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Post by queenofthenile on Apr 12, 2004 7:00:14 GMT -8
I recently had to split up my tank of four boys. The eldest, Jasper, was asserting dominance by mounting all the other gerbils. Finally one of them had enough and bit him - I think it was Rowan, the grey one. So I split them into two groups, Jasper with Logan and Rowan with Aspen. Anyway, I figured I would try reintroducing them. I know the chances are slim but they were soooo cute together  . So I have had the two pairs split caged for 4 days (In a 30 gal tank). I was curious to see what interactions they would have at this point - so I did single introductions (Jasper with Aspen and Rowan with Logan). The first pairing worked with just a lot of butt sniffing. When I tried to pair Rowan and Jasper, Rowan freaked out! There wasn't even a gerbil ball, he just rushed at Jasper and bit off a tuft of hair (no injuries though  . I was thinking that I could split Rowan off and the other three boys on the other side of the tank, which is where they are now. All three boys are getting along just fine. They are sleeping together right now. My question is, do you think there is a chance to reintroduce Rowan or is he just too dominant over Jasper for them to get along if I split cage them longer? I was thinking that I could try to just split cage Rowan and Jasper for 2 weeks and then introduce the two Siamese boys (Aspen and Logan). I think that would work if the split between Jasper and Rowan worked. I think Jasper has finished doing the aggressive mounting thing, so I feel they would get along in the long run if Rowan would get along with Jasper. Sorry if this has confused anybody  . |
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Post by floppy on Apr 12, 2004 10:50:04 GMT -8
Hi,
If you take away Aspen and Logan, and split cage Jasper and Rowan for two weeks, you'll probably have the same problems re-introducing Aspen and Logan with the other two, and you'll have to leave Jasper on his own and Rowan on his own.
If you leave Rowan on his own with the other three in a split cage and it doesn't work, you will be left with a lone gerbil. Either way, I think it would be best to leave 2 and 2, that way none of them will be left alone if the split doesn't work. I would try it this way again for another few days.
Have you tried swapping them around? If you keep Jasper and a mate on one side, and Rowan and another on the other side, you should swap Jasper & mate onto Rowan & mates side and vice versa! Jeez, I got confused reading your mail but am nearly more confused reading my reply! ;D Hope it makes sense!
How old are your gerbils anyway?
Floppy
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Post by Ritzie/Admin on Apr 12, 2004 11:23:51 GMT -8
I have to say that I never have introduced 4 adult gerbils together! I have tried 3, but that failed, I think because 2 of them were already a group for a long while!
I've heard of a splitcage that worked for gerbils, so you had 3 parts in stead of 2! The one who tried said it worked for him.
You could indeed try to introduce 2 gerbils to 2 other gerbils, however I've never tried it and I know some will say it is impossible. But I cannot tell.
Another method that I have heard of and tried (with 2 gerbils) is the bath method. Place the gerbils on an "island" in a tank filled with 2-3 cm water. When they fight they will fall into the water and stop! When I tried this they were very friendly to each other! (I have to tell that they started fighting back in their cage again after some hours, but at the end it the introduction worked! Maybe you can try it as a last resort!
Success and keep us updated! ;D
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Post by queenofthenile on Apr 12, 2004 18:31:23 GMT -8
Well, I've got the three together no problem (Jasper, Aspen and Logan) with Rowan on the other side of the split cage. I don't think it will work this way but I will give it a few more days. Then I think I will try splitting Jasper and Rowan for a few weeks in a 10 gal tank. I am not worried that Aspen and Logan won't get along with the other two, as they have posed no problem after a 4-day split cage. If I can get Rowan and Jasper to get along, then I will resplit-cage the two pairs. I think that will work - or I'll at least try . I know it is thought to be impossible to join adult groups together, but the group of three boys went together very easily. I won't give up just yet . |
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Post by floppy on Apr 13, 2004 15:49:03 GMT -8
Hi,
Would you not pair Rowan with one of the boys that he actually get along with?
You said yourself that you don't think the current split will work out and at the end of the day you could end up with Rowan being lonely and unhappy.
Taking Aspen and Logan away from Rowan and Jasper for a couple of weeks will be totally different to you having them in a split cage where they can still see, smell and interact with each other. I know from experience that if you take them away altogether you will have a very slim if no chance at all in getting the group back together. You did say that you wanted them together because you thought they looked cute. That isn't a good enough reason when clearly it's not what they want, and that's actually the most important thing here.
