Anyone have Gerbils???

[dreamcatcher]

I have one gerbil named Dora as most of you know.
I went to the SPCA and got 4 more gerbils........babies.
I took my time with the introduction process......like a week of swapping bedding and cages close together.
Now I cleaned out the main cage that I was going to house them all in and put fresh bedding in and everything and there was still a major issue. Dora got beat up pretty bad by the other gerbils. I can't keep doing that if she is gonna get beat up that bad.
She had bites everywhere the poor little soul. I thought I was doing her a favor by getting her some cage mates, and here they are just beating the crap out of her!
I need some advice

[aqh88]

These are all females? Females are the more agressive gender when it comes to gerbils. Unless you have lots of experience with gerbils and have gerbils that were kept with their family until they were quite old you usually will not get females to get along in more than a trio. A pair is best since even trios have their problems. They do need company but too many fights break out over territory and 1 female often gets turned into the outcast when you have more than a pair. Easiest solution for everyone would be to pair your first gerbil with 1 of the most submissive babies and setup a seperate cage for the others to live in.

Currently we have 2 girls. I wanted males so I could have a big group but fell in love with this little pied black female. We're still debating setting up a cage for 3-4males.

[dreamcatcher]

Thank you so much for that Agh88. ;D
I was having a hard time trying to figure out what to do.
I will try that after Dora heals a bit.
She was so shaken up. I wish I had asked before I tried it.

[worthym]

Hi, I too keep gerbils, and the females are often difficult to keep in a large group, let alone introduce to each other!! Even if you can successfully introduce a large group you must always be on the alert, as they can sometimes declan...
As Aqh88 says, best bet is to make two groups out of them all. Fingers crossed it all goes well. Keep us updated.

[dreamcatcher]

Thank you all for your wonderful advice.
Right now Dora is back in a little hamster cage but once I get a cage big enough and she is healed and not so frightened, I will try with one of the more docile little buggers.
I have been watching the babes in action and it seems to me that the black one is the aggressor.
I will probably choose one of the silver ones to put in with Dora.

Wish me luck.......once I get the right cage for them ;D

[andrea]

I've owned gerbil for many years (have 16 of them presently) and have to agree with everyone else.
Even a group of all related females can have problems, and well so can males. I had a tank fo three boys declan, but it happends.

How old are the younger girls? And how old is your Dora?
There are a few great gerbils related messege boards I could reccomend if you are interested also.

[dreamcatcher]

hi there Andrea,
I have no idea honestly how old Dora is. She was a rescue and the woman I got her from said that had I not taken her..........well who knows what would have happened to her
The little ones are no more than six months old, I would say.
I got them from the SPCA and took all four of them cause it broke my heart to think of leaving any behind
It's really not a big deal now......I've accepted the fact that I will need two houses for them.
Now it's just a matter of finding the right accommodations.
I already know that the one to be housed with Dora will be one of the silvery ones...either one really. They're both pretty docile compared to the nutmeg and the black.
Thank you all so much for your help, and in helping me figure out how to get Dora a cage-mate.

[Deguman]

Goodluck Dreamcatcher. You've got plenty to think on!

Regards,
[glow=red,2,300]Deguman[/glow]

[Sunshinemeg]

hey Dreamcatcher.

I dont keep Gerbils, (the house is full enough with degus, chinchilla, axolotyls and fiance!) but I used to keep Jerds, which are a larger version of gerbils. Its disappointing when cage groupings dont work as planned, but luckily you have the space to sort it, good luck! and keep us posted! Degu or not its good to hear how people get on.

[aqh88]

I've never had males declan. I've kept groups of 10+ without trouble but you actually can't give them too big of cage. If they have tons of space they will be able to pick out individual territories. Mine still had a huge cage with several connected aquariums from 30-55gallon. In total probably 10-12sq feet of just floor space with several levels. I never got more than 4 females to get along at a time though. Once they hit adulthood they'd all declan and start trying to kill each other.

[Sunshinemeg]

de-clan? as in no longer stay in one large group?

I wonder if this is the same as when male degus reach adult hood, the testoserone kicks in, and the hierarchy has to change?

[dreamcatcher]

Hey everyone,
So........things didn't work out as planned. I guess maybe Dora is just too set in her ways to live with another gerbil.
I tried again to put one of the more docile silver females in with her and when there was stuff in the cage all they did was hide.
So one by one I took pieces out over about a half hour period.
Then it was just the two gerbs. There was no blood shed but after a while, you could just tell that it wasn't going to work out.
My husband suggested that we put each of them back in their own cages and let Dora live out her life as she once was........alone and seemingly content.

You know what.... that's fine. I have the room now for both the Dora cage and the groupy tank so it's all good. ;D

Thank you all for your help and it kinda sucks that it didn't work out but she seems just fine. And happy to have her cage back all to herself!!

[aqh88]

That sounds more like a reaction of a herd animal than a clan of gerbils. Herd animals like horses and guinea pigs have 1 dominant male to a group of females and when a young male reaches maturity they will either be kicked out of the group or challenge the dominant male to be the new leader. A herd never splits or declans into different groups but only loses random individuals(mostly young males) as they reach maturity and go off to find a new herd. With gerbil(and dwarf hamster) clans the males rarely challenge each other or the females. It's the females who fight or leave when they reach breeding age. Herds also often contain individuals from different parents and will accept newcomers into the herd without much chance of injury. Females will all help raise each others young. Clans are only made up of 1 breeding pair and their decendents. Offspring from the dominant female's daughters are sometimes killed and even if they aren't the daughter is then kicked out of the group. Introducing unrelated gerbils or dwarf hamsters into a clan is a fine art because they quite dislike intruders to their territory.

[dreamcatcher]

Well, all I have to say is that it didn't go well, so once again Dora is left to her own, the poor wee mite.
I thought she would like some company but I guess I was wrong and she seems quite content by herself.
I play with her quite a bit too though so I think she will be fine. ;D

[andrea]

Were you useing a split cage intorduction?
If not, this may have been your problem. Unless a gerbil is used to a new gerbils smell it will not accept it right away, and unknown gerbil smell is an intruder and the gerbil feels it must protect it's home from teh new comer.