Post by jd on Jul 15, 2022 11:43:14 GMT -8
After 6 weeks of introducing succesfully, my males started fight.
These 2 pups, aged 7 weeks or less, I introduced to my 1 year old male were easy to introduce so I could put them together temporarily soon in a third tank.
After having put them in his cage next to the females cage - with who they had been "fighting" through the wire - a next time the older male chased the youngster and this one got bitten and bled.
Also separetad in the third tank the following days both keep repeating close contact and get bitten through the wire - they are both agressive it seems.
The pups copied the female behaviour of agitated violently shaking/twisting and scratching at the wire. The older male got bitten in paws and bled too.
->. ( What went wrong) and is this irreversible ?
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - * * * * * - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Very glad, I can announce that reintroducing got succesful !!!
__________________________________________________
with : swapping cages, shared toys and food, talking and carressing, alert near presence
After 2 days very carefully initiating - with the brother of the badly in nose bitten (but healed quickly) one as most scared gerbil who had cared for its brother - with a single wire for the bitten one (following method of 2 cages next to another) it got surprisingly better.
First it seemed to go wrong as the not-injured one (that gave starting possibility without any wire between them) got increasingly scared - it seemed to deteriorate as it ran up the walls of the tank. Then it got better with my hand near them so I added the bitten male, who didn't scratch yet at the double wire anymore.
The next day I put all 3 of them together again with a running wheel and food to share, also without any separating wire - and after a short while they were not scared anymore at all. The older male always wasn't aggressive when reintroducing.
What could have gone wrong : when he got bitten severely, it was after I put him in the cage of the older male still sleeping, after this youngster learned to fight - scratch at wire - with neighbouring females. So I guess the older male woken up defended himself too viciously, having lost experience with softer biting living alone. When I accidentally put him together with a female (mistaken as his identical daughter) they also fight/chase eachother.
UPDATE 2a
When I put them together again, the same 2 fighted again immediately. When picking up these 2 at once, the older male bit me badly, hanging on like a pitbull - which didn't really hurt but bled much. This I presumed was giving a lethal bite to opponent so I separated them again strictly thinking joining them any longer was impossible because this youngster as alfa male got too grown up.
UPDATE 2b
Repeating the method of starting to try again with the shy/scared youngster forging some bond it went better. Then I understood the strong bite could be defense against predators from above.
Ready to intercept I tried again and - unbelievable then - they didn't fight anymore at all. They got the picture of gathering with separating wire if necessary. It stayed peace for many days together in 1 cage !
After having put them in his cage next to the females cage - with who they had been "fighting" through the wire - a next time the older male chased the youngster and this one got bitten and bled.
Also separetad in the third tank the following days both keep repeating close contact and get bitten through the wire - they are both agressive it seems.
The pups copied the female behaviour of agitated violently shaking/twisting and scratching at the wire. The older male got bitten in paws and bled too.
->. ( What went wrong) and is this irreversible ?
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - * * * * * - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Very glad, I can announce that reintroducing got succesful !!!
__________________________________________________
with : swapping cages, shared toys and food, talking and carressing, alert near presence
After 2 days very carefully initiating - with the brother of the badly in nose bitten (but healed quickly) one as most scared gerbil who had cared for its brother - with a single wire for the bitten one (following method of 2 cages next to another) it got surprisingly better.
First it seemed to go wrong as the not-injured one (that gave starting possibility without any wire between them) got increasingly scared - it seemed to deteriorate as it ran up the walls of the tank. Then it got better with my hand near them so I added the bitten male, who didn't scratch yet at the double wire anymore.
The next day I put all 3 of them together again with a running wheel and food to share, also without any separating wire - and after a short while they were not scared anymore at all. The older male always wasn't aggressive when reintroducing.
What could have gone wrong : when he got bitten severely, it was after I put him in the cage of the older male still sleeping, after this youngster learned to fight - scratch at wire - with neighbouring females. So I guess the older male woken up defended himself too viciously, having lost experience with softer biting living alone. When I accidentally put him together with a female (mistaken as his identical daughter) they also fight/chase eachother.
UPDATE 2a
When I put them together again, the same 2 fighted again immediately. When picking up these 2 at once, the older male bit me badly, hanging on like a pitbull - which didn't really hurt but bled much. This I presumed was giving a lethal bite to opponent so I separated them again strictly thinking joining them any longer was impossible because this youngster as alfa male got too grown up.
UPDATE 2b
Repeating the method of starting to try again with the shy/scared youngster forging some bond it went better. Then I understood the strong bite could be defense against predators from above.
Ready to intercept I tried again and - unbelievable then - they didn't fight anymore at all. They got the picture of gathering with separating wire if necessary. It stayed peace for many days together in 1 cage !
