# Gerbil worries - Introducing Jess to Lily  a blog. RIP Maggie xxx



## HazelandDan (Apr 22, 2012)

We had our two adorable female gerbs for just over a year, Maggie (Golden coat with white belly and the cutest little face), the dominant one, and Lily (All black with a silly white beard and a bit of a wuss). We wall off our couches with cardboard boxes to make a gerbil fort and have them running around with us most nights. Theyre really tame and would follow our feet around and climb up our trouser legs! A couple of very confident and fun loving little gerbils . We are really proud of how we raised and treated these gerbils which made what happened next incredibly difficult to deal with.

















Unfortunately, on Thursday night as one of us was stepping into the fort, Maggie ran under our foot! We were watching her run around, but theyre so quick and there was nothing we could do to stop :'(. It was incredibly traumatic; she limped across the floor and collapsed onto her side, spasmed for 10 seconds or so then just lay still, not breathing. Lily didnt see what happened; we scooped her up as soon as possible and put her away in the tank. We were incredibly distraught and made the decision to bury her then.

We buried Maggie that night in the back garden under a hedge, and planted some flowers to mark the spot. We love her so much and already really miss her. Whenever we leave the house well see her grave which is tough at the moment, but we want to see her and think about her everyday as that is the least she deserves.

Maggie had a really good life and she didnt suffer long before she died but we are so incredibly gutted that she wont get to enjoy it for as long as she could.

















The next day we thought about what we were going to do for Lily. She wasnt showing any signs of depression or grieving even after putting her in a new tank by herself without any Maggie smells. But because she is only a year and has hopefully a good 4 years or so ahead of her, we really didnt want her to be without gerbil companionship. We researched on the internet and went to speak to our local independent pet shop and decided the best option was to try and introduce Lily to a young female using a split tank.

We spent the Friday turning our tank into a split using 13 x 13 mm galvanised wire mesh and aquarium sealant. At the pet shop they had one lone female gerbil, she had been there for 4 weeks and was 10 - 12 weeks old. The breeder had been struggling to get a litter so this little one was one of only two, the other was a boy so theyd been separated from 4 weeks.

We were still having doubts as Lily seemed to be coping ok by herself. We were also very scared that they wouldnt bond and wed be left with two lone gerbils which we would have to play with separately. We understood it would be a very long and difficult process, but eventually decided that it was best to at least try, the possible benefits would far outweigh the inconvenience. Also, we knew that we would be able to give this little one the chance to not be on her own, and at the very least have a happy life with us.

Saturday morning we went to pick up the new gerb (now named Jess). As soon as we got home we put her and Lily straight into the split cage as wed been told it was a good idea to introduce Lily to a new gerbil sooner rather than later, before she became used to living alone.










As this is our first introduction we didnt really know what to expect, however the initial signs are not overly positive. Lily was quite aggressive toward Jess and was clawing and biting at the divide and trying to claw at jess through the wires. She also sometimes followed her across the tank, we think its just a warning.

Jess was initially very scared and we felt incredibly guilty putting her through this, she would run and hide in her tube thumping and squeaking after a confrontation with Lily. But luckily shes a very brave little gerbil, and for one whos not used to contact with other gerbils she seemed very interested in Lily. When Lily comes close to the divide Jess will go over and sniff her, at this point Lily would start acting aggressively toward her, little Jess just pops her nose through the bars, squeaks at Lily and claws back a bit, she doesnt seem too threatened. Jess occasionally comes out of her tube to get food or have a wonder around her side, she seems more relaxed now. Lily is acting pretty much as normal, we gave her a TP tube to chew on because she looked like she was getting very bored. Its really hard not being able to play with her.

On the first day we swapped them over 3 times, both have been chewing at the bars a bit however theyve not been obviously scent marking (Lily and Maggie never really seemed to do that from what we could tell) and theyve been sitting in the same nests/spots that the other has been in before. We had them in the bedroom with us last night, and needless to say, were woken a number of times by gerbil skirmishes.

This morning the behaviour is similar, although the fights seem shorter lived since we swapped them over and mostly consist of boxing at each other through the wire. Lily has fallen asleep next to the divide where they usually bicker, but were not sure whether she is guarding the area or what.

On the whole, little Jess seems pretty keen to get to know her new big sister, but Lily is not so convinced, hopefully she will come round to the idea soon, it is still early days.










Were just finding it difficult trying to cope with the loss of Maggie and also feeling very guilty about Lily not seeing her sister or having any of her toys or freedom. We also feel bad about how shes acting with Jess as weve never seen her like this (she's never been aggressive), nor do we believe Jess deserves it.

