Split cage boredom

[tanzanyte]

I'm in need of some advice from those with experience of split cage intro's.
I still have Mymble and Hattie in a 60cm split. I'm over 4 weeks in now and I feel that Hattie has calmed and wants to groom Mymble when they intro, but Mymble is having none of it (Mymble is my original gerbil).

This weekend I gave Mymble something to eat when I lifted the divider so that she could concentrate on something else initially. Hattie sniffed her and scampered off elsewhere and when Mymble was finished and they got close she got straight into a ball fight so I got my hand in to separate them and second later they were back into one again. Should I carry on as is, intro each weekend and hope that Mymble calms down and accepts Hattie?

I'm worried because Mymble is jumping up lots, she is chewing the water bottle lid and seems very bored, not to mention that she has put on quite a bit of weight from the looks of things (I haven't weighted her as I've only been handling them to switch them over). I know adult girls take a long time to intro but I wasn't sure if a change of scene would help or hinder? I wouldn't say that she's overly stressed per se as I have been putting toilet rolls, hay and cut up pieces of chew mat that they get down very quickly so can't scent, but she's less content compared to Hattie. 
Does anyone have any thoughts on it all, or even any other ideas of things I could put in without causing any possessiveness/aggression?

[LilyandDaisy]

While it sounds like Mymble isn't ready yet, I think it's a positive that she finished what she was eating before they fought.

Was it a proper ball fight where you had to separate them yourself, or a momentary scuffle that ended by itself?

How do they act when you swap sides?

I know Tilly got pretty bored in the split but I think it helped because she then looked to Wispa for stimulation. She also gained a lot of weight but now they're finally in their big enclosure with a wheel, it's slowly but surely dropping off.

[tanzanyte]

On the most recent intro it was a proper ball fight both times and I separated them as it looked a little too much. The second time was worse so I called it a day after that. There was a small amount of fur that came off of each of them, although thankfully no bald patches and no blood, although I'm pretty sure one of them caught my glove so it obviously was going south. Plus they were quite difficult to break up the second time.
When I first intro'd them they went on their sides and just held on so I left it and then it went to a ball and looked and sounded as though Hattie was biting so I split them, but I was more nervous then and have calmed and tried to let them go for a little to see what happens when it's more like that than a proper ball fight. I'm just worried that if they do draw blood that it'll be the end of it.

When they are swapped over they tend to go straight into the nests, although sometimes Mymble will look around (Hattie normally crawls straight into bed and snuggles down). If there's a toilet roll in there she will start chewing or will start on the hay or food. Neither of them seem to be overly scenting that I can see. It's just the scratching at the glass, chewing and jumping that I was worried about from Mymble. I know she's an incredibly active gerbil, more so than any of the other 6 we've had.

[LilyandDaisy]

I don't think it's necessary to do an intro every weekend. Since the most recent one ended in a ball fight I would perhaps be looking to wait two weeks until the next one to give them time to get over it.

Perhaps you could get some of the chews that bolt onto bars and attach them to the divider, or weave cardboard through the divider. Anything to get them to spend time near the divided really. I used to smear malt paste on the mesh so they'd be licking it together and thus in close proximity. Also scatter their food next to the divider.

[tanzanyte]

Thanks Lily and Daisy. I'll leave it at a bit longer before reintroducing them.

I did put carrots on the mesh in the hope that they would stay closer to the divider for longer, but they were definitely scenting them and not chewing on them. Is it still ok to use them if they are doing that?
Mymble used to get through a carrot in a day or two so I found it odd that she wasn't bothering with them, but it may be worth trying again. Maybe I need to place them a little higher.

I already scatter food and hay right next to the divider but I haven't tried malt paste as our previous gerbils and the boys didn't like it but I'm pretty sure I never tried it with Mymble so I'll give it a go.
I really struggle to do anything in the cage as they constantly climb the mesh the moment the lid is open.

[tanzanyte]

Mymble is still very bored and is jumping up madly at the glass like a jack-in-the-box. I do wonder if her frustration isn't helping the whole process. Although I do wonder even if I were to put more enrichment in if that would actually be enough to make a difference as she spent a lot of her time out of the enclosure before which is why I've been less keen to add things and lengthen the process even more.
I did add a small piece of cork for them to chew for different texture, and have been adding cardboard and tissues. I placed the carrots further up the bars but they don't seem so bothered. Thankfully Mymble has left the new water bottle alone for the time being.

