Junior gerbil usurping the throne?

[ralliart12]

Hi fellows

Qn1: I wonder if this is a common trend:
As young & “junior-ranked” gerbils come of age, e.g. make gerbil reaching 6 months old, if they were the submissive, is it common for them to attempt challenging the senior for seniority?

Qn2: in an established hierarchy, is the more junior gerbil always the one being groomed?

Qn3: is it a danger sign if bonded gerbils start sleeping physically apart some times? How precarious is the bond if they do so sometimes, but in other days still sleep & play together?

[betty]

Ooh - the usurper!!!

Qn1: Yes or no. If they were introduced as a very young pup and the older gerbil was still quite a young adult (and very healthy) then most likely no - not at all.

If the pup was older (over c.10weeks) when introduced and/or the older male was much older and/or possibly ill or in some way compromised - then it is still unlikely of course - but between 6months and 12 months is the age bracket where this would happen if it was going to.

Qn2: I have seen grooming on both side - I would say there is more 'pinning down' behaviour from the dominant one - and the pinned down one is awake and aware - whereas the submissive one grooming the dominant one is usually where the dominant one is really enjoying it and/or looks relaxed during the encounter. They may even more around a bit to make the most of it (whereas a very submissive one is just waiting for it to all just finish!).

Qn3: Yes and no again. Sleeping apart can be due to them being too hot/cage needs cleaning (usually preceeeded by a general raising of the height of the substrate where they literally turn the place completely upside down) - but most often it is due to illness - and illness can lead to a declan (or vice versa). I would certainly lower the height of the substrate and gradually (but actively) switch out the substrate to eliminate the first two possiblities - but not so fast that it exacerbates the latter!!

[LilyandDaisy]

I've noticed that grooming in gerbils is a very versatile behaviour that can indicate all kinds of things.

There is the relaxed grooming as described above, where either gerbil might be grooming the other. The gerbil being groomed appears really relaxed, and may be on their back or stretched out on their side. The gerbil doing the grooming will be grooming the whole body rather than focusing on just head and face. And this will usually happen in their nest or somewhere else they feel comfortable like a hide or sleeping spot.

Dominant grooming tends to focus on the head and face, and the gerbil being groomed may not be resisting, but they don't appear relaxed either. They will be standing, typically with their head held low and eyes almost closed (the submissive posture).

Grooming can also be an attempt at appeasement from a submissive (or smaller or younger) gerbil towards a more dominant one, especially during introductions. It can also happen during declans. This tends to focus on the face. The gerbil being groomed won't have the submissive posture just described and might not react much at all.

I think you can think of grooming as a bit like smiling in humans. On the surface, you would say smiling is a friendly gesture between two humans who like each other, but actually, smiling can communicate all kinds of things depending on the situation and the type of smile. There are genuine friendly smiles, apologetic smiles, even passive-aggressive smiles.