Help my Gerbils

[BrEeZeRwEb]

My 8 Gerbils 'fight' against one another if i put them in the same home.Why do this things happen and how can i prevent it.

Help me
Serene

[angelfire1966]

You did not say if they are girls or boys. What kind of home do you have for them? How big is the home? You need to make sure that they have lots of space, so that they can be by themselves if need be. A lot of little houses for them might help. My male gerbils usualy fought. I did not have any life threatening damage, but I did have them in a large cage with lots of tunnels, nests and houses for them. There may be nothing that will stop your gerbils from fighting. Do you breed gerbils? Just asking as 8 is more than most folks have that are just pets. Marianne and her zoo

[TetonZoo]

Gerbils cannot often live together without killing each other. They are many times solitary animals. I know, without a doubt, you cannot put strangers together. If you are introducing them, try switching them into each other's cages, so they can get used to the scent. That should help.

[SpotClanGerbils]

With gerbils that absolutely hate each other, I have often had luck with having them meet on neutral ground. It sounds silly, but the bathtub is a great place. Lots of room, it's no one's territory, and you can observe them and break up fights. I usually read a book by the tub (it can take a while!) and let them get to know each other. Most of the time, they will squeak at each other, bat each other in the face, and that's the end of it. Next I put them in a clean cage, and observe them a bit more. Believe it or not, if the original gerbil was solitary (it's cage mate passed on, etc) 9 times out of ten it will accept a new buddy. Males I have to be careful of to not have any scent of a female around. When I retire my gerbils I put them in same sex pairs. Males used to breeding often reject strange adult males. Another way to set up a retired same sex pair, is keep a same sex baby of the last litter. hope my babbling helps!