I've left the girls for a couple of weeks without reintroducing them. However yesterday my daughter was switching them and put Mymble on her shoulder and then picked up Hattie to move her across. Mymble came down her arm and Hattie started to run away and the next thing she said they were in a fight. She managed to split them up quite quickly and get them away.
I now don't know whether to leave it longer still as I was hoping to try them next weekend until that happened. I'm trying not to lose hope but I am getting a little concerned given that Mymble fights so soon when they are near.

[LilyandDaisy]

Given that Mymble is still aggressive towards Hattie, an introduction is a little way off so I suppose you could consider "dialling back" a bit with the split i.e giving some more bedding and toys and maybe even giving Mymble some out of cage time. Basically giving them a little break from the intense split. You might be right that Mymble's boredom here is counterproductive. I think you can very often trust your instincts with your own gerbils who you know well.

[tanzanyte]

It's odd because when they are in the split they do sniff one another and interact in a calm manner through the mesh. They immediately sleep in one another beds now, even Mymble goes straight in and they have a 2 second sniff and snuggle down.
I'll see what I can add and won't take any more bedding away. It's amazing how quick it builds up when I add a couple of sheets of tissue with each swap as I have to keep removing some.

I think I may wait until we've been away and start afresh next month as they've been in the split 6 weeks. My stepdaughter is looking after them and will be swapping them whilst we are away but if I add more in the cage do I just leave them on the same side so that they don't scent everything or do I still swap them?

[LilyandDaisy]

I would probably still swap them. If it's easier for your stepdaughter you could reduce it to one swap a day, increasing to 3 swaps a day again for a week or two before attempting an introduction.

With the nesting material, I tend not to give them too much new material as I'd prefer the old nest to get very well scented. I also gave mine sand baths and left the sand a bit longer than I usually would before changing it so they're hopefully rolling in their mingled scents.

I think that gerbils can be aggressive without necessarily being territorial. In other words, they might not be scent marking but still feel threatened without the safety of the divider. I definitely felt that was the case with Tilly. She was never interested in scent marking but it took her a while to be comfortable around Wispa. Perhaps it's the slightly insecure type gerbils who react like that, as opposed to the bold and dominant ones who would be scent marking everywhere. Was Mymble dominant or submissive in her last pair?

[tanzanyte]

Sorry, it got a bit crazy with funerals and holidays and I forgot to respond. I paired it back as suggested. I have been swapping them once a day for several weeks now. They have been very glad of the interaction with us and the enrichment given to keep them busy. Both girls are much more chilled out.
We tried another intro at the weekend and this time it was a little more hopeful as we didn't have any ball fights. Hattie kept trying to sniff Mymble and Mymble wanted to chew and do other things and would turn her back towards Hattie and step backwards. Mymble would then carry on chewing. After 5 minutes together we put the divider back up as I didn't want to keep them together too long. Hattie actually cleaned herself during this time and Mymble had a drink so they were both happy to do other things. It would appear that Mymble wants to be dominant and that Hattie is seemingly ok with that. I really didn't think Mymble was the dominant one out of her and her sister, but I could have been wrong.

Is this a positive step or not really? I think Mark had something similar with Avon and Blake, with one of them pushing backwards to block the other, so I understand it's not ideal, but I was pleased that Mymble carried on with her own thing. Any thoughts?

[LilyandDaisy]

Thanks for the update.

So the "holiday" from the full split seemed to help. That's interesting to know.

I think the latest intro sounds positive. Maybe Mymble was a bit annoyed by Hattie but she was able to just ignore her which is good as it's how gerbils in a bonded pair would usually react. Gerbils don't have to be madly in love with each other to bond, they just have to be comfortable living with each other in a hierarchy.

I would suggest trying them together again in a few days, this time for a longer period. (at least half an hour if they remain peaceful). It does sound great that they were comfortable doing "normal" things like chewing and drinking just in the first few minutes but the first half hour is the most critical. If they make it through half an hour, it's very positive, and if they end up settling down to sleep together, you can pretty much conclude they're bonded (but still be nearby for the rest of the day).

[tanzanyte]

Thanks LilyandDaisy. I'm hoping to try again at the weekend so we'll give them longer, providing they allow it.