Gerbil query

We have 6 Gerbils. 5 of them were living together in a tank and one has been on his own since he came here since he fought with all the others (he doesn't seem stressed at all about being on his own). Now 1 of the other males is being picked on by the group, so I have seperated him too. My query is that I am worried about the reasons why the others have started to pick on this lad and is it OK for a gerbil to live on its own?

Any idea's?

Take it there are no Gerbil fans here then?

soz CL i know nothing about gerbils

Gerbils are usually sociable and need to be kept in at least two's but hamsters are loners. But if the little lad is being picked on, he can't really stay with them, I guess.

If two are being picked on, can they go in together?

Is there a ringleader who is instigating all the bullying? Can you have an alpha gerbil? Maybe he needs separating?

Amazingly I've found this site
http://www.gerbils.co.uk/gerbils/fighting.htm

and it does mention gerbil dominance, usually a result of a dominant pair! Well you learn something new every day!

Gerbils tend to live in family groups in the wild. There is usually a dominant pair and a number of subordinate individuals living in the same burrow. Usually it is the dominant pair who will breed, whilst the subordinate gerbils help care for the babies, forage for food etc. The dominant female produces hormones that tend to suppress the fertility of the other adult females in the burrow. What generally happens is that some of the subordinate gerbils will then leave the burrow and start their own colony elsewhere if there is any pressure within the group.

In captivity groups of gerbils do not have this ability to leave, and this is when there can be outbreaks of violence. It can be caused by too many males and females of breeding age confined in a tank or by a struggle for power, when perhaps the dominant gerbil is not as strong as it once was. Usually this occurs when the gerbil is two years of age or older, but it can occur earlier. Another time when there can be trouble is when a mother is living with daughters of about 6 months of age. This is probably because one of the daughters does not accept her subordinate position and tries to drive off her mother.

All gerbils play fight, this is characterised by boxing and jumping around. On the whole this allows gerbils to establish their hierarchy without serious conflict. This sort of activity is harmless. However, serious fighting will be obvious by bites around the head and tail area. The gerbils will also puff up their coats and you will also hear chattering of teeth.

The are often signs of impending trouble that can easily be overlooked in you are not aware of their significance. This is especially true in groups of females. A gerbil can be deprived of food or water as a prelude to fighting, a sudden loss of weight can be an indication of this. This is especially common where an older dominant female is having trouble with a younger subordinate. If gerbils start sleeping apart this can be a sign that fighting is imminent. Whilst boxing and chasing now and again is not especially significant. If there is a sudden increase in this activity this can be a bad sign.

Preventing Fighting
It then becomes necessary to separate the individual causing the problems. Most people make the mistake of removing the victim, in severe attacks this may well be necessary so that the gerbil can receive immediate veterinary treatment. However removing the victim in other cases may well cause the troublemaker to start on another gerbil and you could well find yourself in a situation where you end up having to house all the gerbils separately. It can be difficult to identify the perpetrator, as other gerbils will tend to gang-up on the loser in a fight. I have also known people say that they separated the two gerbils that had blood on them as they had obviously been fighting only to discover that they were both victims and that an uninjured gerbil was causing the trouble. Remember that the winner in a fight will nearly always be uninjured. Or will only have injuries round the head and mouth. Most of the injuries are caused to the loser once it is trying to run away. Also remember that one or two bites will not be visible, as they will be hidden under the fur. It is only where there have been a lot of injuries that they will be immediately obvious.

If you want to keep gerbils in groups, I find that it is better to keep males together. Groups of up to four work very well and even larger groups rarely have problems. If you keep more than two females together there is a slight risk that at some stage you may have to deal with fighting. This risk seems to increase the larger the number of females in the group. The amount of space available does seem to affect the likelihood of fighting. But some people have found that it isn’t overcrowding that causes fighting, but the opposite. Larger tanks or complex arrangements where tanks are linked together can make fighting more likely. This is probably a function of the way that gerbils mark their territory and larger areas mean it is easier for two competing gerbils to establish distinct territories of their own which encourages fighting between them. In the wild it is known that there is a lot of boxing and chasing at the pints where borders between territories overlap. But in the wild the loser can always run away.

First Aid

Thanks LS Well I've learned another new thing today


I think the one that has been beaten up was actually the 'alpha' as I quite often saw him pounding his feet a couple of days before it kicked off. We're not quite sure of their age, so maybe he has now matured and felt it's time to leave. I have tried him with all the others individually, but they aren't having any of it, so not sure what I'm going to do. He can't go with the one that is already on his own as that one is a vicious little so and so and wouldn't accept anyone at all. So my only other option (that I can think of at the moment) is to divide the tank, so that he can at least hear and smell the others? What do you think? (He's in a seperate cage at the mo as my spare tank is at the back of the garage with loads of stuff in front of it) If I split the tank into a third and 2 third sections, then the other 4 can remain together, he can be alone and I won't have to find more space.

Worth a try - sounds like you've tried everything else. Does the site give any other clues?

I only ever had a male and female gerbil together, and one single so I never had this problem. I had no idea they were so dominant, wow, they're amazing creatures aren't they? I guess they supress the other's breeding so as to keep numbers down to a manageable level?

It's funny as I'm going to be learning about behaviour and breeding on this course I'm doing (one of the reasons I decided to do it). The academy staff had me all in a panic as they said that I HAD to put another one with him. And yet, we have male gerbils in the academy who are on their own
I love them to bits and watching them tunneling is absolutely fascinating. They are just so cute too.

I must confess LS, I've not read the whole article on the site yet as I've been too busy on here. But will have a look in more detail prob tomorrow when I'm back from uni

I'll let you know how my plan goes. We're going to use wood for the partition and then if it works ok, we will make it into a proper glass one. As for putting him with a female no.... I don't have room for any more