Splitcage x 3?????????????

[Gerbilly]

Hi,
I have one lone gerbil and i am planning to introduce her to 2 of the new pups from my pregnant gerbil - if she produces for me-(only when the pups are of age though...!). I was going to do split cage but now i ve found out you shouldnt do it with "established groups", or is my case an exeption? ( Thats two gerbils on one side and one on the other..........my lone gerbil will be about 3 months then and the babies, 8 weeks.)
If i really shouldnt do this, how else do i try and introduce them?????????????????????????????????????????? :confused: :confused: :confused: :confused:
can you do like a 3 way split cage and rotate them evry few hours etc.?

ps. sorry, i seem to be asking too many qs lately
id love some speedy replies thanks

[Padfoot]

Three females is not a good idea since they might fight. Three males is ok. I think you can do it with the two younger. Gerbils mind less other gerbils that are not sexually mature. I would say that you should do it at six weeks, if your going to do it. 3 females is not ok, 3 males is ok, 1 female and 2 males is ok and 2 females and one male is not ok... I hope I've helped you..

[Gerbilly]

i have a trio of 2 year old sisters and they haven't fought once in 2 years. However, this is just a lucky one off - right? :idea: :idea: :idea: :idea:

[Abbey]

it could get worse.. my 2 1/2yr old female killed her mother unexpectedly having never lived apart.. not sure how introducing females would go.. but its not a good idea to do female intros, as the young females will team up to kill the older one as she gets weaker to claim dominance.

[Gerbilly]

oh
ok
so i should just introduce 1 then?
will my trio suddenly kill each other thyen ? :bawling: :bawling: :bawling: :bawling:

or could it be ok? :teleport: :teleport:

[Abbey]

I'm not sure if you should intro at all... think about it, if the 2 do get on, the old female will die first and then you are left with another lone female and you'll have to introduce another younger female and the the older one will die.. it just goes on and on..
About the trio, keep an eye carefully on them, if one or two of them seems to be getting thinner, thats a likely sign she is being bullied by another. but are they all the same age? there is less chance of fights among equally aged females than if there is 1 older more obviouly weak one.

[Gerbilly]

They are all sisters of the same age. A while ago i used to have suspicions that one was being bullied as she appeared much thinner. I had seen her like wreste with one of the others ( who i think was the dominant) but it never seemed to get serious - just play fighting. Now she has regained weight and they all seem perfectly fine. Now, however i think she is the dominant gerbil as she is always first to groom etc.

I understand what your saying about the intro going on and on and on - but wont that happen with any gerbils???? Isn't that just life???? You see, i rescued this little gerbil from a pet shop so she is by herself. She is currently about 9 weeks of age. My mommy gerbil (in seperate cage with dad) is due in around 12 days time. So when the pups are 6 weeks of age, do you not think i should attempt to give my rescued gerbil a friend? You see, she is real tame and purred on the first day that i got her and doesn't seem to stop!! THere wouldnt be too much of an age difference. But my problem is do you think i should introduce 1 or 2 to her? I would rather introduce 2, so that when one dies in future year, there are 2 friend ly gerbils too keep eachother company. Do you still disagree?
Do you have any ideas how i can introduce 2 gerbils to her - a three way split cage or what?
Or is this still an INCREDIBLY bad idea?
You see they could all make friends and live happpily ever after but then i guess that goes against evrything ou have told me.
Any further help?
Thanks for your current advice!!!!!!!!! :agree: :agree:

[Padfoot]

I suggest that if you want to introduce her to another gerb, intro her to just one. For females it's easier to live with just one partnet. If you still want to introduce her to 2, you don't have to divide your cage in 3 cause 2 of them will be sisters and will already know each other, so there would be no problem there... you have to intro the duo to the loner. You have been warned about the possible fights that can arise. I still insists that if you want to intro her to another, use only one. A pair is safer.

[Abbey]

well, the main reason i'd go against the intro is that there would be such an obvious age difference that it is almost certain they will fight.. I mean if my gerbil was killed by her own daughter, I don't think 2 strange females can go well together..

About the rescued one, yes that would be fine as the age difference is so small. I'd suggest just 1, because over 2 females together often means trouble.

The way it goes is that in the wild, only 1 female can be dominant and breed, and breeding is basically the point of life for most animals, to carry forward their genes.
That is why rodents can fight so savagely... When you have 2 females, dominance is very easily sorted out. One is stronger than the other. fullstop. they accept it. But with 3 or more, it gets complicated and if a female is weaker than 1, she will try her luck against the other and things get complicated as they all try become alpha female.
Males can be kept in groups with enough space because they just aren't as bothered, because its not as obvious if they quietly mated on the side out of sight of the alpha male. Its way more obvious if a female who isn't the alpha mates, because she has a litter but males can't be caught out.
I always keep females in pairs and there has never been a problem at all. The reason my female killed her mother was that there were 4 in the cage. 2 mothers and 2 daughters.
The 2 older ones held dominance together but when the oldest was put to sleep after a stroke, it left 1 very old female and 2 young strong healthy ones.. I guess she saw her chance and seized it. Her sister died 2 weeks later from stress.
That was the only violent end any of my pets ever had so I am very strict when I have females and even if 1 dies long before the other, I keep the female alone, but lavish attention on her. :)
If you ever do a split cage with 2 pups and an adult, you only need a normal one, because the pups are already familiarised with each other. so its just the adult on 1 side, pups on the other.

[Gerbilly]

thanks for your help padfoot and abbey
you have been incredibly helpful
i think i will wait and see how many babies i get and then go from there
however i will try and make it so that she is introduced to just 1 gerbil :rainbow:

thank you ever so ever so much for all of your help
:angel2: :angel2: :angel2: :angel2:

[GerbilBoi]

Well it sounds like you have a situation on your hands.