Floppy
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Post by queenofthenile on Apr 14, 2004 8:10:39 GMT -8
Don't worry, I wasn't going to leave Rowan in a situation where he was lonely . I just wanted to see if the grouping would work or not. There is no harm in that. After watching them last night I decided to just split them into two pairs again. Rowan was lunging at the divider everytime Jasper came near and gnawing at the bars. So I put Logan in with Rowan and they are doing very well. One good thing did come out of this though, I was able to switch the pairings. Originally, Jasper was with Logan and Jasper was getting a bit thin while Logan was getting a bit fat. Logan must have been eating more than his share. So hopefully, now that Logan is with Rowan, Jasper will be able to eat more of the sunflower seeds . |
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Post by floppy on Apr 14, 2004 9:45:15 GMT -8
Hi, Glad to hear it! I was just worried because I have a female on her own. She was the only girl in her litter and I had to seperate her from her brothers so they couldn't mate. I originally put her with 2 young males and a female but she attacked them all. I have also tried pairing her with a young female of about 6 weeks but she won't have another gerbil with her. I feel so sorry for her because she's missing out on a lot of gerbil stuff, like grooming and play wrestling and snuggling when they sleep. She seems happy enough most of the time but I have to give her a bit more attention and treats etc than I do the rest. Sometimes she sits there and looks a bit sad. Even though she won't accept a cage mate I know she must get lonely and it makes me sad. I will try to get her a boyfriend soon but I'm currently waiting on a visa cos we're moving to the US. I can't afford any more babies or cages until we've moved. I'm planning on bringing all my pets with me and 32 is enough just now!! I'm glad you managed to pair them up successfully  Floppy |
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Post by Ritzie/Admin on Apr 15, 2004 5:47:27 GMT -8
Queenofthenile, good to hear that it worked out! Floppy, your moving permanently to the US? You're now living in Ireland, isn't it? And youw ant to take all 32 gerbils with you! That will be reserving a big part of the plane! ;D ;D |
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Post by floppy on Apr 15, 2004 11:52:23 GMT -8
Hi Peter, Yes, I live in Ireland. My boyfriend has been offered a job in the US (Boston) so we'll be there for a couple of years at least! I wouldn't dream of leaving the Gerbils behind, and can't bear giving them away so they have to come with us! It's actually been a bit of a nightmare trying to get the cages they need to travel in. NOWHERE sells them, they have to be specially made and have to meet a lot of requirements and regulations! The thing is, we found someone to make them and they are fine, but we have since had 4 more litters! We'll probably need to get a couple more made now...Each cage will cost around €100 on the plane so I guess it will be quite expensive to bring them over...and then, because we can't have their stuff shipped over (it would take several weeks to arrive) we need to buy them all new stuff! The boyfriend doesn't realise it yet but we will be stopping off at pet stores as soon as we leave the airport! ;D It's just as well he loves them as much as I do or I'd be in big trouble!  Floppy |
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Post by Ritzie/Admin on Apr 16, 2004 14:48:07 GMT -8
€100 for each cage!  That's a lot! We can see that you really love your gerbils, because you will spend such amount of money on them! A very good thing! Good luck in Boston! I've never been in the US, but I have met some American guys from Georgia when I was in Cancun (Mexico) last summer. I have still contact with one of them. Maybe we (my friends and I) will visit him once in the near future. ;D And also never in Ireland by the way, but my parents have and they said it was a great country! I've almost seen The whole European Union (and Norway), exept Ireland, UK, Italy and Finland (and the new member states, except the Czech Republic). So I've still some destinations that I can visit! ;D |
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. So I have had the two pairs split caged for 4 days (In a 30 gal tank). I was curious to see what interactions they would have at this point - so I did single introductions (Jasper with Aspen and Rowan with Logan). The first pairing worked with just a lot of butt sniffing. When I tried to pair Rowan and Jasper, Rowan freaked out! There wasn't even a gerbil ball, he just rushed at Jasper and bit off a tuft of hair (no injuries though 
. I was thinking that I could split Rowan off and the other three boys on the other side of the tank, which is where they are now. All three boys are getting along just fine. They are sleeping together right now.
.
That's a lot! We can see that you really love your gerbils, because you will spend such amount of money on them! A very good thing! Good luck in Boston! I've never been in the US, but I have met some American guys from Georgia when I was in Cancun (Mexico) last summer. I have still contact with one of them. Maybe we (my friends and I) will visit him once in the near future. ;D