Please feel to comment on anything above, positive or negative, as we just want to know whether weve done/doing the right thing. We also have some more direct questions below.


Is this level of aggression from Lily normal?
We have Thick cardboard tubes and food bowls in there for them. Should we remove them for better results?
Can we do anything to stop Lily being bored?
Jess is very, very squeaky with Lily. Is it possible shes just more vocal than other gerbils?


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## thedogsmother (Aug 28, 2008)

Ive tried (and failed) bonding my two girls, I also lost a little female called Maggie when she was young, leaving Lisa alone. Lisa and my new girl Honey just dont get on, Ive done split cage intros and swapped several times a day and it wasnt to be. Having said that I have managed it with the boys. Eventually I gave up with the girls and did a permanent divide in a much larger tank. It suits my girls as they have company through the mesh and they are accepting of each other now but they cant hurt each other and they arent totally alone, nowadays they even sleep either side of the mesh close together. It might be something you could do if your girls dont ever get on. Innitial aggression is to be expected when you first start bonding though, they are a very territorial species and they will see the other female as invading their territory so please stick with it and try your best to get them together. I'll pop some pictures on to show you how the permanent split looks.


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## HazelandDan (Apr 22, 2012)

thedogsmother said:


> -snip-


Thank you for your response! Sorry to hear that your two girls didn't get along. We're relieved to know that aggression like this shouldn't be unexpected and that, worst case scenario, a permanent split tank will ensure they won't be totally alone if they don't get along. Your images have also helped us understand what we should look out for if that is the case.

We'll stick with it. We were just hoping to hear some positive feedback that we're doing the right thing and give us the confidence to carry on.

Thanks again,

Dan and Hazel

P.S. We loved reading through your list of pets!


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## HazelandDan (Apr 22, 2012)

Woops! Double post.


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## GerbilNik (Apr 1, 2011)

Hello 

Got your link for this from your email.

You are definitely best to take out the food bowls and the thick tunnels as they will most likely scent mark these and could make introductions much harder. Only put in loo rolls, paper and other very thin card. I would also advise you not to use the cotton wool type bedding as if this is accidentally ingested it could be very problematic or even fatal.

The aggression like you describe is quite normal - a female I had who was really aggressive at the divide in the first two days soon calmed down and was very easy to introduce in the end.

Good luck and i'll help you any way i can


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## HazelandDan (Apr 22, 2012)

Thanks Nicki! Great to hear from you and get your advice.

We didn't think they'd really been sent marking, but it is a good idea to take these items out, just to make sure. We've not had any problems with the cotton wool-like bedding this past year or so, but I guess if we did swap to loo roll it would be the safest option (and save us some money!). 

We're about to make the final swap tonight (they've had 5 swaps today.. because Hazel cant count, haha). Just now, we put a completely fresh sand bowl in either side, only for 10 min because they were both trying to groom themselves like crazy, they seemed glad of it. At this final swap today we're going to take everything out, and replace the cotton wool with loo roll, maybe put some thin card in either side if we can find any.

Thanks for your support, we'll let you know how things are getting on tomorrow, but things are a lot better tonight


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## GerbilNik (Apr 1, 2011)

How are things today?


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## HazelandDan (Apr 22, 2012)

Hello All!

We are going to refer to today as day 3 of the swap, we started around 12 noon Saturday, it is now Monday evening. We were initially worried by the behaviour we saw in the first 24 - 36 hrs, really much more aggressive than we had expected. Thankfully we received a number of encouraging comments not only on this forum, but another that weve also posted this blog to. Aggression is to be expected is the take home message, youre lucky if such behaviour is not presented.

Last night (Sunday), the Gerbils finally seemed to be settling down a little with only occasional boxing at the divide, although they were still chewing at the wires. Five swaps were performed yesterday, although wed only planned to do 3 We woke up too early and couldnt count out the hours! Ha! Theyd been fighting in the morning, but were calmer in the evening, with Lily coming out in the open to groom herself. Both gerbils seemed to be having a grooming sesh so we made the (probably very naughty) decision to briefly introduce a sand bowl to each side, to let them clean up. They both immediately jumped in and started sorting themselves out, seeming much more at ease than they had been all day!










Following some of your advice from the forums, we decided to take out all the cage furniture we had installed (even though they didnt appear to be scent marking). The new little one, Jess, had been using one of the thick cardboard tubes to hide in and they were blocking the divide.

