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Post by bettybob on Nov 7, 2004 19:33:02 GMT -8
ok, i have two boys that are newly introduced to each other. they really appear to be great friends...tibbon (the older one) grooms Gus (new one) alot and they sleep all snuggled up together...but sometimes (and really only when i take them out and put them somewhere where they have lots of room to run) they almost act like they are fighting. i assume its all in play...as they will switch off between grooming each other and tackling each other...the thing that worries me is that when they are play fighting like this, occasionally tibbon gets...a bit obsesed with gus's balls-area.  and occasionally he even looks like he might be trying to..mount him. whats the deal?? |
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Post by j on Nov 7, 2004 21:56:40 GMT -8
Ok I replied to this earlier but misread it so I'm changing it.. ;D Gerbils don't really "Play fight". If the mounting/tackling thing is only happening when you let them out then it's normal with some gerbils. They're basically just fighting over the new territory and who gets to claim/own it. Usually nothing to worry about, they get lots of excercise doing it. ;D Obsessed with ball areas? Um sniffing like under the tail or pinning him down like on his back and biting at them? Pinning down can be bad.. Smelling is just to recognize eachother mostly.. When they're out running around, they don't realize it's their tankmate and not some stranger so they check:  Mounting = Claiming dominance. Owning the other gerbil. Grooming fights.. another bully issue. They like to fight over who grooms who untll finally one submits and lets the other win. Or sometimes one will groom the other when they don't want to be groomed, so they throw a boxing fit before giving in. (like when one is busy chewing and the other starts licking their head; pissing them off..) If this is happening in the tank too.. then just keep an eye on them for a while to make sure it doesn't turn into anything more. It's usually normal though with newly introduced gerbils. |
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Post by bettybob on Nov 7, 2004 22:07:04 GMT -8
well tibbon doesn't bite gus's balls that i can tell (i checked both of them very closely after they did this the first time and saw no bite marks)...he just sniff under his tail till gus acts really annoyed. that makes sinse that they are checking and making sure its not some strange gerbil... i never knew tibbon was such a bully! heh...but he grooms gus alot when gus doesnt seem to want to be messed with. i just thought tibbon did it cus he loved gus.  thanks for the advice/answers. so far i havnt seen them act like that in their tank...but i'll keep an eye out now. |
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Post by doomgerbiluk on Nov 8, 2004 1:32:37 GMT -8
I disagree on some points
my younger gerbils do play fight. that's part of growing up. Power grooming has many purposes. it is not as well established in gerbils as it is in rats. it is used for establishing dominance yes, but also as a social time, as a way of establishing social order and as an essential way of caring for their coats.
I have seen a large gerbil being power groomed by a smaller less dominanat one, then being tumbled over by the other gerbil and groomed himself.
Some gerbils do cry a lot and do it vocally.
mouting is also a dominance issue, very common and normal
Having said that there are times when the bullying gets excessive and the gerbils declan. If there are changes in behaviour and in the level of powergrooming etc then this seems a very real possibility.
I;m sorry this hasn't been more helpful. I will try to post more on this soon.
since the clan in question is newly established I think you have young (teen?) gerbils still establishing their pecking order and settling down.
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Post by j on Nov 23, 2004 16:20:02 GMT -8
I disagree on some points my younger gerbils do play fight. that's part of growing up. I disagree that even pups are really "playing" because out of every litter I ever had, I've noticed there was always at least 1 or 2 pups in particular that did the most "playing" where they run up to everyone and started punching them in the face or wrestling. 3 weeks old. 5 weeks old..whatever age. As they got older.. pretty much all of them that were like that as pups turned out to be dominant, or one of the higher dominant ones in my larger clans. So I blame it on dominance streaks or instincts. Also the same pups that were the biggest "players" were also the most curious when I took one out and put it back to see who the "new guy" was. But just my observation. ;D |
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and occasionally he even looks like he might be trying to..mount him. whats the deal?? 
