we have a gerbil we just bought, and i'm kinda wondering if i were to put him in the same cage as my large male rat, would they fight?
2007-03-01 10:39:59 · 8 answers · asked by oliviamarie 1 in Pets ➔ Other - Pets
I am trying to save space, and the gerbil really is snake food, not a pet. I was wondering if they would fight, but its obvious the answer is yes. So yeah.
2007-03-01 11:30:24 · update #1
No, this would not work at all. Rats are predators as well as prey animals. The Rat would kill the Gerbil over territorial disputes. You wouldn't even have time to think about both being males, the fact that they both lead totally different lifestyles that would not be compatible in the same cage. The gerbil would not live long enough.
The predatory instincts of rats:
http://search.yahoo.com/search?search=The+predatory+instincts+of+rats&ei=UTF-8&fr=ks-ans&ico-yahoo-search-value=http%3A%2F%2Frds.yahoo.com%2F_ylt%3DAqFmYLsucJ9Ju1A_wytuo5cazKIX%2FSIG%3D111gjvvgj%2F*-http%3A%2F%2Fsearch.yahoo.com%2Fsearch&ico-wikipedia-search-value=http%3A%2F%2Frds.yahoo.com%2F_ylt%3DAjrR1DDgyctRMOV346dKZz4azKIX%2FSIG%3D11ia1qo58%2F**http%253a%2F%2Fen.wikipedia.org%2Fwiki%2FSpecial%253aSearch&p=The+predatory+instincts+of+rats
Sandra Beasley and the Spaz Rat
(Rattery, Rescue, and Rat-care Expert)
http://spazrats.tripod.com
"my life has gone to the rats"
2007-03-02 16:58:10 · answer #1 · answered by spazrats 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
No. Keep rats with other rats and gerbils with other gerbils and do not mix the two species. (Gerbils are called "clawed warriors" and are very territorial, they do not get along with any other species.)
If a pet gerbil is alone introduce him to another gerbil gradually and carefully using a split cage:
http://www.agsgerbils.org/Gerbil_Care_Handbook/adopt.html#split
Also, FYI feeding live gerbils to a snake can be very dangerous to both - gerbils will fight back.
2007-03-02 11:02:55 · answer #2 · answered by ABC Gerbils 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
both can be territorial, and they have not been properly introduced, so that's a very bad idea. when you got the gerbil, why didn't you buy it's own cage? that's common sense for most people.
maybe you should do a little more research next time you buy a pet.
plain and simple, yes they will fight.
2007-03-01 19:15:26 · answer #3 · answered by ferrets4ever 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
The Rat would SLAUGHTER the Gerbil!! Male rats in particular are territorial to other rodents
2007-03-01 18:46:55 · answer #4 · answered by Catcanscratch 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
They should not be put together and if they were put together they would likely fight and this could even end up fatal. They need their own spaces because they are different animals with different diets, lifestyles, and temperments.
2007-03-01 18:46:05 · answer #5 · answered by kiwi2004_2000 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Rodents are quite territorial and they both have special diets and needs. Seperate cages would be a smart idea.
2007-03-01 18:44:35 · answer #6 · answered by hop on the bandwagon.™ 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋
NOOO gerbils are very violent towards other rodents!
2007-03-02 11:07:54 · answer #7 · answered by divinity2408 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
YES
2007-03-01 18:56:14 · answer #8 · answered by sweet brunette 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