After giving them ten minutes or so in the sand bowls we removed all the furniture and swapped the gerbs for the final time that night, just putting in some thin cardboard to chew and some toilet paper for them to bed in. 
Since weve made the swap THERE HAS BEEN NO TROUBLE WHAT-SO-EVER! We dont want to get ahead of ourselves, but the signs are exponentially better! Theyll be stood next to each other at the divide having a chew at the wires without Lily lunging at Jess. Theyve had a few face-offs without any boxing ensuing... NO BOXING! Both are just getting on with their business chewing on cardboard and nesting in the TP!










Not that were experts at all, and it has probably held up progress a little, but Im glad we initially gave them some home comforts to let Lily deal with any grief she might be experiencing, and to ease any anxiety that Jess might be having from moving to a new home next to an aggressive adult. But were pleasantly surprised at their behaviour now that they are each others only entertainment.

As we went to bed Jess seemed to be making herself at home, exploring her side, and even climbing the divide! Shes a ballsy one, I think weve got a little trouble maker on our hands! Although, bless her, shes not very good at making nest, so Lilys been making them on both sides.

This morning we swapped them before we went to work, Jess went straight into Lilys nest. Lily didnt seem too happy with the poor excuse of a nest shed been left with and was stealing bedding through the bars from Jess side, even though she had plenty of her own. Some aggressive bar chewing when we left for work, but no squabbles.

Just got in from work and swapped them over again, they both just ran into each others nests and hunkered down all calm at the moment.


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## HazelandDan (Apr 22, 2012)

Day 4
So were now into day 4 of the split cage. Both gerbils just spent the evening yesterday tucked up in their nests ignoring each other and having a jolly good rest this unfortunately meant that come bed time, they had plenty of energy to run around and keep us up!

There was no real aggression last night, still the odd bit of gnawing at the divide and theyve been lingering around close to each other without the situation blowing up, which is good.

Jess was very active as we went to bed, running around and climbing the divide, although we did witness some VERY STRANGE BEHAVIOUR from her. Lily and Jess had just been together at the divide, nose to nose, both turned away and Jess started leaping in the air and twisting around doing little gerbil somersaults! I had it in the back of my mind that Id read about this somewhere so wasnt too worried at the time (popcorning?). Is this behaviour more common in pups/young gerbils? Wed never seen Maggie or Lily do it. Is it just a sign of her being excited??

We were only woken up once in the night, there was some digging and gnawing at the divide, but nothing like the fist fights theyd been having before.

We woke up this morning to find that not only had Jess managed to build herself a reasonable nest (yesterday we woke up and found her just sitting on top if the woodchip with her face wedged in the corner), but that shed built it on the same side of the tank that Lily was on, next to the divide! Jess seems eager to be close to Lily .










We swapped them this morning before going to work. Jess wondered straight into my hands to get picked up (shes going to be fun to play with!). Jess immediately headed over to explore Lilys nest and settled down in it. Lily started off sitting in the nest Jess had made, but promptly began digging. When we left for work Lily was sitting on the glass base of the tank with a ball of bedding next to her snuggling up to it, Jess happily chewing away on some cardboard adding to the nest Lily had made. Adorable!










Got back this evening and they were in the exact same places as we left them. Lily seems quite inactive, but she often was in the afternoons gerbil play time seems to kick in at 9pm prompt . We just hope shes not getting some delayed depression were probably being paranoid; the last couple of days must have tuckered her out.

We swapped them about two hours ago (I had Lily out on the couch for a bit of a cuddle and she just tucked herself into my cardigan), both of them ran into the nests, accepted a hand-fed pumpkin seed/raisin and have been snoozing ever since.

Is this level of inactivity from both normal?
And what on earth was this jumping that Jess was doing?


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## thedogsmother (Aug 28, 2008)

It sounds a lot more promising than when I introed my two girls, they didnt calm down anywhere near as quickly .


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## HazelandDan (Apr 22, 2012)

thedogsmother said:


> It sounds a lot more promising than when I introed my two girls, they didnt calm down anywhere near as quickly .


Thanks, we're pleasantly surprised by how much things have mellowed. Hopefully it'll continue to go well 

Jess did the jumping thing again tonight, but she doesn't seem too worried about it herself, just gets on with her business, so we'll just continue to watch her I guess.

Thanks for the encouragement!


