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Post by doomgerbiluk on Apr 7, 2005 2:52:53 GMT -8
Mounting in same sex colonies is NORMAL So long as there is no violence its not a problem. you do not need to move them and the girls presence (or lack off) won't change things.
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Post by sweetie on Apr 7, 2005 13:17:36 GMT -8
I agree mounting is normal however, it sounds like it is a bit excessive and the poor little guy is stressed out . If you see that the mounting is affecting the gerbils sleeping, eating, drinking, or behavior, it is best to remove him from the tank.
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RW
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When someone you love becomes a memory, the memory becomes a treasure. Puppy 6/6/07
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Post by RW on Apr 7, 2005 16:18:39 GMT -8
Oh, sure, I also agree that a certain amount of same-sex mounting is normal, but if it escalates to the point of harassment (excessive chasing/mounting/squeaking on a regular basis), it doesn't hurt to keep an eye on the situation to make sure it resolves itself or to make a few minor changes to see if it helps calm things down. You know the old saying--"An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure."
RW
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Post by doomgerbil on Apr 7, 2005 16:26:01 GMT -8
fully agree to that end i removed the small jars and houses from my male colony when things seemd a little too territorial and replaced them with 'hide' (in this case a medium on of those bedy stick thingies) big enough for everyone guess what!! happy colony again Your quite right and finding out whats causing or escalating the problem helps a great deal.
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cinnycinnamon
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Post by cinnycinnamon on Apr 7, 2005 17:49:00 GMT -8
Yeah, I know that the behavior is normal, but this has been goin on for quite some time now. And since I took the gerbils out tonight, I noticed that Timmy is all over Buddy again. Where as last night, I did not take any of them out and Timmy and Buddy were just fine.
Buddy is eating so that's a good sign. And I will take out all of their stuff when I clean out their tank and replace it all with something different. Is that what you mean, Doom?
Thanx you guys!
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Post by doomgerbiluk on Apr 8, 2005 0:31:40 GMT -8
no exactly I had a jar, a cocoonut and a small house different gerbils had set up territories in different 'dens' and where fighting when others came near So I removed all these toys overnight and next day went to buy something suitable, in this case the bendy sticks in medium size. Its big enough for everyone is tunnel shaped so they cant block others from getting in and is fun to climb on too.
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cinnycinnamon
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Post by cinnycinnamon on Apr 8, 2005 18:03:48 GMT -8
Okay so what are bendy sticks? I think I know what you're saying now, Doom. I will try that and see how that works out. But I am unable to buy anything right now due to lack of funds so it will hafta wait until next Friday when I get paid. I can see my theory about not letting them out went right down the drain cuz I did not touch or remove Timmy and Buddy tonight and Timmy still went after Buddy. What I want to know is why is he being so persistent??
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Post by doomgerbiluk on Apr 9, 2005 0:42:22 GMT -8
well a shoe box with holes at both ends, a large stiff envelope with both end opens up and put in as a tunnel, any similar structure will do or even just loads of tissue so you force them to build a nest of their own. The idea is they will becoem ONE colony. and do remembre that you will ALWAYS get some of this behaviour, but that sometimes a split it inevitable and your job is to know when that points been reached
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cinnycinnamon
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Post by cinnycinnamon on Apr 9, 2005 16:55:51 GMT -8
Doom, thank you so very much for your help! I have taken all of Buddy and Timmy's stuff out of their tank and just put in a cereal box with some tissues. This is how it looked as of a few minutes ago: Right now, they are out playing in their plastic balls. I will be sure to let you know what happened when I put them back into their house. I'll take a picture of how their house looks like shortly.... Cindy
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Post by doomgerbiluk on Apr 9, 2005 17:11:34 GMT -8
OK Don't forget they still need toys and stimulation. I hope this works out for you. When they settle I'd put the wooden nesting box back in for them I think, Good luck.
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cinnycinnamon
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Post by cinnycinnamon on Apr 9, 2005 19:06:02 GMT -8
This is how their tank currently looks: When I first put them back in their house, they had a look around-running around and such. About 20 minutes later, I saw Timmy trying to get ontop of Buddy and this time Buddy made Timmy get off. So it's been almost two hours now. Timmy is still chasing Buddy but it's not as forceful as it has been. Oh definately about the nesting box and I have a few toys in there now. Of course, they never played with the wheel. Thanx again, Doom! You've been a great help and I sure hope this helps to calm down the situation.
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Post by doomgerbiluk on Apr 10, 2005 0:44:31 GMT -8
well no guarantees but it has worked for me
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cinnycinnamon
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Post by cinnycinnamon on Apr 10, 2005 16:09:47 GMT -8
For a while there last night and today, it seemed like it was workin. But now it doesn't look that way as every few minutes, Timmy is chasing Buddy around and all poor Buddy can do is squeak. So when I pick him up and hold him for a while, he seems content. And when I put him back into his house with Timmy, they both sniff each other's bottom's and that's when Timmy goes at it with Buddy. Could I maybe do a split cage? Would that do any good?
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