Our poor gerbil

[Iceache]

We had two very loved gerbils. My son went to get his out yesterday and discovered him dead in his cage. He had fallen and broken his leg and it was all very traumatic for him to find. We are all heartbroken and now worried for the surviving gerbil. Does anyone have any tips for introducing a new cage mate?

Fallen from where? Is the cage suitable as they’re usually pretty hardy.

It’s a gerbilarium but this one had a habit of climbing up the bars of the top half. I can only assume he fell off at some point as his little leg was broken. The other gerbil doesn’t climb and never has.

It might not of been the broken leg that killed him, so try not to worry about him suffering. How old and what sex is the surviving gerbil?

Aw sorry its so hard when they pass. There are some fab Facebook groups that will take you through the split cage method for introducing a new gerbil mate.
I've never done it though and my solo gerbils have always been fine.

It’s interesting you say your solo gerbils have always been fine @Ipadannie . How do I know if he’s fine? He’s been eating this morning and been out for a cuddle but seems very restless - searching his cage constantly, which obviously is very upsetting to watch.

@Ohdearwhatnow4 they were two females (we call them ‘he’ lol) so the surviving one is female.

Mine have always taken a few days after a loss to come round a bit. We lost one of our last pair at quite a young age and the other lived another two years as a solo. Became the tamest gerbil I've had cos I purposely gave him more time and attention cos he was on his own. The Facebook group is here and has a fab resources section - www.facebook.com/groups/gerbilsgroup/?ref=share

I have introduced gerbils who have gone on to live together happily. You need to start them off in separate cages but close together so that they can get used to each other's scent. I would recommend reading up on it before trying. Unfortunately if it doesn't work it can get quite nasty.

However gerbils can live happily on their own if they get a lot of socialisation and attention from you. I have had elderly male gerbils for example who much preferred being on their own.

One of our gerbils died recently (who was adorable) and I'm still trying to find a new one to try and gradually bond with the female we have left. I've been looking at the split cage method. I think it's going to involve me making a divider somehow. She seems quite happy at the minute but it would be better to find her a friend. Sorry to hear about your gerbil OP. They're lovely little things.

Hello - My "Gerbil Qualifications" are that I've volunteered in rescue for many years focusing on Gerbils, and I am the owner of Gerbil Care – Promoting best practice when it comes to gerbil care and welfare so I do have many years of experience.

Firstly, I am very sorry for your loss. Gerbils are generally very hardly, but can also suffer from strokes and heart attacks, so it may have been the shock of the fall, as well as the broken leg.

You are absolutely right to want to find your remaining Gerbil a partner. Gerbils are highly social animals and need company (similar to other social animals ie. Guinea Pigs, Rabbits, Rats, Mice etc). The notion that a Gerbil is perfectly ok on it's own is not true, human attention is not a substitute. A lone Gerbil in the wild, without a clan, is a dead Gerbil and instinctively Gerbils seek company to groom each other, construct burrows and nests, sleep together and keep warm, protect each other from predators and interact and play. While they may "appear" ok on their own, they aren't in the same way we need human contact.

To introduce a new Gerbil you must follow the split cage method which is the only method that guarantees the best chance of success. Please don't attempt any other method. I show here how to build a divide and how to bond Bonding & Split Cage – Gerbil Care It does require patience but is extremely rewarding when it works out.

You need to find a suitable mate. The same sex, and within 6 months of age either way, as you don't want the remaining, future elderly Gerbil, left alone too long creating the same problem again. There are several ways to do this. Contact your local rescues, I have compiled a list here Adopt don’t shop – where can I find Gerbils & Rescue Centres? – Gerbil Care but make sure you can return if the bond doesn't work out so you're not left with 2 singles. You can also look at Gumtree or Preloved (if you can bear it) for singles too.

I'm not sure of your set up, but if there is too much height which meant he had too far to fall, here is a housing section, which may give you tips for a safer tank Gerbil Housing: Which Gerbilarium, Gerbil Cage or Gerbil Tank? Reviewed – Gerbil Care

Thank you for wanting the best for your remaining Gerbil and I do hope this works out well for you.