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## HazelandDan (Apr 22, 2012)

Day 5

Well, Day 5 and not much to report tbh. Both seem to have completely stopped the clawing at each other through the divide, and dont bite the bars at each other either. They seem to come up to the divide have a sniff at each other and wonder off (possibly the beginnings of a gerbil kiss, but Im probably just interpreting the behaviours how I want to see them).

Both seem happy to sleep in the others nests although they are still in opposite corners of the tank. Theyre both pretty inactive most of the time, however as expected 9pm gerbs where up and digging and climbing and gerbilling around.

Were glad that things seem to be progressing steadily. Will keep you updated!


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## GerbilNik (Apr 1, 2011)

Glad to hear things seem to be getting more promising. The leaping you describe is probably down to excitement and I tend to call this "pinging" 

Just to add, please make sure you don't clean them out - even if it take a couple of weeks, as you will undo all the good work you have done.

On the picture of your light coloured one it looks like she has a sore nose or something? or is that just the way the picture has turned out


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## HazelandDan (Apr 22, 2012)

GerbilNik said:


> Glad to hear things seem to be getting more promising. The leaping you describe is probably down to excitement and I tend to call this "pinging"
> 
> Just to add, please make sure you don't clean them out - even if it take a couple of weeks, as you will undo all the good work you have done.
> 
> On the picture of your light coloured one it looks like she has a sore nose or something? or is that just the way the picture has turned out


Thanks, the 'pinging' is really cute to watch, glad it's nothing to be worried about.

Yeah, we've heard not to clean them, if it takes maybe 3-4 weeks would you suggest taking out some of the soiled bedding and replacing with fresh? obviously not all of it though.

With regards to Jess' nose, she's mostly white but has a brown/grey patch of fur around her nose and a stripe across her bum, very unusual


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## GerbilNik (Apr 1, 2011)

Ah right. The stripe on her bottom will be a moult line. Just out of interest does she chew on mesh/bars a lot? The colouring doesn't look like normal colourpoint colouring .

If a split is taking as long as 4 weeks I wouldn't continue with it. It's a long time to be in a split and really an ideal time is beween 1-2 weeks.


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## HazelandDan (Apr 22, 2012)

Yeah, she does chew a bit in the evening, and pops her nose through the bars to smell at Lily. We thought her colours were unusual, as did the woman in the pet shop. when we got her.

We're hoping they will be ready within the 2 week period. When do you suggest introducing them? Once they begin grooming/kissing/sleeping next to each other?


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## HazelandDan (Apr 22, 2012)

Also, this little one was from a litter of just two, her brother was all grey.


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## GerbilNik (Apr 1, 2011)

It sounds like it's most likely that the colouring around her nose is due to the bar/mesh chewing. In colourpoints it tends to affect the ear, tail and nose area but doesn't extend down and round the mouth area which appears to be the case here.

When they chew on the bars/mesh (or excessively cheew on wood or other objects) they can get an orangey/brown type colour around the mouth area. The colour is from porphyrins in the saliva staining the fur. The porphyrins are iron based so this effect looks very similar to rusting. If your gerbil has a different colour staining their face, chances are that they are rubbing the dye off a colourful wooden chew toy onto their fur. 

From the look of her she looks to be a Colourpoint Golden Agouti but it's hard to tell from these pictures.

As for introducing, it's hard to say when if I can't see their behaviour - if they do groom it's a good sign but it doesn't always happen during the split but doesn't mean they aren't ready!


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## HazelandDan (Apr 22, 2012)

Here's some better pictures of her.


















Hazel's away over the weekend so we definitely wont be doing an introduction until at least Monday. They seem to be quite settled in the split now.


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## HazelandDan (Apr 22, 2012)

Day 6:

Day 6 and we have GROOMING!!!!! 

Yes, grooming . Ive been out this evening after work, so Dans been on Gerbil duty, he informs me that about half an hour before I got in, Lily poked her head through the bars and allowed Jess to groom her nose/head for about 10 seconds. Apparently theyve just been wondering up and down the divide near each other most of the evening. As soon as I got home I grabbed Lily out for a little cuddle on the couch. I noticed they were next to each other at the divide but thought nothing of it. Once Dan told me what theyd been up to I popped Lily back in, and immediately they went to the divide and Jess groomed Lilys nose! 

Things are going very well. Were so relieved/happy!!!


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## GerbilNik (Apr 1, 2011)

What you could try and do to gauge if they are getting close to the point where they are ready to meet, is for one of you to hold one of them and the other person to hold the other beside each other and see how they react. If they seem calm enough you can go a little closer and see how they are that way. Don't take them out of your hands or let them run together and make sure they obviously can't hurt each other but it's a good test to see how things will go.


