Post by lavenderblue on Feb 11, 2023 22:27:23 GMT -8
Hello! I haven't been on the forum in quite a while, but I'm back with a behavior question. My two gerbils Data and Geordi, both female, have been living together very peacefully since I got them in September 2021. The rescue I got them from said they were about a year and 5 months old, they didn't know if they were related but they came in together so they were already acquainted.
I've noticed a change in behavior from them in the last week that has been freaking me out a little. They've been very quiet. I haven't heard the sound of their wheel or them running around as much as usual, and when I check on them they're not up and about as often. I've been leaving them to their own devices (aside from food/water/bedding changes and the occasional hello) because I just moved back into my dorm for the spring semester a couple weeks ago, and they like some time to get re-acclimated here after I take them home with me for breaks. Tonight, I opened up the tank to say hello and Data immediately climbed up my arm - she likes to use me as a jungle gym - but after a few minutes she started trying to bite/chew on my fingers even after I moved them away, which normally stops her. When I put her back in the tank, Geordi started smelling her right away and getting weirdly up in her space, and then started trying to mount her! I was shocked, they haven't done that in a year! Data kept trying to jump out of the tank and onto my arms until I closed the lid. Now Geordi is chasing her around the tank every 10 minutes or so and trying to mount her again or groom her face, with lots of squeaks of protest and running away from Data. Does this mean that they are fighting? Should I be on the lookout for a declan? I'm not home much during the day because of classes, now I'm scared I won't be there to separate them if they really start fighting. Any advice, or am I getting scared over nothing?
), late 70s