Try and introduce lone Gerbil to a new tankmate or not

[stevet1]

Hi, new here - sorry if this is the wrong sub-forum to ask this on. I'm after some advice on what to do with a lone male Gerbil, about 2 years old. He was attacked by his previous tankmate and we were asked if we could take him to which we agreed as I used to keep gerbils and have a decent tank etc already. However as he is on his own I am wondering whether to try and introduce another gerbil using the split tank method. my questions are - is this likely to be successful given his age, I would be introducing a younger gerbil. Also, would it be better to introduce a bonded pair as otherwise when this gerbil dies the new gerbil would be on it's own? Or am I better off leaving him on his own?

Tank is approx 70cm by 30 cm, and 60cm tall with 3 floors, the bottom floor is enclosed so can be used for digging etc.
Thanks.

[LilyandDaisy]

Hello,

If you are able to, introducing another gerbil would certainly be a good idea for him. His age shouldn't make it harder. If anything, older gerbils can be a bit more mellow and happier to accept a new friend.

You can try to introduce a single male gerbil of any age. A pup is likely to be the easiest option, but then you'll have another lone gerbil in a year or so, so it depends whether you plan to carry on keeping gerbils. You can introduce a pair of very young pups (around 6 weeks), but not any older as a more mature pair won't accept another gerbil. Also, while the two pup introduction is usually initially quite easy, it comes with a higher risk of declanning further down the line, than if you introduced just one gerbil.

You'll need to use the split tank method to introduce a new gerbil(s). Have you read about this before? Your current tank may be suitable to use for the introduction if you are able to remove the floors and install a removable mesh divider. Otherwise, it's best to use a glass tank of around 60cm long.

[stevet1]

Thanks for your reply. Yes I've been reading about the methods for introducing a new gerbil, I would be happy to use the existing tank setup with a mesh divider. I don't like the sound of declanning at a later date as then I'd be back to square one, so maybe I will try and find a single male to introduce, ideally one of a similar age but that may come with it's own problems I guess (harder to introduce?)

[LilyandDaisy]

An adult male will take longer than a pup. I don't know about difficult. Gerbil introductions are mostly about patience really - the patience to sit back and let the split tank method work its magic.