My own breeding/colony questions

[Sarah Conte]

Hey all, I haven't had gerbils since I was in college, and I have a question or two: When I was a kid, I had a giant colony.  I just kept all my gerbils together in a set of Hartz cages, connected with tunnels.  I have been reading here that this is not the best plan.  Originally, I had Hermione and Viola (who used to be Harry 'til I realized that she was a girl).  Then I got Pepper Anne, 'cause the vet told me that Hermione would likely die soon (She has fluid in her abdomen which I cannot afford to have diagnosed, let alone cured).  The other night, I added two males to my menagerie: Othello (who is about Viola's age, 2-3 months), and Puck (who is about Pepper Anne's age, 6-7 weeks).  I had them all living in one colony for a couple of days, but since the girls were avoiding the boys, and Hermione was beating up on (and getting her butt kicked in turn by) Othello, today I split them into their respective age groups, keeping Hermione with the young ones.  Pepper Anne, Hermione, and Puck are getting along great, but I'm worried a bit about Viola and Othello.   They seem to be avoiding one another.  He's sleeping in the nesting box in the corner of the cage, and she's created her own nest in the other corner.   Though there's been no fighting between the two of them, I'm worried that she's feeling lonely without her group of girls.  Any advice?  What are the specific drawbacks to colony breeding?  When I was a kid, the gerbils all raised the pups with no problem and no fighting, was I just lucky? I'd be grateful for any advice Thanks, Sarah The Classic Theatrical Struggle: The Show Must Go On vs. This Is Stupid, I'm Going Home!