>well, I think I may have killed one of my gerbils. I did the split
>cage thing and they seemed fine...even together after the week of
>split cage. No gerbil balls, etc. I put them where I could watch them
>and they were fine for a good 2-3 hours. Ran an errand and came back
>and the female beat the living you know what out of the male. He does
>not appear too bloody, but definitely really jumpy, fur all chewed,
>eyes closed, etc...what happened? This white female I have nicknamed
>WBFH (you can figure it out). I have tried introducing her to others
>and usually she ends up hurting herself attacking the mesh cage
>divider. This time it seemed different though...how did this occur?
They can seem fine then change their mind in an instant.
That is why when you take the divider out in split cage intros, you
really NEED to be right there for several hours. If you had to leave,
you should put the divider back. If they're going to get along it
doesn't hurt anything, and if they're not, they can't get to each
other when you're not there.
And with an animal with a track record like that, I would have
given it two weeks unless I had obvious signs like both sleeping
together up against the divider and trying to groom each other
through the divider...
I hope the male makes it, and it sounds like you may have a
loner there. I'd have him in a cage by himself right now and
let him recover. Keep an eye out for infected bites and all...
and that he stays warm and eats and drinks.
Deb
Rebel's Rodent Ranch
