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Why you need to have at least 2 Gerbils
Why you need to have at least 2 Gerbils
While thinking of getting gerbils as pets, always think in pairs. These creatures are very social creatures and do not live well without at least one littermate. The more, the merrier is the fact here. They need other gerbils to live, nest and groom with. If you want a lone rodent, buy a hamster.
But then, don’t just randomly buy gerbils and put them into a cage together because they are also highly territorial. They will fight each other to the death to defend what they see as their territory. They will consider the other gerbil as an ‘intruder’. This is why it is a good idea to adopt gerbils from the same litter, i.e., those born together.
If for some reason you cannot get littermates, you have take the two gerbils through a process of familiarization. You can do this by putting them in the same cage with a divider that they cannot pass. This allows them to smell each other and get familiar with the smell. Interchange their living areas with one another from time to time. This will help them know the scent of the other gerbil more closely.
Even after all this, they should be put together only for short durations when you will be watching over them. You can rest easy only when they start sleeping peacefully together. If there is any sign of hostility, go back to the first step to avoid having a severely injured or dead gerbil.
Gerbils that get along fine may also suddenly start fighting. In this case, they should be separated immediately before they kill each other. Even littermates might do this. One reason behind this may be a change in the bedding.
With a new bedding comes a new scent that the gerbil will not recognize. It will then turn hostile towards its mate whose scent it can no longer recognize. To prevent this, always leave a bit of the old nesting bedding when replacing it with a new one.
It is absolutely fine to have two gerbils of the same sex together. They will nest together fine as long as they know each other. And having gerbils of the same sex is also encouraged unless you want to become a breeder. Be warned that unless you want a lot more gerbils, you should keep males and females separately. Gerbils can breed within 8 hours of giving birth, so unless you know what you are doing, you not be able to stop the breeding.
The best way to avoid the breeding is to identify the sex of the gerbils that you have. If you do not know how to identify the sex of a gerbil, have an expert or a qualified person identify them for you. Just make sure you go to the right person and get them identified correctly, or else you may end up an unwitting breeder.
Having pairs of gerbils is good and recommended. But you can put yourself into a bad position with a wrong pairing.
Gerbil pets, Gerbil information, Gerbil tips, Gerbil advice
Next Article: How to Spoil Your Gerbils
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