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Post by RitzieAnn on Jan 8, 2006 0:29:58 GMT -8
Know how animals KNOW when they're gonna get a yellin at? Well, Little B REFUSED to come to the top of the cage when I called for her (and yes, she always comes RUNNING if you blow into the cage, and rake your fingers across the cage topper....) well, her little sister Neela was bloodied on the mouth area, and I figure it's Little B... she always starts (or at least finishes) EVERY fight and tift between the 4 of them. Come to find out, Little Be wasn't hiding from punnishment, she was hiding in embarasment! Neela must of finally had enough of it, because Little B was bloodied pretty well. On her chin, front leg, one spot on her back/shoulder and on her cheeks. As much as I hate it when any of my gerbils have a fight, Little B most certinly deserved it. I decided to take off the topper, and just put on a lid. I also too out all the big toobs that I had just cut up for them, and I took away the house. All 4 of them are in the tank. (it's a 10 gal, by the way) And Neela is crawling all over Little B.... like nothing ever happened. They're both trying to clean their own faces. Do anybody else's girls fight to draw blood, and then act like nothing ever happened between them?  |
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Post by tilly on Jan 8, 2006 0:51:20 GMT -8
If my gerbies ever fight, which they have once, they ALWAYS make up. I'm not sure why. I have a tank of two who get on like a house on fire, and have never fought since I got them (about 8-9 months ago) and I hope will never fight! I have another tanks with 3 gerbils in it, they rarely fight but they have once. I found that after they did fight they almost instantly made up and, like yours, and cleaned their faces. Thankfully all my other gerbils have not fought and I hope that they won't. I'm sure that it was a one of and they won't do it again.  Do yours fight regualy or was this a first time (one off?) I would say that they didn't mean to hurt each other perhaps it was a tifft about would got a peanut or tube. I think that it is good that they have made up as the chances are it won't happen again. I hope they sort it out, and, post again if they fight again. Sorry if I have rabbited on a bit, I hoped this helped!  Tilly x |
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Post by RitzieAnn on Jan 8, 2006 9:46:45 GMT -8
There's a post in her some place about my 1st attempt to clan Little B with these girls... then there's a 2nd post about how the 4 of them were in a 3 way split for a week becaue I came home and theywere a bit bloodied up. But I do know for a fact that bloodied hair can make things look a LOT worse than the flesh wound really is. They're stil fine, and all sleeping in a pile this morning.
Little B is super bossy, and Neela is 36 days younger (full sister) and she's most certianly the low gal on the totem pole
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Post by whitmoregirl on Jan 8, 2006 14:47:48 GMT -8
My four gals started fighting - another midnight vigil  I got bitten again, this time by Rose. She was deathrolling with Totty, but its definately rose who bit because my blood is on her neck. So far no one has been hurt except me. |
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Post by RitzieAnn on Jan 8, 2006 19:46:57 GMT -8
oh... it's never good when YOU get hurt... Little B did a number on me one time... I had to go to the ER because I was wearing a ring, my finger was dripping, and turning purple because it swelled up so fast... right on the nuckle! An hour and a half and nearly 300 dollars later...
ER's cost too much!
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Post by Whitty on Jan 9, 2006 2:25:44 GMT -8
Ouchie! I'm glad my bite was just on the tip, not quite as bad as that. Even though, it still hurts like hell o_0 When she did it the blood was literally bubbling out - quite a deep one - and because they were fighting I wiped it on my trousers but it still kept coming  It even dripped on the carpet! ;D BTW I eventually tired (gone midnight, I had to get up a few hours later) so I took them out of my room and threw water over each and every one of them!! Of course I then gave them loads of nice dry, warm toilet paper to snuggle in, and lots of loo rolls to chew, and left them to it. I couldnt fall asleep for ages though - I felt like the worst pet owner in the world. Buuut as usual when I checked on them in the morning they were fine  Typical girls. |
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Post by panthershadow83 on Jan 9, 2006 10:25:02 GMT -8
No offence, but I think a ten gallon is waaay too small for four gerbils. Maybe they're fighting over space issues. You should get a much bigger tank... like a 30 gal or a 20 gallon with a shelf.
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Post by AndreaS15 on Jan 9, 2006 12:18:19 GMT -8
No offence, but I think a ten gallon is waaay too small for four gerbils. Maybe they're fighting over space issues. You should get a much bigger tank... like a 30 gal or a 20 gallon with a shelf. When gerbils do have a tiff, it can sometimes be over toys, and space. When this happends you can remove these things to make the gerbils have to be in a smaller area (for a while) without anything to fight over. As RitzieAnn has done, this is not a permenent home, and she has a topper for the tank to give them a larger area to live. I have had to do this myself with 3 boys a couple of times. Ritzi, if this isn't your first fight with them, why keep them together? it sounds like the longer they are togther the more fights will occur untill one day it becomes deadly. I just couldn't risk them to that, i now have my 3 boys seperated b/c of the last fight. |
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Post by whitmoregirl on Jan 9, 2006 12:39:45 GMT -8
When gerbils do have a tiff, it can sometimes be over toys, and space. When this happends you can remove these things to make the gerbils have to be in a smaller area (for a while) without anything to fight over. I've had to do this a few times Giving them a smaller space, for me, seems to mean that they're closer together and so get used to going past one another. When I had Kipp introduced to Grace, I had to start them out with a small show cage then slowly put them into a larger cage, then another, then into the big one where they bred. When they were in the big one though, Kipp must've been a little *too* hyper for Grace's liking and scared her, so they went back into the small cage for a bit longer ;D |
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Post by AndreaS15 on Jan 9, 2006 12:54:40 GMT -8
I once Put my single rescue into my 20G tank, she started attacking me. I put her back in the 'cage' (ick) she had been in before and she was happy again with no problems.
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Post by panthershadow83 on Jan 9, 2006 13:32:59 GMT -8
Oooh... I thought she meant they LIVED in the ten gallon... >.<
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Post by RitzieAnn on Jan 9, 2006 20:22:00 GMT -8
This is what they usually live in. Basically, as far as floor space goes... it's like 10 gallons of bedding, plus 10 gallons on the 1st floor of the topper, and then the 2nd and 3rd floors together are almost the same size as the 1st floor. I didn't take offense.  Andrea, the fights aren't bad, and until Eric gets me a shelf made, I don't have room for any more tanks. It's only been 2 days, and you'd never know that either one of them got bit. They're not limping... they don't have hair missing, and I think I've decided that it happens when I put more than 2 "hiding spot" in their cage other than their house. From now on, only 1 house, and one other thing they can be in or under. They really are a sweet bunch of girls, and it is just a moment fit they have with each other. Then they pile up and take a nap. Kandice never has anything to do with the "bitching" though... maybe it has something to do with that she's not their sister. (She came from Sandy) Little B and Honey Dew will be 1 year old on the 14th, and Neela will be 1 on the 19th of February. |
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