Another introduction method!!!

[Ritzie/Admin]

I had to introduce two males for someone. One was almost one year old but very dominant and one was older. Their owners couldn't introduce them together, so I gave it a try for them.

The split-cage didn't work with them! Ball fight all the time after removing the separation!

On a Dutch forum they have often discussions about another method: the bath method! That is a platform, some bricks or something else, in a tank with water (only 2-5 cm water). Than you place the gerbils on the "island" and when they fight they fall into the water, which they don't like!!!!

I didn't think this would work, but now I didn't knew another solution I gave it a try! And it worked very well!!!

First they started to fight, but they rolled into the water and they stopped immediatelly and climbed on the bricks again. Their they were very sad and started to dry themselfs. And what happened?? They were sitting nicely next to each other, without any fight!

I had them first for 1 hour together on that "island", but after that they started to fight again in their cage after a couple of hours. So I tried it longer, agian fighting in their cage. So I have placed them on that "island" for a whole night!!!!

After that they started to fight again after 2-3 hours, so I gave them a lot of hay, card boards boxes and nesting boxes. This way the one that was affraid of the dominant one after the attack could hide! After some hours hide-and-seek, they started to sleep together in one nesting box! SO finally I succeed! ;D

[darrenb]

THe other thing to try, is to place them both in a small show sized tank and take them out in the car, they will be so occupied by the journey that they soon forget to fight!, We have found this has worked many a time bringing gerbil back from shows.

[Ritzie/Admin]

Maybe I will try it once when I have gerbils again that keep fighting! Didn't they start to fight after the journey? Just in a small transport box didn't work for me.

[darrenb]

Maybe we have been lucky but no fghting happening, but must admit they have been introduced after a long day at a show, placed in a small tank and they just sleep.

I have heard a different bath method let them in a empty bath and wipe vicks vapour rub on them so they smell neutrol and this seems to work for some people

[Ritzie/Admin]

Yes, I've heard something like that too, only than with vanille in water!

[j]

LOL @ a whole night.

I'm suprised you actually tried that and that it actually worked. lol.

Maybe I should've tried that instead of the waterbottle method I used. Everytime they got in a ball fight I'd squeeze a few drops of water on them untill they stopped. lol.

I guess they realize that it's not the other gerbil that is the enemy, it's the evil water!

[j]

DarrenB said:

wipe vicks vapour rub on them so they smell neutrol and this seems to work for some people

That sooo does not work. I tried that with my geribls soaked in mite spray and even dry, and all it seemed to do was piss them off cause they couldn't smell anything else. As soon as they could smell again, they'd fight.

[Ritzie/Admin]

And did the waterbottle method you mentioned work for you, or not?

[j]

Yep! It worked. I tried that after the split cage method failed. It's how I got my male and female together. I think I posted about it like 2 months ago lol

When they got into the ball I would squeeze the waterbottle and drop a few drops on them and they would let go of eachother. Then lick eachother dry. Did that a few times. At first they would get in a ball right away, then longer and longer in between ball fights.

Then finally they got tired. One fell asleep and the other went and layed on top of him lol Took about an hour to work.