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## HazelandDan (Apr 22, 2012)

Thanks Nicki, that's really good advice. I'm away this weekend, so as long as they behave over the next few days we'll try that Monday night.


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## GerbilNik (Apr 1, 2011)

No problem. Will there be someone who can continue to swap them over a few times a day while you're away? Would be a shame to undo all your hard work! You're doing great so far


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## HazelandDan (Apr 22, 2012)

yeah, Dans still around all weekend to do the swaps.


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## HazelandDan (Apr 22, 2012)

Day 10:

Day 10 and Dan managed to coordinate the swaps over the weekend single handed! The gerbils continued the good behaviour, no fights, occasional kissing/grooming. Theyve not slept next to each other, but they seem completely at ease in each others company.

Today we attempted some gerbil speed-dating! Wed had advice to hold each gerbil in our hands and put them close together to see how they reacted. We tried this, however we werent very confident holding little Jess yet. They seemed comfortable near each other and Lily was eager to get a sniff of Jess, but we didnt trust holding them.

Plan B. We completely washed out the storage box wed put Lily in while we were creating the split cage, and filled it half with fresh wood shavings and half with used bedding from either side of the split to get both of their smells in there. We put Lily in the box and gently lowered Jess into the box in a gloved hand. Lily wondered over and gave Jess a sniff/kiss and wondered off, so we let Jess go into the box.










They ran around happily for about 4 mins, exploring the box, burrowing and climbing the sides. They occasionally returned to each other for reassurance and Jess followed Lily around. They came together face to face and I got a bit of an uneasy feeling about it, so put them back in the split. They seemed to get on well enough no sign of any aggression at all which is exciting! Its early days, but well keep popping them in this box and see how they get on.


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## thedogsmother (Aug 28, 2008)

Tha is so cute, I wish my girls had got on like that, Im soooooo jelous . When will you be putting them together permanently?


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## HazelandDan (Apr 22, 2012)

Thanks, We're so happy 

I think we're going to keep popping them in this other box for increasing periods of time over this week and see how they get on. If they stay friendly we'll try them out for the whole day at the weekend so we can constantly watch, and pop them back in the split over night. We really don't want to rush anything, but if they're ready we don't want to keep them in the small empty cage any longer than is necessary.


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## HazelandDan (Apr 22, 2012)

Day 11:

This evening we had the gerbils out together in the box again. We were a lot more confident to leave them longer this time, so they were in for about an hour. Initially both were having a look around and returning to each other for a sniff. Lily decided she was going to try and jump out of the box, so I had to keep catching her and popping her back in. eventually she settled and sat in a corner, Jess wondered over had a bit of a sniff and lowered her head for Lily to groom. Having the go ahead from Lily, Jess snuggled up next to her, ADORABLE!!!! Jess gave Lily a jolly good grooming, climbing all over her. There was a bit of reciprocal grooming from Lily but not as much, only on the face and ears. They spent most of the hour cuddled up next to each other until Jess got a bit over zealous trying to groom the underside of Lily, at which point one of them squeaked and Lily fronted at Jess, warning her off. I removed Lily straight away after this and put both of them back on their sides of the divide. There was no fighting at all, but it may have escalated so we didnt want to risk it. Jess had been climbing all over Lily so I was surprised how patient shed been up until that point.



















All in all, a very promising evening! They appear to be getting on very well, but still need constant surveillance. We may try them again tonight once theyve cooled off a bit.


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## GerbilNik (Apr 1, 2011)

The problem with what you are doing is, you are basically undoing all the hard work of the swapping over by putting them into a clean box. The whole point of the split cage is to get them so used to each others smells that they just accept each other as part of the territory. By removing them from their normal habitat you will be getting a false impression of how they are getting on together. They may seem fine in the box, even after a period of time but once you put them together in their "home" there may be other tensions. You need to be sure they have properly accepted each other and are comfortable with each other in their own surroundings.

Also by putting them together and then back in the split and so on it's only really going to delay things and confuse them. You can expect a little bit of sparring at first and mounting etc which is normal, but only if it gets to the point where they are about to have a proper fight should you put the split back.


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## HazelandDan (Apr 22, 2012)

The new box is filled with bedding from both sides of the split cage so is covered in both of their scents, we thought this would be adequate? 

How else would you suggest we do this better? Perhaps put one into the others side of the split cage and monitor them in there? Unfortunately we cannot temporarily remove the divide from the split cage as it is glued in, hence we were introducing them in a separate box so they could be returned to the split when/if necessary.


