----- Original Message -----
From: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
To: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Sent: Sunday, September 24, 2000 5:53 PM
Subject: Re: how many,widows
> If an old menopausal female is left after its mate dies. The best
replacement
> for its companion, is another lone gerbil of the same age. Younger gerbils
> might decide to fight with the older one for dominance months later, as
its
> health begins to decline. If both gerbils are old, it evens them out.
I have also found that menopausal females will usually accept young (i.e.
6-8 week old) males. There is no chance of babies as the female is too old
to reproduce. However, the 2 will enjoy a sex life and the prospect of this
tends to keep the pair bonded together. When the female dies, it is usually
possible to pair the male with another male. However on no account should
the older gerbil be paired with a young female as you may well get dominance
fighting as the young gerbil matures.
Another tip is to leave the female alone for 2-3 weeks before pairing her up
again. After this time she has forgotten her former partner and is
beginning to get lonely. She is then more receptive to a new partner
Sue
