Post by JharJhar on Nov 23, 2004 20:37:07 GMT -8
Hello everyone. I really need some help from you guys. I don't know what else to do. It's a long story, but here it goes.
About 16 months ago, I bought 2 gerbils from petsmart who were living in the same cage with a few other gerbils. They were youngsters, a little smaller then they are now. (I bought a 20 gallon for them to live in.) A few weeks later, When I returned to petsmart to get some more food, I couldn't resist going over to rodent section to peek at the gerbils. There was one Gerbil who was all alone. I felt sorry for him, so I bought him. He was bigger than the other two, so I knew he was older.
I got home and put him in the cage. They got along almost instantly. Then, oh say, maybe 5 or 6 months later during the summer, I went out of state with a friend for a week. My mom called a few days after I got there and told me that my gerbils where fighting. So, after being worried for the remaining two days, I finally got home to find that one of the younger gerbils was horribly bitten. He was noticeably skinner than the others and I'm almost sure that he feared too much for his life than to come out from under the wooden log to get food or a drink.
He had bite marks all over and down his left leg and thighs and around his genital area. Half his tail had bitten off. He was all bloody and it was just awful. I knew who his attacker was(His cage-mate from petsmart) because he was also sporting bite marks while the third gerbil was woundless.
I knew I had to separate them, or one, if not both of my gerbils would be dead by the next day. I asked my mom if she would drive me to petsmart so that I could buy a new tank with my $27 dollars that I had. My mother is a single parent and she didnt have the money to spare to buy a new tank or anything; though she did feel bad for my gerbils.
luck was on my side, because petsmart had a sale on 10 gallons and I bought one for a measely 7 dollars. With the cost of a new wheel, water bottle, and dish, the total came to about $26. I felt blessed.
So I got home, put the attacker in his own seperate cage and that's how my gerbil's lived for about 4 or 5 months.
Long after their wounds healed, I began to feel sorry for the solitary gerbil; for I knew a lone gerbil is an unhappy one. so, I tried just putting them all on my bed together just to see if they'ed get along. Again, the attacker viciously attacked the other two, who seemed to be acting quite friendly toward him. Every other week I'd try again and again. No success.
I tried drenching them all in water, which I know they hate, so maybe they'd be too stressed out/ wet and trying to dry themselves other than trying to bite one another's head off. Apparently, I was wrong.
After about a month of this, I gave up.
2 or 3 more months passed and I felt sorry for the single gerbil again. I tried something similar to the split-cage method. (I didnt have any chicken wire and my mom wasen't too enthusiastic about buying me any, either.) I found this hard plastic box with about half an inch square holes in it. I put the single gerbil under it inside the 20 gallon with the other two. (Dont worry, the box was as big as about his 10 gallon anyway) And I arranged everything in this freaky mannor so that the gerbil under the box did have water access. I saw them toutching noses through the holes and I has this warped thought: 'Aww, they're trying to chew him free, they want to be friends. Awww' And me, being my gerbil-naive self, lifted the box and low and behold, more fighting.
I just kind of gave up from there and just left them alone up untill last weeked. I tried the whole box thing and for whatever reason I felt bad about putting the single gerbil under the box so I tried oneee last thing. I put all three of them in the tub and I got a spray bottle filled with water. Every time they began to fight, I squirted them and it seemd to be working. But, they had peed and pooped all over the tub and I became disgusted watching them roll and trod all in their own feces.
So I jut put them back in their seperate cages..AGAIN. One of the gerbils has a few minor bite wounds on his cheek. This is the point where I need some help from you all at this messeage board.
Im sure chicken wire would just do the trick, but my mom wont buy any. I don't know what else to do. I just feel bad for the one living in his tiny, 10 gallon tank with just a wheel and a bottle. I miss when they all got along.
Does anyone else know any other strategies I could try? I'm 15 years old and as mentioned earlier, my mom is a single parent and refuses to 'waste' money on my gerbils.
Anything, Any advice. Does anyone have any extra chicken wire at his/her house? Can you possibly send me some? I'd really aprreaciate it.
Thanks, I'll be waiting for ya'lls response.
