How to tell if a split-cage is going well.

[LilyandDaisy]

Oh no, I'm so, so sorry. What a terrible thing to come home to. I can't even imagine how you must be feeling.

[TJ's Rodent Ranch]

Oh dear! I'm so, so very sorry to hear that.
I can't imagine how shocking and terrible that would be to come home to.
Sometimes if it's a younger, more fit male, and they have the 'element of surprise' it can be a one-shot deal to get the other. That may be why Raccoon was virtually unharmed. That happened with my two, Tunnely Joe and Tunnely Jr. Though thankfully they didn't take it that far.
I hope you're doing okay. Maybe Regent is with Raindrop

[icecontroller2529]

How dreadful! I'm so sorry! 

[Mygerbiliscute]

Thanks for the kind words. 🙂
Do you think it would be really bad if I kept Racoon on his own as a lone gerbil? I kind of get the feeling he's too aggressive to really pair up with another gerbil. I also think that in future split-cages, he'll just try twice as hard to reach the other side, now that he knows it can be done.
I feel bad about it, since I live alone and work full-time. My home environment isn't really ideal for a lone gerbil. Still, I don't see that I have much of a choice...

[TJ's Rodent Ranch]

I think it's very possible for him to live happily with another gerbil, it would probably be nicer for him, too, if it's possible for you to do it.
You could get a very young boy from a breeder, (like 6 - 8 weeks) a lot of time their maternal instinct, even before they've had children, will kick in. This makes it much easier because they can accept the baby if he's young enough, and take on a fatherly role. I honestly have never had a gerbil kill another gerbil, and I don't know much about it so I would take this with a grain of salt. I know with some animals, if they kill once they get a taste for it and will do it again, but I don't know if that's true with gerbils. I would probably try to intro him to another gerbil if I could, but I totally understand that after something like that happens, it can be really difficult to do it again, and sometimes it just doesn't make sense (for many reasons).

I wish you all the best, whatever you decide to do!

[icecontroller2529]

I'm not that experienced, so take my words with a grain of salt, too. I think that your feeling might be correct and Racoon might not be able to live with another gerbil at all. There is always the option of trying it out, of course, however, I see the risk of more trouble. If I remember correctly, you got Racoon from a pet shop, so you don't know anything about his past. He might have been taken away from his family to early, thus never learning social behaviour. The time with Regent might have given him a lasting experience of stress and aggression. I personally would not try another introduction with Racoon unless you can keep an eye on him day and night and have a plan B for the other gerbil in case of failure. But as I said, others are far more experienced thatn me.

Keep us updated if you feel for it, it would be very interesting to hear how it goes with Racoon.