Looking for gerbil advice

[skinheaddave]

So a while back (a couple years) we got some gerbils with the intention of getting some babies. We got what we thought was a pair and then waited -- no babies. More recently, one of our tennants is a mammal person and re-sexed them. The first she IDed as female, the second as male .. but then she paused, re-examined and went with female. So apparently we have the SNL Pat of gerbils.

Anyhow, the point is that I want to get a male and introduce him. I know with gerbils, however, that this sort of thing is tricky and could easily end in tragedy. So I need advice from gerbil type people on what to look for, how to go about it, whether it is even possible etc.

Cheers,
Dave

 

[Marc_C]

Dave, Ask Melissa! hehe... She is the best mammal person I know! and you have her conveniently living in your house

 

[smellyocheese]

advice from a friend of mine who breeds gerbils:

It's better to have 2 males to 1 female rather than 2 females to 1 male. it's less risky

To introduce them, put the gerbils (males and female) in a neutral environment say a small clean room, a bed, sofa, a table and let them get to know each other.

The tank has to be cleaned thoroughly to get rid of the old smells. put in fresh bedding with no accessories then put in the gerbils. They'll think that they're in a new environment and get along.

but you still have to watch them closely cuz they may fight

good luck

 

[nyx8606]

Okay.. as you wish Dave Here it is in writing.. hehe....

I have found that introducing males to females is the easiest... with respect to introducing the same sex to one another.. so in that sense you are lucky.
Gerbils do best when introduced into a neutral environment, where neither animal has had the chance to claim the territory solely for themselves. There are a few ways of going about this; I'll explain a few.
First, you can clean out the aquarium you already have and put a divider in it to split the aquarium into two. The divider does have to have holes in it, but shouldn't be big enough for the gerbils to shove their faces through it... not a good outcome should they decide to fight ... you can remove the divider after a week or two and they should be accustomed to living amongst eachother at that point.
Second, you can just put them all together in a cleaned out enclosure and hope for the best. When using this method, I reccomend making them all smell the same first. When I worked at PJs and new hamsters came in.. .everyone knows that hamsters enjoy eating one another.. however if they were all sprayed with a small animal deodorizer first.. they left one another alone. Small mammals greatly depend on olfactory cues for recognizing their own kin.... and they can be tricked rather easily
So.. use a new environment.. and make them all smelll the same.. and you should be well off to starting your own little happy gerbil family

 

[YouLosePayUp]

Sorry Dave I'm no good at that sorta thing all I ever introduce rodents to is some big scaly creature with fangs

 

[rm90]

It's better to have 2 males to 1 female rather than 2 females to 1 male. it's less risky

I always thought it was the other way around. Have 1 male, 2 females. That way when the gerbil mates with the females, he isnt always trying to mate with just 1 gerbil but too (thus, taking stress off of it..). If it were 2 males to 1 female, then I think both males would be trying to mate with the female which stresses her out alot.. I think?

 

[smellyocheese]

I always thought it was the other way around. Have 1 male, 2 females. That way when the gerbil mates with the females, he isnt always trying to mate with just 1 gerbil but too (thus, taking stress off of it..). If it were 2 males to 1 female, then I think both males would be trying to mate with the female which stresses her out alot.. I think?

That's what my friend told me. I thought it was the other way too. But hey, she's the one who's bred clans and clans of gerbils successfully, not me.

 

[Darwinsdad]

Sorry Dave I'm no good at that sorta thing all I ever introduce rodents to is some big scaly creature with fangs

I am with them^^^^^^feed them to something large and hungry..I hav always hated gerbils.