# Help with an aggressive GERBIL



## Tentel (Apr 30, 2008)

About a year ago, we adopted 2 gerbils. Sadly around 5 months later, one of the gerbils suddenly died. We then adopted 2 more gerbils, and the 3 lived happily together. At that point they were living in 2 cages connected with tubes.

About 6 months after that, we got a third cage, also connected by tubes. Since the cage was too large for just 3 gerbils, we introduced 2 more to the group. We cautiously introduced them, making sure that they could befriend each other. Luckily, the 5 of them became friends; they slept together and groomed each other.

However, about 2 weeks after they were introduced, one of the new gerbils, Graham, suddenly turned psycho and started fighting with another gerbil. Thankfully we were able to separate them without either one dying, however whilst trying to grab one of them, Graham bit my hand and held on, drawing a lot of blood and causing swelling. We figured that the Graham and this particular gerbil had a feud start when they both wanted to go into a small space at the same time.

So the next day we tried putting Graham and his pet store cage mate together, and Graham immediately instigated a fight, attacking his terrified friend. 

We then quarantined Graham for a few weeks or so. We decided that maybe he had only fought because he was attacked first, and then defending himself the second time. So we put that gerbil into neutral territory (the bathtub) with a different gerbil, one who has never fought before. They were ok for about 10 minutes together, until Graham deliberately starting attacking the other gerbil. We have once again separated him from the others. However, we feel bad that the other gerbils cannot live in their 3 cages together, and would like to make some changes.

What should we do? Is there any way to rehabilitate Graham? 

He still has a very friendly personality with people, and is the only one of our gerbils who will readily hop out of his cage into my hands.


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## Xerneas (Aug 6, 2013)

He sounds like one of those rare cases of rats that simply can't ever be with other rats. It's very bizarre that he would attack out of the blue. Maybe he had some kind of hormonal spike? (I don't think many people neuter gerbils so I'm just assuming he's not neutered.)

If he's still friendly with people but not with other gerbils I honestly don't know of a way to fix that personality problem. From the way you're describing it it sounds like he's pretty vicious with them and wouldn't appreciate their company anyways.


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## WhiteWidoW (Aug 29, 2013)

I think that there are 3 types of gerbils

Dominant: they can't live with other dominants, gerbils work having 6-7 individuals but just one is the dominant and that's the gerbil that will breed with the dominant female. 

Workers: They protect the little gerbils when they are born, males can clean them and we had reports about females with a false lactancy period that can feed the other female breed.

Cryers: These gerbils are really weak, these ones and the dominants will leave their group to form a new one in nature, you can have one of them in your group and really often the dominant gerbil will attack him constantly.


The problem comes when you have 2 dominants. I have as group of 8 living in a big terrarium and they cooperate with the female when they breed. The best way to have them happy and controlled is by having females only or males only, if they can be family much better. 

I have done an experiment with my gerbils and my rats, i had a litter of rats and a litter of gerbils the same day and i cleaned both litters with shampoo and later I put them back with the female, but I changed one rat in the gerbils litter and one gerbil in the rat litter. Now I have 8 gerbils living with a rat and it's so strange to see, someday I will post a video of that. The fact is that gerbils respect their family and they cooperate a lot.


Try to do an immersion with the aggresive gerbil as you do it with rats, maybe that gerbil is trying to be dominant , do the same with his "prey". Try to handle the attacked one and touch him with your finger, cryers almost allways cry when you touch them under his mouth, if he cries when you touch him there I'm pretty sure that the problem is that he's really weak and afeared. With the criers i do immersions also and they need a lot of time but at the end they accept the group.

When they are sleeping they sleep all together? They should do it, if they don't do it even when it's cold there is a group problem and there are enemies somewhere...


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