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Post by betty on Jul 14, 2022 11:47:50 GMT -8
How wonderful...
That moment we all wait for - then we can breathe again.
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Post by LilyandDaisy on Jul 15, 2022 5:39:36 GMT -8
Yes, it's a relief after 5 weeks in the split tank!
Next job is get Tilly to slim down. She gained a lot of weight while in the split, probably due to the lack of exercise, and now weighs 98g. In a few days if all is well, they can have a wheel which should help.
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Post by tanzanyte on Jul 15, 2022 11:24:10 GMT -8
I'm so pleased to hear it's going well and I'm grateful you've been able to post as much detail as you have. It's made me a little less nervous about doing a split tank myself if I need to. I hope Tilly's weight drops without too much difficulty now that she's back to her normal setup.
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Post by LilyandDaisy on Jul 16, 2022 6:02:04 GMT -8
I've named the new gerbil Wispa.
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Post by tanzanyte on Jul 16, 2022 14:28:41 GMT -8
Oh I love it! Where did you get Wispa from? and how old is she?
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Post by LilyandDaisy on Jul 16, 2022 14:33:08 GMT -8
Oh I love it! Where did you get Wispa from? and how old is she? I got her from a breeder called Rising Storm Clan Gerbils. She was born on 27th March so she's 16 weeks old. I also got two younger pups, Astra and Twiglet, from the same breeder. They're 14 weeks old.
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Post by Markpd on Jul 17, 2022 4:25:29 GMT -8
Lovely photo (is Tilly burying herself in the sand? ), and good to hear they're getting on well now! Also interesting to hear about their various behaviours. Have you added that breeder to the breeders list thread we have?
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Post by LilyandDaisy on Jul 17, 2022 16:23:20 GMT -8
Lovely photo (is Tilly burying herself in the sand? ), and good to hear they're getting on well now! Also interesting to hear about their various behaviours. Have you added that breeder to the breeders list thread we have? She's trying to cool down by stretching out (having first kicked half the sand out of course). Wispa has calmed down now. It seems like whatever she was trying to achieve with the pushiness is resolved, one way or another. Either she's got what she wanted or she's given up.
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Post by Markpd on Jul 19, 2022 11:35:21 GMT -8
Bless her, and yea, on 2nd look I see the sand everywhere!
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Post by LilyandDaisy on Jul 26, 2022 4:29:09 GMT -8
Tilly and Wispa have been together nearly 2 weeks now and they're doing great. There's only the odd occasion where Wispa can be a bit annoying but Tilly slaps/shoves her out of the way (her favourite method of communication) and that ends it. The other night I saw them lying side by side on their backs (all they needed were pillows and a duvet) but unfortunately I didn't manage to get a photo! I did get a video of them grooming: www.youtube.com/watch?v=F7Kdi0zhZDUTilly has not yet shifted any weight. In fact she's gained weight. But to be fair, she doesn't carry her weight too badly and doesn't actually look fat at most angles. A lot of it seems to be muscle, and apparently, "heavy bones" (she was strangely heavy for her size even as a pup).
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Post by Markpd on Jul 28, 2022 13:14:44 GMT -8
Aww, Tilly must trust her to groom her belly like that . Glad to see it's worked out nicely
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Post by tanzanyte on Aug 13, 2022 13:16:01 GMT -8
I hope it's continuing to go well for Tilly and Wispa? Can I ask some questions on mesh for the divider please? Is it important to start with a thinner mesh to begin with and then change it later on? I know you said you changed it later on. Also did you allow any play time or interaction with yourself during the split cage or is that not best practice? Did you give them any other enrichment in their split? I know wheels aren't advised but wasn't sure if you added anything else?
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Post by LilyandDaisy on Aug 13, 2022 13:34:50 GMT -8
Most people use the same gauge mesh throughout. I just switched to 13mm towards the end because I wanted them to be able to interact more. They were able to groom through the wider mesh which was nice but I don't think it was essential that it happened before they were introduced. (I was honestly just impatient to get them together and wanted to tinker with the divider to make me feel like I was doing something to help)
Because it was a long split I did hold them and interact with them during the first few weeks, but not during the last week or so. Likewise they had wheels, deep bedding, houses etc early on which was gradually thinned out as the split progressed. Wheels can be a real distraction for gerbils. They use them to cope with or avoid a stressor such as a new strange gerbil on the other side of the mesh. Due to Tilly being so insecure and easily stressed, I felt that was ok very early in the split, to help her adjust, but typically it wouldn't be a good idea to let them avoid each other like that.
By the time you're gearing up for a proper introduction it is considered best practice for them to not have much enrichment and not to handle them.
Yes, they are still doing well. I think Wispa has a pipe dream of being dominant but Tilly is able to keep her in check. Hopefully that will continue.
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Post by tanzanyte on Aug 16, 2022 13:05:16 GMT -8
Thanks LilyandDaisy that's really helpful. I hope it continues to go ok with Tilly and Wispa.
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Post by LilyandDaisy on Oct 3, 2022 16:53:05 GMT -8
Tilly and Wispa finally moved into their big enclosure a couple of weeks ago. I didn't have the time or space to set it up sooner but I think they benefited from the extra time in a smaller enclosure anyway. Wispa seems totally resigned to being submissive under Tilly now and they have a stable and peaceful relationship. Of course you never really know what's going on beneath the surface. It's really impossible to argue with Tilly's size and strength. Wispa is a delicate gerbil and Tilly can overpower her with just a push (not that she does that very often). So whatever dreams Wispa may once have had with regard to dominance are really not realistic right now and I'm sure she knows that. I did let them out for a run several weeks ago but it didn't go very well. Wispa got rather excited and decided a new environment was her chance to finally seize power, so I had to put them away. It took them a while to settle back down even once in their enclosure. But that wasn't long after they were introduced, so I'm hopeful if I try again after all this time they will do better. Wispa's personality is still a bit of an enigma to me. She seems to be quite neutral in many ways. She's perfectly tame, but neither shy not outgoing. I think due to her line being especially bred for temperament, the neuroses and so on that can give gerbils character have been ironed out. I find it funny that she's the opposite of Tilly in many ways. Tilly is a gentle gerbil really but can appear chaotic on the surface because of her neuroticism and fearfulness. Although since being with Wispa Tilly has not developed any new irrational phobias (previously she was afraid of the sound of cardboard being chewed and birds singing) which I take as a sign she is happier.
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