what just happend?

[Qickshot]

alrite so i bought 2 gerbils and they lasted in the 75 g tank for like a weak then the femail got out. then the mail started acting weird like sitting on his head and breathing iraticly and bein on gerbil like. he was a freak. but i wanted to breed them so i went and bought another female and this one was mich larger then the male. i put her in there watches them and the male was sniffin the new female. then i left for work. came home and the femail was all torn up in her backside. he took all the fur and skin of and there was blood all over. i quickly seperated them and now im guessing im goin to have to kill the female. any info on why this happens? i was seriously thinking that the male might have rabies cause he is actin weird

 

[bugmankeith]

Mabye he is old and territorial. You cant just drop another gerbil in their and expect them to get along. I know mice and hamsters are easy to breed, but i'm very unsure about gerbils, especially if you have never done this before. Research is always good to do beforehand.
Your best keeping them seperate from now on.

You could bring the female to a vet if you cared.

 

[Mushroom Spore]

i was seriously thinking that the male might have rabies cause he is actin weird

What the heck are you doing that your gerbil could possibly be exposed to rabies? Do you let it out to play with wild animals?

 

[Mads]

Gerbils are much more difficult then mice to pair up. Your best bet is to get a few young gerbils and put them together, this way they will pair up on their own and since they are young, they are much less territorial. If you want to pair up adults, put both of them into a new tank at the same time. If one was in the tank first, they will automatically fight the new "intruder". When they are adults you will also have to watch them much closer for aggression. If there is no serious fighting (there will always be a little squabbling) after an hour, then they will most likely be fine. If they fight like crazy, you will have to try again at a later point.

Hope this helps, I have been working with gerbils for more then 15 years and have found these methods work great.

Mads

 

[mamadori]

Yes, what they have said is true. I breed chins, rats, mice, hamsters, degus and now T's for the pet store and I have an exotic rescue. With most rodents, you can introduce a younger male but you are best keeping them apart. If you are going to breed and you have homes for them. Put them together for a couple hours on her cycle. The males are always ready.

That's how I do it antway. I hate having to CO2 them because they are all sliced and torn apart. You have to be careful. I don't know much about gerbils yet, but a female hamster will rip off a males reproductive parts if he catches her when she's not in the mood.

 

[Qickshot]

Yes, what they have said is true. I breed chins, rats, mice, hamsters, degus and now T's for the pet store and I have an exotic rescue. With most rodents, you can introduce a younger male but you are best keeping them apart. If you are going to breed and you have homes for them. Put them together for a couple hours on her cycle. The males are always ready.

That's how I do it antway. I hate having to CO2 them because they are all sliced and torn apart. You have to be careful. I don't know much about gerbils yet, but a female hamster will rip off a males reproductive parts if he catches her when she's not in the mood.

this was the other way around lol. im debateing on killing her but i dont know i kina want to heal her

 

[bugmankeith]

If you bring her to a vet they could do something for her, but you need to pay it's not free. They would stitch her up, give her an antibiotic injection to fight the infection, and mabye even a bandage.

This is if it's not so bad, but if she is still alive then i'm sure they could help.

 

[Varden]

And, frankly, if you don't care enough to try and nurse her through the damage you caused, you've got no business breeding these guys.