Urgent support. How many mice should you keep? Share via. Signs mice might not be suited: Wagging their tails at each other Seeking each other out and instantly fighting, resulting in high-pitched squeals Hair pulling and wounds.
Finding it hard to care for your rodent? You, your rodent, and Covid As the world is affected by the coronavirus, fears for our personal safety are in the forefront of our minds. What to think about when getting a rodent Small pets, including rodents like hamsters, mice, rats, degus, gerbils and chinchillas are becoming firm favourites among many families.
Neutering your rodents: what you need to know Neutering rodents is a fairly new practice, but it can have many benefits. Find a dog Find a cat Find a small pet Find an outdoor pet Not sure what you want? Rehoming FAQs. How you can help Sponsor Leaving a gift in your will Give in memory Amazon wishlist. Volunteer in our shops.
Our charity shops Online shop Donate your items. Urgent support. How many gerbils should you keep? It's true that they can live in larger groups, but unless you have a very big space to keep them in, they're going to be a bit crowded. In general, it's best to keep between two and four gerbils. Also, large groups can become unstable as individuals jostle for a place in the hierarchy, and aggression can sometimes break out - especially if there is not enough space.
Most fights are due to dominance, and problems are more likely if you keep females in larger groups. You should try to buy gerbils that are already in pairs - siblings, usually - as it can be difficult to introduce two gerbils when they are adults i.
Although gerbils are social animals, they are still territorial and will fight 'strange' gerbils who enter their space. At eight weeks old it is still possible to introduce gerbils to each other. Young gerbils under 3 months old can often live together in large groups without any conflict.
Many gerbil owners consider male-male to be the ideal gerbil pairing. Males bond together more readily than females and develop lifelong friendships. Male gerbils also get on well in larger groups. They are easygoing and much calmer than female gerbils. They tolerate other males quite well as long as there are no females present. Male gerbils are used to living in large groups in the wild.
In a group of pet gerbils, one male will naturally establish himself as the dominant one. Declanning is rarer in groups of male gerbils than in groups of females. Therefore, more male gerbils can live together than females.
In captivity, up to 7 male gerbils have been known to live peacefully together in a group. But large clans demand lots of space. And if a large clan breaks up, it might split into several small groups, each requiring a separate cage. So, have no more than gerbils in your group of males. Female gerbils are more aggressive and territorial than males. In the wild, the dominant female gerbil may bully and shun a subordinate female until it leaves.
This is to prevent her from mating with the dominant male. Pet gerbils are descended from wild ones and still have a lot of their wild behaviors. Thanks to instinct, groups of female gerbils are more likely to fight than groups of males. This can be the case even if there are no male gerbils present. Housing 3 or more female gerbils together will often result in declanning.
And as the declanned gerbil has nowhere to go, physical fights may ensue. Of course, this is just a rule of thumb: every gerbil is different. Some groups of female gerbils get along fine. This is particularly likely if they are siblings from the same litter and have always lived together.
Keep a spare cage handy, ready to separate them if they fight. And never try to introduce a strange female gerbil to an already bonded pair or group. One male and one female gerbil will almost always get along if introduced properly. This is because a male and female will breed and produce babies pups. Caring for gerbil babies takes a lot of time, energy, and money. Unless you are fully prepared to raise a litter, never keep a male and female gerbil together. Gerbils can have up to 10 babies at once and can get pregnant again the day they give birth.
A mixed-sex group of 3 gerbils will never work out.
0コメント