fighting gerbils plz help....*panic*?

Question

i have two male gerbils (8 and a half weeks old) i have had them since 4 weeks old ( i have the parents and they adapted fine)When i first put them together alone in the cage they were in a CritterTrail , but then when i saw they were fine with out there mom , i took the parents back to the pet store ( accidental litter )
So when they were gone i used some tubes to attach my two boys' cage to the aquarium. But now my Boys keep fighting and\or roughly playing when they go into the aqurium! and now i was holding one and i saw that some the hair behind his ear was missing! I am scared they are going hurt each other! what do i do?
added info:
- I tryed letting them "settle it out" but its not working....
-they have had acsess to the aqurium for 3 weeks
-they dont SEEM to be very bonded but they sleep together
-they are generally tame to me
-PLEASE DONT SAY TO SEPARATE THEM OR TO TAKE OUT
THE AQURIUM IF THERES OTHER THINGS I COULD DO!!!!!!
-they "squabble" ALOT

ok is an accidental litter because i bought two gerbils( the parents). The pet store man sayed they were males, i took them home, and TA-DA babys. Then i kept two babys and took the parents back.

Answer 1

I know this seems pretty crazy but thats natural my two hampsters did that when they were babies my two gerbils did that when they were babies and my two ferrets did that when they were babies. Its gonna happen my advice is get them more toys because they are fightingas a game not because they hurt each other. All my pets grew out of it. and porbably so will yours!

Also what you have to do is give each of them more attention it will make them happier and fight(play) together less and become independent and not hurt each other.

Answer 2

You can get gerbils neutered, but that wouldn't really solve anything in this situation.

I would thoroughly clean out the aquarium. Throw out all the bedding in the tank, and clean with bleach water. Rinse very well with clean water, and let the tank dry completely. Also wash any toys, water bottles, and food dishes. Do not wash the things from the CritterTrail.

Put fresh bedding in the aquarium, along with some toys, etc., from the CritterTrail. Give the boys the run of the tank, but do not attach the CritterTrail-- just keep them in the tank. They are *much* better off in the tank than in the CritterTrail!

The problem seems to be that they are getting territorial over the tank. The tank may still smell like their parents, which is why you need to wash it. Fresh, neutral bedding and toys from their own home will make the tank smell more like their own territory. Gerbils may also fight over territory if there are two distinct areas-- in this case, the tank and the CritterTrail. They will try to set up separate territories, which will lead to fighting. You need to simplify their area, preferably by limiting it to just the tank.

Keep a close eye on them, to see if this helps them calm down. It should, but if they continue to fight --particularly if there is blood drawn-- they may need to be separated temporarily. Once they are given a bit of a "time-out", you can reintroduce them using a split-tank.
http://agsgerbils.org/Gerbil_Care_Handbook/adopt.html#split

Answer 3

Gerbils, if separate for more than a day, will "forget" or at least refute acknowledgment of other gerbils they had been living with. Have yours ever been separated for that length of time (or more)?

It sounds (judging by the fact that it's been 3 weeks and they do sleep in the same nest) like they are playing. But to be careful, as gerbils will KILL other gerbils they don't like, I'd suggest you do a controlled reintroduction with the split cage method. To do this you need to make a mesh divider and put one gerbil on one side of the divider, another gerbil on the other side. Leave them there for a day, and then switch them 2-3 times a day. ie. Gerbil#1 on the left, gerbil#2 on the right in the morning, gerbil#1 on the right, gerbil #2 on the left in the afternoon. This method allows them to accept each others' smells without being able to fight. After 4 or 5 days, lift the divider and watch their interactions. If they're friendly, then you're all good! If not, then separating them may be your last recourse.

Answer 4

well, i can't really tell from your story, but have they been together since they were born, i mean i would guess so since they are in the same litter, so that's not the problem. umm, the most common reason might be that they have reached sexual maturity and they are figuring out "the alpha gerbil". it's a dominance thing and it's nothing to worry about. my 2 male gerbils did the same thing, and i do know that Tater is the boss, and it's because he is the bigger one i think. if there is no bleeding, then the right thing to do is let them "settle it out", bcuz as long as they don't hurt each other, then it's fine, and you won't have to seperate them :)

i wish you the best of luck on your new gerbs, and i hope i could've helped!!

p.s.- don't listen to the above people, seperation is NOT the only logical thing, and you can't get gerbils neutered, etc........

Answer 5

how was it an accidental litter if you had them since 4 weeks old??
Why did you return the parents to the store????

The gerbils are trying to establish dominance.

Answer 6

Go on Dr Phil with your gerbils.

Answer 7

The only sensible thing to do is to separate them. The older they get the worse it will get. Good luck!

Answer 8

you should charge people to watch, and let them bet on who will win. You could also sale alcohol. Yod'd make a killing.

Answer 9

They're not fighting.... they are making passionate love

Answer 10

maybe u should get them neutered o.O