bingo. At first it seemed like a long 'check out' that morphed into them trying to establish dominance. They both seemed a bit unsure of each other (which to me that should be expected) and then both were vying to be the dominant gerbil.
I'm going to try out the "semi-permanent" split, although I'm not quite sure how long they should be in it...How long have your gerbs been in the semi-perm?

[LilyandDaisy]

Thank you She's a Burmese.

It sounds like they weren't ready to be together yet but I wouldn't give up on them.

There isn't really a set formula for a more difficult introduction. You very much have to play it by ear, with an awareness both of your gerbils' temperaments and how gerbils think in general.

For the semi-permanent/slow split you should probably expect at least two weeks in the slow phase, but really it could be more and it's up to your judgment when your want to start transitioning to a "fast" or traditional split.

My gerbils have been in the slow split since last Tuesday, so 8 days. After 2 days, Tilly stopped being aggressive towards the mesh. Now they are getting gradually more comfortable with each other. On Monday I started swapping sides, once a day. I had intended to wait until next week, but having watched the gerbils I felt there probably wasn't any benefit to waiting that long.

[tumbleweed14]

Okay. You have been very helpful, thanks! I just got some aluminium channel so by tomorrow everything should be set up.
Bingo and Harv will be overjoyed with a good-sized tank again 😊.
Good luck with your gerbs!