pinkpink33
08-23-07, 06:24 PM 08-23-07
i adopted a gerbil about 1 month ago to be a friend for a lone gerbil i had gotten free from a pet store, both males.
after 2.5 weeks i tried to put them in a split - frisky wasnt interested in fang at all, but after a few hours, fang managed to attack frisky through the split, and took a chunk out of his face and scratched his nose. i then separated them for another week, and let frisky heal.
today, i put them back in the split. a lonely gerbil is a sad thing, i dont want to make my pets unhappy.
after only an hour, fang was absolutely manic, trying to get at frisky to kill him. i had put an extra layer of mesh in place so that no injuries could occur, so both boys are fine. frisky was cowering at the back of the tank, so i decided to remove fang, and separate them again. i spoke to fang to let him know i was coming, but as soon as i got in his half he savaged my finger. he dug his teeth in and dangled, and then, whilst keeping his lower teeth sunk in, repeatedly bit down over and over again, in different spots, with his top teeth!
i was very good, i didnt shake him or try to get him off, just let him do his thing whilst i screamed profanities! eventually he let go (his back legs were on my other hand the whole time, it's not like he was going to fall), and i put both gerbils back in their own tanks.
i am now sausage fingered. it's twice the size of my other one, and is patterned with quite a few black teeth marks and holes. i cant bend it, but it should go down soon.
im going to keep my boys separate now, for good. frisky was never very interested in fang, and he's so happy when he's alone, and always busy. fang was the aggressor, so i dont think he will miss frisky either. he's not as lively, but i think he's just lazier. both boys get plenty of out of cage time to explore and destroy my bed! they're both lovely boys apart, i've not had nay bites before and both purr, so i think they must be content.
i cant believe how much that bite hurt! i've had many a dwarf hamster latched onto me, but that was nothing compared to this pain!
i also dont want to risk them together because of the blood i lost - i dont think frisky would survive losing that much blood, just from a single bite in an awkward place.
fang hasnt been punished, and he's been out since and he was fine with me. i couldnt punish him for not liking frisky, and reacting in his gerbilly way. if he'd got frisky i would be mad at him, but he couldnt, so we're ok now.
anyway, that's my rant done!
after 2.5 weeks i tried to put them in a split - frisky wasnt interested in fang at all, but after a few hours, fang managed to attack frisky through the split, and took a chunk out of his face and scratched his nose. i then separated them for another week, and let frisky heal.
today, i put them back in the split. a lonely gerbil is a sad thing, i dont want to make my pets unhappy.
after only an hour, fang was absolutely manic, trying to get at frisky to kill him. i had put an extra layer of mesh in place so that no injuries could occur, so both boys are fine. frisky was cowering at the back of the tank, so i decided to remove fang, and separate them again. i spoke to fang to let him know i was coming, but as soon as i got in his half he savaged my finger. he dug his teeth in and dangled, and then, whilst keeping his lower teeth sunk in, repeatedly bit down over and over again, in different spots, with his top teeth!
i was very good, i didnt shake him or try to get him off, just let him do his thing whilst i screamed profanities! eventually he let go (his back legs were on my other hand the whole time, it's not like he was going to fall), and i put both gerbils back in their own tanks.
i am now sausage fingered. it's twice the size of my other one, and is patterned with quite a few black teeth marks and holes. i cant bend it, but it should go down soon.
im going to keep my boys separate now, for good. frisky was never very interested in fang, and he's so happy when he's alone, and always busy. fang was the aggressor, so i dont think he will miss frisky either. he's not as lively, but i think he's just lazier. both boys get plenty of out of cage time to explore and destroy my bed! they're both lovely boys apart, i've not had nay bites before and both purr, so i think they must be content.
i cant believe how much that bite hurt! i've had many a dwarf hamster latched onto me, but that was nothing compared to this pain!
i also dont want to risk them together because of the blood i lost - i dont think frisky would survive losing that much blood, just from a single bite in an awkward place.
fang hasnt been punished, and he's been out since and he was fine with me. i couldnt punish him for not liking frisky, and reacting in his gerbilly way. if he'd got frisky i would be mad at him, but he couldnt, so we're ok now.
anyway, that's my rant done!