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Post by mygerbilprince on Apr 22, 2023 16:15:13 GMT -8
It’s been forever since I’ve posted here! My gerbil, Dove, is a lone female due to a gender mix up (it’s a long story, though she was never put with a gerbil of the other sex and never had babies). I wanted to get her a friend or two, because it is clear that she is sad. I’ve reached out to a breeder in my area who has female pups available for adoption. I know that older gerbils (Dove is about 1-2 years old) tend to get along better with babies, so a breeder was my first pick. I’d like to have a clan of gerbils that I can continue with for a while, so 2-3 gerbils is preferred. Id like to adopt at least two so that if things don’t work out the two could live happily separately. Essentially, my question is whether a clan of four is safe and could work, or if I should only get two… I really love gerbils so I’d prefer three since the more little fluffs the better, but if that is not safe then I obviously won’t proceed with it. However I am open to being more patient and taking more time if necessary to bond 1 to 3. Is there anything I should keep in mind when pairing 1 gerbil to >1 gerbil? I don’t know whether it’s a myth or not, but I’ve heard female gerbils can take more time to get along and therefore have a higher chance of declanning, is this true? I really just want the best for my gerbil babies, so any advice that might make the bonding process smoother and risks of declanning lower is much appreciated!!  |
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Post by betty on Apr 25, 2023 11:06:52 GMT -8
How are things going mygerbilprince - looks like we missed this one for a few days? Did you try anything already while you were waiting?? |
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Post by TJ's Rodent Ranch on Apr 25, 2023 20:04:52 GMT -8
Hi there,
As far as I know, the bigger the clan, the general risk of declanning is higher.
I know females can be a little more sensitive when it comes to space, which I suppose might make them at a higher risk for declanning than males.
I'm not experienced enough to tell you for sure whether a clan of four would be safe or not, though I imagine it would be harder to keep from declanning than three.
However, I'm sure all risks depend on how social or aggressive Dove is, and how she personally, would react to them.
How long has it been since Dove has been with another gerbil?
My boy, Celery, who was always a bit on the edgy side of aggressive, didn't see his brothers for only a week and the next time they were introduced, he tried to fight.
I'm not a very experienced breeder, so I would take what I say with a grain of salt. Those are just my thoughts on the subject.
Hope all works out, and that someone more experienced replies soon.
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Post by mygerbilprince on Apr 26, 2023 12:44:14 GMT -8
I didn’t try anything while I was waiting. My gerbil Dove has never lived with other gerbils as far as I know. Thanks for the advice
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Post by TJ's Rodent Ranch on Apr 26, 2023 19:28:30 GMT -8
Because she's never been with another gerbil, I would greet this with more caution.
I might start with just three instead of four, since she hasn't had company in a while and wouldn't want her to feel overwhelmed.
How big is your enclosure? You generally need ten gallons of space for each gerbil, so that could be something to keep in mind. If the space is cramped, Dove might get stressed with more than three, which could head south.
I totally understand the need for more gerbils asap, it's hard to see one lonely, and sadly human company can't fill that space.
Hope this has helped a bit.
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Post by mygerbilprince on Apr 27, 2023 12:12:24 GMT -8
Because she's never been with another gerbil, I would greet this with more caution. I might start with just three instead of four, since she hasn't had company in a while and wouldn't want her to feel overwhelmed. How big is your enclosure? You generally need ten gallons of space for each gerbil, so that could be something to keep in mind. If the space is cramped, Dove might get stressed with more than three, which could head south. I totally understand the need for more gerbils asap, it's hard to see one lonely, and sadly human company can't fill that space. Hope this has helped a bit. Thanks so much! The tank is 40 gallons, so it should be plenty big enough for her and her new friends. I’ll definitely keep your advice in mind. Thanks! |
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Post by betty on Apr 30, 2023 3:04:09 GMT -8
Yes, with females a 1:1 split intro usually has the best long term outcome (if they like each other in the first place), but many people go for a sibling pups combo resulting in 2:1 trio. These can split together really easily in most instances when the pups are super young (5-7 weeks) and are reasonably successful long term, but if the pair of pups are at the older end of the scale (7 week+) and were taken from a larger group of gerbils directly before, then the longer term success can sometimes be affected as they age.
Trying a trio of young pups to a single older female isn't often tried - and you might have to do some digging on the forum to see who tried and how it went both short and long term. It wouldn't really be something that people would recommend you do because of this unknown aspect - but if you were going to try it - make sure the pups were very young and always be prepared to split them down into two pairs if trouble starts brewing. I used to live in a state of permanent rolling splits when I had a lot of gerbils because pups haven't decided what they want to be yet - so adding 2 or 3 pups to any other gerbil always has that gamble - that open ended caveat of 'maybe it won't work'. This was also true for many family groups (parent:offspring) when the parent become older or ill.
Saying this though - almost every single successful adult:adult intro was a life long partnership.
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Post by Markpd on May 20, 2023 5:13:39 GMT -8
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Post by mygerbilprince on Sept 3, 2023 16:08:46 GMT -8
Oh my gosh I went completely inactive on this forum! Markpd, I did chose them! They're in in my sig. I'm sure I'll post a picture of them soon, just once I upload some pics to my laptop.
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Post by TJ's Rodent Ranch on Sept 3, 2023 16:41:45 GMT -8
Oh nice! I can't wait to see them 😁 By the way, I've never been able to figure this out... How do I do a sig? Edit: Ah! I just went and answered my own question How is Dove doing with the new girls? (if you are introducing them) |
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Post by mygerbilprince on Sept 4, 2023 12:29:41 GMT -8
Well... Dove and the girls actually lived together for about 4 months, until one of the girls, Vixen, attacked Dove. Since then, I've been reintroducing them. Instead of the split tank method, I tried the tank and tank method. Vixen is still very aggressive towards Dove, but all the other girls are friendly to her. I'm just going to see what happens, but if her aggression doesn't go away, I'll separate them permanently.
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Post by TJ's Rodent Ranch on Sept 4, 2023 18:52:45 GMT -8
Oh, I'm so sorry to hear that! Although it's good they were living together for a while beforehand. I hope the reintroduction goes well! |
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