I agree with the idea to introduce a female around the same age- or most
importantly, around the same size. I have done 3 female-female intros- two
of the intros were with lone adult females, pretty close in age and about
the same size. Both of these intros were very successful. One pair has
since passed on (they got to be 3 years old) and the other pair is still
going strong.
The other intro was an adult female and a female pup and was not nearly as
successful. The intro took a very long time (about 2 months) and even when
they finally cohabited they did not appear to bond much. They would scuffle
a lot and rarely slept in the same nest- although no blood was ever shed,
otherwise I would have separated them.
Jill
----------
> From: The Little Rascals <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
> To: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
> Subject: Re: Help--one of pair died
> Date: Monday, February 19, 2001 8:31 PM
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Jodie Votava" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
> To: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
> Sent: Monday, February 19, 2001 5:00 PM
> Subject: Help--one of pair died
>
>
> > Hello, I had a pair of female gerbils, one year old, who had been
together
> their whole lives. One of them passed away a few days ago, but the other
> one is healthy. I am wondering whether it would be a good idea to
introduce
> a new gerbil (i would get a baby female and use a split cage method). I
> don't want my gerbil to be lonely, but I also do not want any bloodshed,
or
> to end up with another gerbil who has to be kept in a separate cage.
>
> Actually, if you're going to do this, getting a female about the same age
> would be better. If you put a female in with her that is small enough to
be
> considered a pup, she could be very aggressive toward it. Females are
> aggressive toward pups not their own.
> >
> > I attempted introducing a baby to an adult female once in the past and
it
> was unsuccessful. However that was with an adult female who had been
alone
> all her life--so I thought maybe this time it might work better since
this
> gerbil is used to having a friend.
>
> Probably it was because of what I mentioned above.
> >
> > I would really appreciate some advice on this--has anyone actually been
> successful introducing a baby to an adult female?
> >
> > --Sam
> >
> I'd try one about the same age - see if you can find a breeder who will
work
> with you, in case the introduction doesn't work. And of course use a
> split-cage for 1-2 weeks.
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