-Jhar-Jhar.
About 16 months ago, I bought 2 gerbils from petsmart who were living in the same cage with a few other gerbils. They were youngsters, a little smaller then they are now. (I bought a 20 gallon for them to live in.) A few weeks later, When I returned to petsmart to get some more food, I couldn't resist going over to rodent section to peek at the gerbils. There was one Gerbil who was all alone. I felt sorry for him, so I bought him. He was bigger than the other two, so I knew he was older.
I got home and put him in the cage. They got along almost instantly. Then, oh say, maybe 5 or 6 months later during the summer, I went out of state with a friend for a week. My mom called a few days after I got there and told me that my gerbils where fighting. So, after being worried for the remaining two days, I finally got home to find that one of the younger gerbils was horribly bitten. He was noticeably skinner than the others and I'm almost sure that he feared too much for his life than to come out from under the wooden log to get food or a drink.
He had bite marks all over and down his left leg and thighs and around his genital area. Half his tail had bitten off. He was all bloody and it was just awful. I knew who his attacker was(His cage-mate from petsmart) because he was also sporting bite marks while the third gerbil was woundless.
I knew I had to separate them, or one, if not both of my gerbils would be dead by the next day. I asked my mom if she would drive me to petsmart so that I could buy a new tank with my $27 dollars that I had. My mother is a single parent and she didnt have the money to spare to buy a new tank or anything; though she did feel bad for my gerbils.
luck was on my side, because petsmart had a sale on 10 gallons and I bought one for a measely 7 dollars. With the cost of a new wheel, water bottle, and dish, the total came to about $26. I felt blessed.
So I got home, put the attacker in his own seperate cage and that's how my gerbil's lived for about 4 or 5 months.
Long after their wounds healed, I began to feel sorry for the solitary gerbil; for I knew a lone gerbil is an unhappy one. so, I tried just putting them all on my bed together just to see if they'ed get along. Again, the attacker viciously attacked the other two, who seemed to be acting quite friendly toward him. Every other week I'd try again and again. No success.
I tried drenching them all in water, which I know they hate, so maybe they'd be too stressed out/ wet and trying to dry themselves other than trying to bite one another's head off. Apparently, I was wrong.
After about a month of this, I gave up.
2 or 3 more months passed and I felt sorry for the single gerbil again. I tried something similar to the split-cage method. (I didnt have any chicken wire and my mom wasen't too enthusiastic about buying me any, either.) I found this hard plastic box with about half an inch square holes in it. I put the single gerbil under it inside the 20 gallon with the other two. (Dont worry, the box was as big as about his 10 gallon anyway) And I arranged everything in this freaky mannor so that the gerbil under the box did have water access. I saw them toutching noses through the holes and I has this warped thought: 'Aww, they're trying to chew him free, they want to be friends. Awww' And me, being my gerbil-naive self, lifted the box and low and behold, more fighting.
I just kind of gave up from there and just left them alone up untill last weeked. I tried the whole box thing and for whatever reason I felt bad about putting the single gerbil under the box so I tried oneee last thing. I put all three of them in the tub and I got a spray bottle filled with water. Every time they began to fight, I squirted them and it seemd to be working. But, they had peed and pooped all over the tub and I became disgusted watching them roll and trod all in their own feces.
So I jut put them back in their seperate cages..AGAIN. One of the gerbils has a few minor bite wounds on his cheek. This is the point where I need some help from you all at this messeage board.
Im sure chicken wire would just do the trick, but my mom wont buy any. I don't know what else to do. I just feel bad for the one living in his tiny, 10 gallon tank with just a wheel and a bottle. I miss when they all got along.
Does anyone else know any other strategies I could try? I'm 15 years old and as mentioned earlier, my mom is a single parent and refuses to 'waste' money on my gerbils.
Anything, Any advice. Does anyone have any extra chicken wire at his/her house? Can you possibly send me some? I'd really aprreaciate it. Thanks, I'll be waiting for ya'lls response.
-Jhar-Jhar.
;D
Hmm..window screens? Seems like that's a little too big. Hmm. I'll look around for something and let you guys know. Thanks a bunch. ;D