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## GerbilNik (Apr 1, 2011)

HazelandDan said:


> The new box is filled with bedding from both sides of the split cage so is covered in both of their scents, we thought this would be adequate?
> 
> How else would you suggest we do this better? Perhaps put one into the others side of the split cage and monitor them in there? Unfortunately we cannot temporarily remove the divide from the split cage as it is glued in, hence we were introducing them in a separate box so they could be returned to the split when/if necessary.


Ah I see. It's always best to have a removable divide - that way when they are in together if things do seem to get a bit iffy you can quickly stick the divide back in. Even if the box is filled with their bedding, they are clever enough to know they are in a different place. Also with a removable divide you can lift the divide slightly when you feel they are ready so they can interact but not properly get to each other yet - again if they react well it's another indicator that the time is right.

The best thing is to put the one who is less submissive in the side of the other one. Mix the bedding together first and feed them and give them a little bit of hay or shredded paper to chew so they aren't concentrating solely on each other. Always remove the split at the start of the day so you have a full day to keep an eye on them. They could seem alright for a few hours before a fight may break out so you need the time to be certain they are ok together.


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## HazelandDan (Apr 22, 2012)

Well, we are exactly 2 weeks in. This past week in the evenings weve been having the gerbs out together in a box. Theyd been getting along fine, for hours at a time. Yesterday we popped Lily into Jess side of the split so that they were introduced in their normal habitat. We saw a lot of mounting, Lily presenting herself to Jess al lot, but no aggression. Today we have TAKEN OUT THE DIVIDE!!! they are in the tank together with just some food and paper to chew on and they appear to be getting on wonderfully! We will be spending the bank holiday watching them and hoping for the best. But early signs are good; I think we may have cracked it! We will slowly introduce food bowls, houses etc over the course of the weekend. Will keep you informed


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## GerbilNik (Apr 1, 2011)

HazelandDan said:


> Well, we are exactly 2 weeks in. This past week in the evenings weve been having the gerbs out together in a box. Theyd been getting along fine, for hours at a time. Yesterday we popped Lily into Jess side of the split so that they were introduced in their normal habitat. We saw a lot of mounting, Lily presenting herself to Jess al lot, but no aggression. Today we have TAKEN OUT THE DIVIDE!!! they are in the tank together with just some food and paper to chew on and they appear to be getting on wonderfully! We will be spending the bank holiday watching them and hoping for the best. But early signs are good; I think we may have cracked it! We will slowly introduce food bowls, houses etc over the course of the weekend. Will keep you informed


Well done. Glad the signs are good. Fingers crossed it continues to go well.

Oh and about the food bowl - I wouldn't put it back in ever! It's much better if you scatter feed. It means it gives the gerbils both physical exercise and mental stimulation in having to actively dig and search out the food. When you think of it, in the wild a good percentage of their time is spent looking for food so if it's offered in a bowl they don't have to do this and can lead to them getting rather lazy and/or bored.


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## HazelandDan (Apr 22, 2012)

In conclusion, after only 15 days I think we can say we have one happy new gerbil pairing!!! Yesterday we removed the divide and left both gerbils overnight in their tank together. Weve had no problems whatsoever, just happy, cuddly, inquisitive gerbils  weve been slowly introducing their cage furniture, and theres been no scent marking or claiming of territory. Theyre acting like theyve been together forever!!! This afternoon we caught them kipping together in the sun So cute! They slept together all of last night also. Jess seems to stick close to Lily, I think shes loving having a big sister.


















This was the best decision we could have made. It was so hard coming to terms with Maggies death and having to make such rushed decisions about Lily but were certain weve done the right thing. Not only is Lily enjoying fellow gerbil company (and probably enjoying being the dominant gerb for once) but also weve been able to give Jess a life she never would have had before a home where shell get a LOT of company, loving and fussing, not just from us, but from her new gerbil buddy too. Hopefully there will be no more gerb drama for the foreseeable future!

Thank you to everyone who gave us advice, hints and tips. Were complete novices when it comes to gerbil introductions and having the help and support from others with experience or those going through similar situations has been invaluable! Thank you so much!!!!


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## GerbilNik (Apr 1, 2011)

Glad things have worked out well. 

Are you planning on giving them deeper bedding once they are more used to each other? If you already have then ignore this, but they really need at least 10 inches of deep bedding to be able to dig and build tunnel systems properly.


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