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Post by j on Jul 20, 2004 10:06:38 GMT -8
I'm just wondering what age most people usually start having problems?
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Post by queenofthenile on Jul 20, 2004 14:07:56 GMT -8
I've had troubles at the 6-7 month mark. My male tank declanned and my pair of females got in a ball fight at about that age.
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Post by sweetie on Jul 21, 2004 11:09:12 GMT -8
Hello, At the risk of sounding stupid, What is a ball fight?  Also I believe the question was at what age do you start having problems with them??? What does that mean? Is it like kids? Is it the equivalent of the terrible two's and developmental stages? Or rather an indication the they are reaching sexual maturity and now are beginning to fight for dominance etc? |
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Post by queenofthenile on Jul 21, 2004 12:03:10 GMT -8
Well I was assuming that he meant groups larger than 2. I'm pretty sure that J has some large clans right now that seem to be stable. What the problem with these clans is, however, is that they often become unstable as the gerbils age. You will normally see problems of in-fighting at between 4-8 months. Often these fights mean that the clan has to be broken up because the gerbils will otherwise fight each other to the death. A gerbil ball fight is just that, a fight to the death. It is where the two gerbils attack each other and bite each other's throats. The two bodies kind of twist into a little ball and that's why it's call a ball fight.
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Post by queenofthenile on Jul 21, 2004 12:04:23 GMT -8
Oh, and if J isn't talking about groups of more than two, than I have no idea what the question means ;D.
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Post by j on Jul 22, 2004 13:55:31 GMT -8
Oh, and if J isn't talking about groups of more than two, than I have no idea what the question means ;D. haha yep, that's what I was asking. Thanks ;D My oldest 'pups' are about 4 months old. The others are 2 months old. I have to leave them with my mom for about 2 days next month. I'm scared. With my luck, that's when they'll decide to fight or something. I'm lucky enough she's willing to watch them for me, but I can't bring like 10 tanks over there.  |
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Post by queenofthenile on Jul 23, 2004 6:17:59 GMT -8
Ask her to look for squeaking and lots of chasing/mounting. That is the behaviour I saw before my clan split up. If she keeps a look-out for that, then she can call you if she notices the behaviour. It usually takes a few days for the behaviour to escalate to violence.
Your clan seems a bit young for fighting to happen, although it certainly is possible. My clan was 9 months (Jasper), 5 months (Rowan), 5 months (Aspen) and 3 months (Logan). The declanning was caused by Jasper continually mounting Rowan to the point that the younger gerb couldn't even go to sleep without Jasper harrassing him. That started about 1 week before I had to split them apart due to minor injury.
So basically just watch them very closely before you leave and if you see any of these behaviours you should probably split them. If your mom notices anything, then you can give her instruction over the phone. I hope everything goes well!
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Post by Ritzie/Admin on Jul 23, 2004 14:10:48 GMT -8
I have had recently fights between two males of 3,5 and 4,5 years old. They are father and son, but cannot live together anymore for some unknown reason. Maybe the old father doesn't recognise the son anymore or something.  They live now seperatly! And I have had two females that started to fight over male (pup of one of the females). THat are the only problems I have had. |
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Post by j on Jul 25, 2004 3:20:31 GMT -8
ha figures I ask about fights and my 2 females got into a ball fight yesterday. Completely my fault though. I didn't turn the light on and threw some stuff on my bed which is near their tank.. 4 scattered and thumped, the other 2 were on a box at the top, they jumped and the older sister attacked the little 2month old sister. Pulled them apart and they've been fine since. Groomed eachother afterwards. lol I'll never do that again.  I plan on letting my gerbils loose in my bedroom for a few hours before I leave and then clean their tanks and fill it with a ton of stuff to keep them busy. So they should be fine. ;D |
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Post by sweetie on Jul 25, 2004 13:24:23 GMT -8
So what if they just chase and wrestle?? Is this indicative of increasing violence toward each other? My gerbils when out of the cage run around then appear to play tag. They also mount but it appears more to be a tumbling wrestle than an aggressive behavior. They are still about 4 months. It does not appear that they are fighting. I perceive thier behavior to be fun and energetic. It is clear when dogs and cats are being aggressive because the signs are more clear ie growling and attacking or shackles raised. Is chase and wrestling and indication of violence in the gerbil world?
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Post by queenofthenile on Jul 25, 2004 13:47:38 GMT -8
From what you describe, it sounds fine. You can usually tell when they are being aggressive. I attemped to introduce 3 - 8 week old pups to my adult gerb and it was like watching a matador. He would rush into the bunch of them, knocking them all over the place. Then he would rapidly chase one of the them around the tank while it was squealing. If it looks like play, then it probably is. If the mounting isn't excessive, then they are probably just trying to sort out the pecking order.
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They live now seperatly! And I have had two females that started to fight over male (pup of one of the females). 