It can be tried but its not guaranteed to work. Divide the tank half and half and have the two litter-mates on one side and the lone female on the other side. Have them interact and smell each other for a day or so and then switch them. Meaning, the two siblings on the lone female's side and the lone female on their side. Do this for several days. I would suggest a week minimum tri-out. Then take them out and place them in a NUETRAL bin. let them run around in there and see if they fight. If they fight the introduction didnt work if they dont fight remove the seperation and WATCH them closely for a few hours.

As said before by previous posts. Female may not stay together for life. It happens but they are much more likely to declan. If it does work be aware that it may work for just a week or for the rest of their lives or even just one night. The siblings themselves may declan when they reach sexual maturity. Pairing females and introducing them is a very risky thing to do, but since they will be young, (5-6 weeks old), the older female may be willing to accept them.

I would say it can be worth a shot, but don't go just by my judgement.

Hope this helps,

Lu

[Zouave]

i have a trio of 2 year old sisters and they haven't fought once in 2 years. However, this is just a lucky one off - right? :idea: :idea: :idea: :idea:

I was told by a reputable breeder than even among sisters from the same litter there is a 50% chance of fighting with one being picked on. :(

[BreakingDaHabit]

I have one lone gerbil and i am planning to introduce her to 2 of the new pups from my pregnant gerbil - if she produces for me-(only when the pups are of age though...!).
So your gerbil is either pregnant, or not pregnant yet? There is no litter yet? The thing that sucks about this plan is. IF she produces for you, your lone gerbil is going to be alone and miserable for another couple of months. And again, that's if she even gets pregnant soon. How old is the lone gerbil anyways? Why not just go to a petshop, get another lone gerbil and pair them up?

You also CAN'T guarantee sexes of a litter. I just had a litter of 4 girls and 1 boy. So then you could possibly be waiting for nothing.

I was going to do split cage but now i ve found out you shouldnt do it with "established groups", or is my case an exeption?
Eh. That's a controversal topic. Half the people that debate it have never tried it, they just go by what they read.
1. Established groups don't happen untill sexual maturity.
2. It's usually easier when they're siblings.

my lone gerbil will be about 3 months then
So you have a really young gerbil? How old exactly is she now? I still think you should just go out and get another gerbil. It's easier when they're young and it's cruel to make her stay alone and miserable while you wait for a litter that can't be guaranteed. Again, even if your gerbil is pregnant, you have no idea how many she's going to have or what sexes she will have. She could have 2 boys.

and the babies, 8 weeks.
Now this is another stupid idea.
Yes, you can introduce 2 pups to an adult. I've done it, WITHOUT the split cage method. I introduced 4-5 weekold females (they were from a petshop) to a 1 year old female. Not one fight. Instead, the lone adult female got all maternal and protective of them and started grooming them the second she met them. It's because they didn't hit puberty. lol and pups are not territorial. So, if you are going to try this... do it around 5 weeks old. NOT 8. It could still work, but they'll be more territorial then.

I"ve kept Trios and even four females together for years. Mine never fight. The trick is to keep them busy, entertained, and don't give them any territory to fight over. Habitrail tubes cause territorial fights. Wooden houses and too many permanent toys cause territorial fights. Lots of cardboard and stuff..keeps them busy and liking eachother. :weyes:

[Zouave]

One other thing. Just because newly introduced gerbils do not fight within hours after being let within reach of each other with no screen is no guarantee they will not fight two or three days later. And injured/bit gerbils can get weak and die surprisingly quickly.

I have a new lone female, who I am convinced today is not pregnant. She was a rescue. I do not know whether to attempt an introduction or not owing to the risk, but living alone is hardly ideal either. ???

[Zouave]

Why not just go to a petshop, get another lone gerbil and pair them up?


I have never seen a lone female gerbil in any pet store, and even if I did the store managers have told me she likely would be pregnant.

I have to look for a breeder to find a young non-pregnant gerbil. Even then, there is a risk of fghting.

[BreakingDaHabit]

I was told by a reputable breeder than even among sisters from the same litter there is a 50% chance of fighting with one being picked on. :(

I personaly don't trust breeders opinions on any kind of housing thing.

Every site I"ve been to that is made by a breeder, their tanks suck. They have shelves of tanks. And each tank only has a water bottle, food, bedding, some kind of log, and a couple toilet paper rolls. (That they obviously just threw in for the pic, otherwise they would be completely destroyed) The gerbils are bored. No wonder they fight.

Breeders don't have the time and probably not the money to make every single tank fun enough for the gerbil. I swear most of them just breed to make colors..lol who cares about their happiness when you can make pretty colors! (saracasm)

My tanks look nothing like that..and I've never had any fights.

[BreakingDaHabit]

I have a new lone female, who I am convinced today is not pregnant. She was a rescue. I do not know whether to attempt an introduction or not owing to the risk, but living alone is hardly ideal either. ???

So wait another week or so untill you're definitley positive she's not pregnant, then try introducing her?

Er maybe I missed a post.. don't see what the risk is in doing a split cage method..

[GerbilBoi]

Great Points! Every situation is different and it all depends on the gerbils themselves. If all else fails just split cage them and leave the divider in. I have females in that setup and they get along fine.

Lu

[gerbilgurluk04]

i introduced a 6 week old baby in with his brother from the first litter and his dad who were already together and they got on fantastically. but i know that it is different with females. i cant see why the trio of sisters already together sholudnt b fine... if they have been together forever