Fighting!

Question
Hi I see that you mainly specialize in hamsters but also have experience with gerbils and I really need help. Our 2 female 8 month old gerbils are fighting.  Ever since they were a few months old they have fought occasionally.  We separate them and successfully reunite them within hours.  This time is different.  They were fighting yesterday morning and we separated them and we have not been able to reunite them since.  It has been almost 36 hours now.  We have tried several times and the fighting starts immediately.  I cleaned the cage, but it made no difference.  Right now one gerbil is in a small cage inside the bigger aquarium, so they can see and smell each other.  My kids are very upset - it is scary when they start fighting - the one being chased practically jumps to the top of the aquarium.  Any help you can give us would be appreciated. Thanks!

Answer
Hi Kathy

Sometimes fighting breaks out for no apparent reason. Ideally it is better if they live together, but if they are going to fight and be aggressive with each other, then you may well need to get a second tank.  I had a similar situation - I had 4 boys together, they often chased each other, but one day I noticed one of the boys was quiet and his fur wet.  When I examined him I discovered his whole body covered in bite marks.  Luckily, with round the clock nursing I managed to save him but I quickly realized the difference between a small squabble and a genuine show of aggression.

One other thing you can try is if you swap them over in each other's house - this way they will both be surrounded by the other one's scent, rather than just smelling each other through the bars. Try swapping them a couple of times for a day or two, then the following day have another go at re-introducing them.  This might work - this is how I've always reintroduced gerbils.  If it doesn't work I think you need to separate them permanently.

Good luck with this - please let me know how you get on.

Regards