I have done several female-female introductions, and I've found the most
successful ones to be between females who were approximately the same size.
Adult females have a tendency to be aggressive towards small, young
gerbils.
Jill
----------
> From: Beki Jones <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
> To: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
> Subject: Lone Gerbil Advice
> Date: Tuesday, March 06, 2001 9:21 AM
>
> Some of you may remember that I wrote in a few weeks ago asking for
advice
> when my three female gerbils had a fight. I had to separate Milly from
> Molly and Mandy. Molly and Mandy have settled down well to being a pair.
> They seem closer than ever and Molly often falls asleep with Mandy
grooming
> her which is really cute to see. Milly has her own 20" x 12" acquarium
but
> is not settling down to life alone well. She spends a lot of her time
just
> looking out listlessly from her bed. The rest of the time she is
attacking
> the lid of the acquarium trying to get out. We are giving her plenty of
> free floor time but she has to time-share with the guinea pigs so it
cannot
> be every evening. The evenings which she cannot come out she spends
> throwing herself up against the lid which is distressing to listen to.
When
> she is out she spends a lot of time trying to get back up to the old
> acquarium. She climbs up the armchair near there and stands watching
Mandy
> and Molly. She has also found a way of getting up the back of our gas
fire
> and not coming out again till morning. We have tried to block off her
> access but with Milly, although she has the run of the whole living room,
if
> there is any area blocked off, that's where she wants to be and she will
> spend hours trying to find a way round the blockade.
>
> I am finding her obvious unhappiness very distressing. So, last night I
> moved her acquarium next to the other one with the idea that she could be
> near the other two, and could watch them. But now I am not sure if this
is
> good or bad. Do you think this is a comfort to her, or is it just
torturing
> her since she watches them playing together yet is all alone?
>
> I am considering getting her a new friend. The thought of her spending
the
> next 2-3 years alone is too much. I am taking it I will have to buy a
> bigger acquarium, say 30" x 12", then create some kind of wire mesh
divider
> down the middle. Now, I don't know of any breeders in the West Midlands,
UK
> (unless someone here knows different)so I will have to go back to the
> petshop where I bought them to get a new friend. This will mean that the
> new female will be about 8 weeks old. Milly is 9 months old. Will this
> work? Milly is a very confident gerbil. She is large and powerful with
> giant feet. She is also very much not even scared of us. You cannot
chase
> Milly off, she will stand her ground then dodge through your feet to get
> back to what she was chewing, so would have no problem standing her
ground
> with the pushiest of gerbils. With this kind of dominant personality,
would
> I be looking for a new confident gerbil, or a timid one so not to cuase
> further dominance disputes?
>
> If, after doing the week of switching them back and forth with the split
> sscreen method, they still fought, would they live happily with the
screen
> permanently in place. At least this way she would have company to
> watch/sniff through the grille, or is this not a good idea?
>
> Sorry for the long post, but I need as full advice as possible before
> embarking on this. I am worried about going to all this and then having
> another gerbil who will end up living alone!
>
> Any advice would be greatfully received.
>
>
> Beki
> Mom to Milly, Molly and Mandy
>
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