Is halving a Detolf suitable for 2 clans?

[geebtown]

Hi all,

Reaching out for a little advice if possible!

I recently brought home two female gerbs approximately 10-12 weeks old. They were among a very sweet litter of 4 and I love them! But my problem now is… I can’t stop thinking about the 2 remaining sisters I didn’t fetch home!

I would really love to bring them home too but of course, their welfare comes first! So I have a couple of questions if anybody is able to advise please

I currently have an Ikea Detolf - would this still be a suitable enclosure if split in half with a solid divider so that the two pairs could live either side? or would this be insufficient space?

And would having 2 clans next to each other like this be stressful and cause de-clans between the pairs due to frustration?


Any advice/information would be much appreciated!

Thank you so much


(I would have loved to have taken them all as a clan of 4 in the first instance, but I was worried about a higher chance of de-clanning issues later down the line… and I had also read many people don’t recommend housing groups of females, so I chose 2 with the feeling that this was the safest option for them!) 🙂

[gingerandbasilgerbil]

So I think the ikea detolf is a great. It works great for gerbils. I would say that if you really feel confident that the gerbils can not see hear or smell or see through the barrier. If there is anyway the gerbils knew the other clan existed they could fight there own gerbil buddy or cause them lots of stress. Just in case anyone says anything there is no limit for gerbil enclosure size. I think the ikea detolf is a great idea. I don't want to say it but you may need another enclosure like another ikea detolf or a temporary bin untill you can find/make another cage.

[Markpd]

Yea keeping 4 females as one clan would be highly likely to declan as they grow up.

Would an Ikea detolf split in two be ok for 2 separate clans? Yea I think it would be ok, but obviously not the decent amount of room just a pair would have in it, more space would be better.
2 pairs in that would be a little over the minimum recommended tank size of 20 US 'gallons', a Detolf is ~57 US gallons (so about 28 gallons each).

As for whether they'd be ok side by side with a solid divider, I think so, but best listen to what the more experienced keepers say.

[LilyandDaisy]

I think half a detolf is on the small side for a pair, but it could work.

I think it is possible for the close proximity of the two pairs to be potentially cause declanning issues, particularly since these would be pairs that have prior history together, and possibly a memory of whatever hierarchies and dominance arrangements they had when they were a four. I would want to make sure the divider is very secure and ideally sealed with silicone to block out scents as much as possible. And also have separate lids for each half so you can keep one closed when the other is open, as otherwise the chance of a gerbil jumping over to the other side at some point is quite high.

Ideally, if you wanted to use half a detolf, you could expand upwards with toppers which would help a lot, but again, you'd need to make sure the toppers are fully secure sealed off from each other.

[geebtown]

Thank you all so much for your detailed responses! This forum is so helpful.

So the general consensus is that the Detolf is best left as one full tank to house a pair of females in. That’s ok, the last thing I’d want is to have unhappy animals! Like I said, their welfare comes first. At least I know the pair I have will be happy having all that space to themselves!

Time to think about an extra tank…!

Thank you all again! ❤️

[mygerbilprince]

Yes! I agree, half a Detolf is too small, I believe it is fewer square inches/cm than a 40 gallon, which is minimum for a pair (in my opinion anyway)