@Wehaveabolter - the above links should help you too with bonding and divider building :)

Thank you @SilentHedges !! So I keep hearing conflicting advice: today I was told I can’t find a friend for my gerbil as with her being a female over 6 months, it’s very unlikely to work out (I was told). Worst case scenario is I would end up with either another dead gerbil (from fighting), or two separate gerbils I can’t put together (I’m not willing to house two separately as = double the cleaning etc). I was told today to give plenty of attention & enrichment and keep in a family area with surrounding noise etc. I’d just got my head around this and now I’m confused again 😩 Split tanking them seems like such a hassle as I cannot find a suitable tank, and even if I did I’d have to make some sort of divider. Google has been no help here! I’m also not willing to spend hundreds on something that doesn’t even have a guaranteed success rate!! I’m totally bemused by it all 😩🤔

@Iceache

Unfortunately there is so much conflicting info on the internet and only a handful of sites that give good advice, which is why I resorted to writing my own. The information that you have been given, that it's very unlikely you can bond a female over 6 months is incorrect. I have bonded different ages and sexes of Gerbils, I've helped the public with their bonds and am in touch with other rescues that regularly bond. Gerbils are classed as exotic pets, in the wild they have have complex hierarchical structures, and in some cases, yes, they will not bond. That's true with any other animal. It is also true that if Gerbils do not bond they will fight (which is why you need to be on hand with gardening gloves when you take away the split divider), and in very rare instances they will fight to the death. That can unfortunately happen, at any time, with any bonded pair, but is rare. So the advice you have looked at has focused on the worst case scenario, when in reality every Gerbil can find a partner, even if it doesn't work out the first time. In my experience it's 70/30 in favour, with no difference between males and females. This is why following the split cage method is vital as it gives the best chance of success.

You wont' end up with 2 singles. If you adopt through a Rescue they will always stipulate that you return the Gerbil if it doesn't work out. No rescue is going to hand over a Gerbil to remain single for the rest of it's life and like wise your remaining Gerbil still needs a partner.

Pups under 8 weeks - they haven't developed adult territorial traits so they can be bonded with any adult with very little split caging and guaranteed success. Personally I don't like this combo, as when the youngsters grow up they can, in some instances, try and become dominant and push your original Gerbil out. If your remaining Gerbil is young enough (under 8 months) so there isn't a large age gap, you could try with one under 8 week pup. So either try an adult to adult bond, or 1 x under 8 weeks old pup.

I'm not sure if your remaining Gerbil is male or female. From your original post your Gerbil that passed is male, but your remaining Gerbil is female?

You can create a split cage in your existing tank, providing you have the right sized housing. If your housing is too small (i.e. small Pets at Home style Gerbilarium's) and you don't want to spend too much money you can pick up second hand aquariums and adapt them very cheaply. Making a split just needs wood strips and some mouse wire so not expensive.

Everything you need to know is here. I show how to source suitable tanks, where to find all the items you need for setup, how to bond and I've made it very easy with links too Gerbil Care – Promoting best practice when it comes to gerbil care and welfare

Thank you that is really helpful. So, to clarify, our best route is find a friend. Our remaining gerbil is female, and is roughly 7 months. I have found some female pups aged 7.5 weeks. Could I put a female in without split caging them (a female pup I mean)?

Yes your best route is to find a friend. As your Gerbil is young you can go down the pup route. It MUST be under 8 weeks, i.e 7.5 works. If you are taking a single pup make sure it is a "spare" from a litter, never split existing pairs. Split caging wise, I did it for 3 days when I pup bonded, as I prefer to be on the safe side, but they generally take easily as the pup isn't mature enough to be territorial under 8 weeks and the adult will take on a parenting role.

Or look for an adult of a similar age +/- 6 months.

Follow all the guidance here Bonding & Split Cage – Gerbil Care and if your introduction is successful make sure you build the tank back up slowly and try not to interfere (tempting though it is) over the first few weeks until they are settled.

OP - As an aside, I don't know which tank you have, but the only instances of trapped or broken limbs I've come across are in the Savic cages which Pets at Home sell. They are notorious as they have open wire flooring and ladders which are dangerous. Nothing from Pets at Home is suitable for Gerbils, and don't meet welfare sizing or standards unfortunately. If you have an entirely different suitable tank that's great, I just wouldn't want the same thing to happen again, and to anyone else reading this it's an FYI.

Our cage has an acrylic bottom, but wire sides and ramp. It seems our late girl got her leg trapped after scaling the sides of the cage which she often did (and us being naive didn’t foresee an accident 😭). It is P@H and I think I’m going to replace with something else asap, although our other girl doesn’t climb.

Im going to buy a little gerbil carrier (I’ll need one to pick the pup up anyway) and keep the new baby inside that but in the cage for a day or so just to be safe with the introduction.

It’s so hard this though - I’m not an animal person and thought I was doing the right thing following advice from P@H but I feel like I’ve failed the poor things!!