Post by toxictygir on Jun 13, 2004 16:32:43 GMT -8
I was in Petsmart again today and I saw a pretty Gerbil all alone (Exact coloration as the Gerbil on the Forum photogrpah) . I had money to spare so I went ahed and bought him. I had already purchased two cage mates about three days prior to today.
He came inside a cardboard box so I tore a side off and punched holes in it then put my other two gerbils on the other side. They seemed very eager to get a closer inspection so I decided to chance it and let them go. I know, proably not the best way to do a first introduction; but I'm a first time Gerbil owner. Despite all the reading and research I had done, I was just nervous and didn't really know how to handle the situtation..
So anyway...nothing happend..a few sniffs...scurrying..and all that stuff. Probably wasen't the brightest Idea to put my new gerbils right back into some more stress, just after they had gotten used to their new home.
They did more chasing and sniffing. And they were all squeaking. I'm assuming the sqeaking is a bad thing..
Then the new comer decided to hide for about thirty minutes. When he came out more sniffing. I know that one of the pair of gerbils I already had was the dominate of the two because of his mounting behavior. (Scenting, right?) So when This new gerbil came, I figured both wanted dominace over the new comer which caused a few mild scruffles. I sat by the cage for hours, monitoring their every move. The new comer would retreat to a corner and thump.
When I left to get lunch and came back, the dominate gerbil (Between the pair) had a bite wound on his cheek. So I put some neosporin on it and took a shoe-box top and punched holes in it with sissors before putting it in the middle of the cage. (Cheap attempt at the split-cage method) Pair on one side, new comer on the other.
They eventually chewed the holes wide enough to get through. The pair was able to get through, but not the new comer. (He was bigger than them. Older I assume)
So they'd take turns going to the other side and when they'd begin to tussle, run back to their side. After constanly doing this for half an hour or so, the tension decreased so I decided to change the cage back to how it was. They are getting along good now, running on their whell and such and I watched them a few hours after that. I'm assuming the new comer is the dominate of all of them now because the one of my first pair has been hiding some but has come out for the most part. Do they sound like they'll be okay or does anyone have any advice for what I should do?
Even if I was to take the new comer back, he'd just live alone and miserable or some other person would just come along and throw him in a cage with his gerbils and the conflict would just start all over again. So it's pretty much a done deal. Please give all advice and/or suggestions. I really need it...and I feel so stupid, too.
He came inside a cardboard box so I tore a side off and punched holes in it then put my other two gerbils on the other side. They seemed very eager to get a closer inspection so I decided to chance it and let them go. I know, proably not the best way to do a first introduction; but I'm a first time Gerbil owner. Despite all the reading and research I had done, I was just nervous and didn't really know how to handle the situtation..
So anyway...nothing happend..a few sniffs...scurrying..and all that stuff. Probably wasen't the brightest Idea to put my new gerbils right back into some more stress, just after they had gotten used to their new home.
They did more chasing and sniffing. And they were all squeaking. I'm assuming the sqeaking is a bad thing..
Then the new comer decided to hide for about thirty minutes. When he came out more sniffing. I know that one of the pair of gerbils I already had was the dominate of the two because of his mounting behavior. (Scenting, right?) So when This new gerbil came, I figured both wanted dominace over the new comer which caused a few mild scruffles. I sat by the cage for hours, monitoring their every move. The new comer would retreat to a corner and thump.
When I left to get lunch and came back, the dominate gerbil (Between the pair) had a bite wound on his cheek. So I put some neosporin on it and took a shoe-box top and punched holes in it with sissors before putting it in the middle of the cage. (Cheap attempt at the split-cage method) Pair on one side, new comer on the other.
They eventually chewed the holes wide enough to get through. The pair was able to get through, but not the new comer. (He was bigger than them. Older I assume)
So they'd take turns going to the other side and when they'd begin to tussle, run back to their side. After constanly doing this for half an hour or so, the tension decreased so I decided to change the cage back to how it was. They are getting along good now, running on their whell and such and I watched them a few hours after that. I'm assuming the new comer is the dominate of all of them now because the one of my first pair has been hiding some but has come out for the most part. Do they sound like they'll be okay or does anyone have any advice for what I should do?
Even if I was to take the new comer back, he'd just live alone and miserable or some other person would just come along and throw him in a cage with his gerbils and the conflict would just start all over again. So it's pretty much a done deal. Please give all advice and/or suggestions. I really need it...and I feel so stupid, too.