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Post by LilyandDaisy on Aug 16, 2022 13:15:35 GMT -8
Sorry to hear this but thanks for coming back to update us. It is helpful to know what happened even if it's not the outcome we would have liked.
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Post by Markpd on Aug 17, 2022 10:38:57 GMT -8
Well, it happened. I walked in this morning and there were signs of a fight. Pancake has wounds on her chin, and Waffles has wounds on her neck. The wounds don't seem super bad, and both are still full of energy, but they were both showing signs of aggression towards one another. I broke them up by putting on in the carry cage. Then I busted out the wire mesh I bought around the time of the first fight (just in case), cut it to size, then hot glued it around the edges. I had separate water bottles, food bowls, and running wheels prepared, so they are officially split. I was hoping the peace between the two would last, but it seems like they'll likely continue to hurt each other. Now they're doomed to be lonely forever. Sorry to hear that , but if they're living side by side in a permanent split they won't be lonely as they still have each others company, even if limited contact. My boys seem quite happy in a perm split anyway , hopefully yours will too. And like Lilyanddaisy said, useful to know the outcome, so thanks for updating us.
I'm sorry to hear this and I hope their wounds heal without any issue. It's interesting that they have managed for several months after their first fight. You could always keep them in a long term split so that they aren't completely lonely. They obviously don't mind some interaction to manage like they have after their first altercation so I'd imagine it would work well with a permanent divider. For the record, it was just over a couple of months.
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Post by fancyoaf on Aug 24, 2022 13:56:36 GMT -8
Yeah, I plan on keeping them in a split cage. I have a whole second cage if I wanted to completely separate them, but I think being near each other will help raise their spirits. The only problem is when I open the cage to play with them, sometimes they try and climb over to the other side, so I have to be careful they aren't able to directly interact. Sure, they only got along for a few months, but a few months in human time has got to be like 5 years in gerbil time.
They don't seem to be acting aggressive towards each other in the split config. They do sometimes scratch at the barrier trying to get to the other side.
They were originally in a 40gallon aquarium tank, so it's now split in half. It seems small spacewise, but it should be big enough for each gerbil I think. They have plenty of bedding to dig around in, and each have their own wheel.
I just try and give them more attention than before so they don't get lonely. After the initial split, they were actually pretty timid. Generally as soon as I stick my hand in the cage they jump right in, sometimes both at once, but for the first week after the split they seemed to ignore me, or at best jump in my hand for a split second then jump out. They seemed to have finally recovered. Today they were both eager to jump in my hand, climb up my arms, and run around on my shoulders, just like they used to.
Anyway, I'm rambling. I just love my little fuzzballs. I worry about them and want them to be happy.
I appreciate all your support and suggestions. I'll try and remember to keep you all up to date on their progress.
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Post by fancyoaf on Aug 24, 2022 14:06:27 GMT -8
Last group image before the breakup. Pancake giving me the "Help, I'm trapped in here with this psycho!" look. They are cuties, that's for sure.
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Post by Markpd on Aug 25, 2022 14:16:08 GMT -8
Sure are My Blake does a similar thing to ask to come out, one paw up on the mesh, head tilted slightly, but he looks cute not psycho when he does that!
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Post by fancyoaf on Sept 7, 2022 14:36:04 GMT -8
So, latest update. They are divided by the wire mesh I put up to split them. Pancake is well behaved, but Waffles chews, climbs, and scratches at the wire mesh all day. It's loud driving me insane, and it can't be good for her poor little teeth. Anyone have any ideas on how to stop the endless chewing?
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Post by catnut on Sept 8, 2022 12:55:42 GMT -8
maybe it would be best to put Waffles in a new aquarium/bin cage, whatever you have? he may be stressed and time fully apart may be what they need. are you going to put them back together?
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Post by fancyoaf on Sept 9, 2022 13:31:03 GMT -8
I don't plan on putting them back together. I might have to separate them permanently, I'd rather they have some contact to avoid loneliness, but if it's necessary I'll divide them. One problem is I don't have a good space for a second cage. I'd have to figure out where she can go.
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Post by LilyandDaisy on Sept 9, 2022 13:50:49 GMT -8
Is Waffles aggressive towards Pancake when they meet at the mesh or is it just random climbing and chewing? If the former I'd give it a few days to see if she calms down but if not consider a separate enclosure or a solid divider so they aren't in contact. If the larger it could just be curiosity and frustration at her space being cut in half. Again, I'd give it some time to calm down.
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Post by fancyoaf on Sept 9, 2022 15:29:29 GMT -8
Is Waffles aggressive towards Pancake when they meet at the mesh or is it just random climbing and chewing? If the former I'd give it a few days to see if she calms down but if not consider a separate enclosure or a solid divider so they aren't in contact. If the larger it could just be curiosity and frustration at her space being cut in half. Again, I'd give it some time to calm down. At most they stand on the other side of the barrier and scratch at the divider, but not any more aggressive than when they're normally scratching at it. They seem to ignore each other for the most part. Waffles scratches at the thing regardless of whether Pancake is in view or not. She's always been a big chewer/digger, so I think it's just something new for her to mess with. A solid divider would be cool, but I don't know where I would get one to fit the cage. I'll start thinking of places I could put a second cage if it comes to splitting into two completely separate cages. I think Waffles really enjoys climbing around the mesh and scratching at it. It's really irritating to me though.
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Post by Markpd on Sept 15, 2022 2:58:33 GMT -8
Yea, could be just frustration at the reduced space and/or not being able to get to the other side. This reminds me that Blake used to chew the divider a lot early on, but I rarely see him do it now. So it could be that Waffles will gradually chew it less, although if he's frustrated at the reduced space, he might not.
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Post by fancyoaf on Oct 7, 2022 14:42:46 GMT -8
I ended up splitting them into two separate cages. They were driving me nuts with the divider, and I was worried about their teeth. Waffles was also starting to rub some of her fur off her face with all the chewing on the metal divider. So far they seem pretty happy. I generally used to play with them once a day. I've increased it to 2-3 times to make sure they aren't lonely. Plus, they're in my office where I work, so I'm generally around. Pancake has a little bit of scaring on her lower lip and side of her mouth from the attacks, but it doesn't seem to bother her. Waffles looks fine. She bled more, but the injuries she got seemed to be more on the body and seemed to heal better. Anyway, they're both doing good, and are happy and energetic. I've added a picture of Pancake. Waffles is sleeping and won't wake up for pictures.
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Post by Markpd on Oct 8, 2022 16:17:46 GMT -8
Adorable And fair enough, ref separate cages.
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Post by fancyoaf on Oct 24, 2022 12:59:07 GMT -8
So, since the split, Pancake has become extra cuddly. She'll let me hold her a lot longer than she used to and enjoys being pet. Waffles on the other hand has become grumpy. She doesn't like being held anymore (which is weird, because she used to scramble up my arm immediately after putting it in the cage when they were both together. Three days ago she was on my shoulder, she bit my nose, then bit my neck, and then bit my hand when I tried to put her back in her cage. Last two days when I tried to interact with her she bit me. Not a really hard bite, but hard enough to hurt and warn me to leave her alone. Hopefully waffles stops being such a grump, because she used to be a lot of fun.
I'm careful to wash my hands between touching one and the other to get rid of any scent (since they fought, I don't want the scent of the other gerbil to stress them out). Not sure what her deal is. Maybe she's jealous because Pancake's cage is a little bigger.
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Post by Markpd on Oct 25, 2022 11:40:16 GMT -8
Hmm, not sure about that, unless there's a really obvious difference in size? Nice to hear Pancake has become friendlier , let's hope Waffles returns to her old self!
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