Introducing new pets

Question
QUESTION: Dear Dawn,
I have a 2 year old gerbil (Pippin) introduced to a 6 month old gerbil (Yoshi) who are getting along fine. Yoshi is a dove, he is silver with ruby red eyes, and was left at the pet shop several weeks after all his brothers and sisters. They are both boys. I recently bought two baby gerbils (Theo and Tyler) but Theo must've been 5 weeks old and had patches in his fur, couldn't walk very well and kept falling asleep (although he was fine if not a little small at the pet shop.) Theo died three days after we brought him home. Little Tyler was left in the cage on his own, he is older and healthier than his companion, but is in desperate need of some company. I tried him with Yoshi and Pippin but Yoshi fought with him and I'm afraid this has put him off other gerbils, even though Pippin was very friendly. We went to get him a friend but there might not be any there until next week. We've looked around but we can't find another little boy suitable. When we get a new one on Thursday (or Friday) can we just put him in the cage, since they're both very young? Or do we have to go through the same process as with Pippin and Yoshi? The split cage, etc. What can I do for Tyler in the meantime?

Onto hamsters. I adopted a male Roborovski, then a female, and consequently we now have a little girl. The parents are separate and the baby (Tupney) is 4 weeks old. I tried the parents together again but they fought madly and the mother was very protective of the baby. The father is heavily depressed and is going off his food, he is about 7 months old and is really sociable. We bought him on his own, but we still think he has a chance. If we see another boy in the adoption center should we bring him home? What's the best method of introduction for hamsters?

Also, we were going to get guinea pigs but my brother has developed a serious allergy that requires eye drops and medicine. Could you suggest anything about coping with this allergy? Our neighbors have guinea pigs, and our friends who we visit regularly have a few.

Hope you can help,
BECKY.

ANSWER: Hello again, When taking any two new rodents and placing them in the same cage you need to always do the split cage process. It doesn't matter whether hamsters, gerbils, guinea pigs, mice, rats, ect it is the safest way to make sure that neither get hurt and they don't feel threatened or scared.

It is always a good idea to have two rodent together at all times. If one doesn't work out you then need to find another. They are social animals and get depressed if alone. The only animals I found that don't care about being alone are cats and rabbits.

First try to see if its the guinea pig or the bedding. Many are allergic to the bedding and you can buy Carefresh which is better for people with allergies.There is also cardboard bedding and even newspaper.  If it is not the bedding then it may be the dander on the guinea pig. In that instance you can try something like Claritin or see an Allergist to get something that will block this allergy and let you still keep your guinea pigs.

Here are some websites for you about allergies, bedding, and introducing guinea pigs. Thanks for asking and keep coming back :)

http://www.erodent.co.uk/Bedding.htm

http://www.animalhospitals-usa.com/small_pets/guinea_pigs.html

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tf35n7EQ6Gs

http://www.cavyrescue.co.uk/introducing-guinea-pigs.shtml



---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Dear Dawn,

We got a new gerbil (sandy-coloured with white markings and red eyes) and tried them in the bath together just to see how it would hit off. Tyler sat cowering in a tunnel squeaking all the way through! I think Yoshi really did have an impact on him, although he was the more timid out of the two in the Pet Shop ...
Our new gerbil is in a seperate cage but we will be using a cage divider when he settles in.

My Roborovski Hamster, Tim, is ... well, fat. He's literally ballooned outwards since we got him, and is just one huge bubble. He doesn't have a wheel in his cage (we gave it to Topsy, then to Tyler) but he is let out in his ball every few days. He LOVES his ball, but he's still overweight and hobbles when he walks (don't get me wrong, he's still fast and can fit through tiny gaps). He has only a small food bowl and we don't fill it up everyday because he doesn't eat much, so how is he getting so big? He's been in a small cage recently because Tyler stole his proper one, but when we move Tyler in with the new gerbil for a split cage, Tim can go back in.

We've had the four week old hamster out, and she climbed into my hand and sat there until her Mum came over and demanded to know what was happening. I've been trying to leave them to themselves for a while, but I'm desperate to start training the little one. (She's so cute, she's not cream like her mother, she's light and grey). When can I put the baby in the ball? She's got a flat wheel that goes on the floor of the cage, but I haven't seen her on it yet.

We use the same bedding for our rabbits as they do for guinea pigs, so it must be something else.

Thank you, again,

Becky.

ANSWER: First learn to avoid fating food. Remove it if in comes in the feed.
-Sunflower seeds
-nuts
-chocolate
-any type of sugars

Since they have a short life span you want it to last as long as he can. You can try these tips for making him loose weight:

Install tubes in the cage if not already in that create fun and exercise

Make him have to climb for his food. Put it on the highest level or make a level and place him at the bottom. First show him the food, then he must work to get to it.

There is also Gerbil feed that is diet form. Make sure not to over feed him. Each Gerbil only needs to be fed once a day no more than a 1/2 tbsp.


http://exoticpets.about.com/od/gerbils/a/gerbilsfeeding.htm

http://petdoc.com/story/nutritional-needs-gerbils
http://homepage.mac.com/kyleekay/tip-of-the-week/tip060703.html

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Dear Dawn,

There's a problem with the newest gerbils (no-name and Tyler). They are both under 10 weeks old and come from large litters, and yet they are completely unwilling to accept each other! No-name comes up and sniffs, but Tyler is off like a comet - squeaking desperately. We put the split cage in use and Tyler spent an hour sitting in a tunnel, squeaking and not coming out. The other one was incredibly active, and kept gnawing the bars of the cage divider. Whenever Tyler put his nose out and sniffed him through the bars, he'd turn around and dig in the wood shavings, throwing them at Tyler.

Tyler still didn't come out hours later. I'm really worried that they won't get on, what if I end up with two lonely gerbils? I can't house them both seperately - I've got one good cage and one hamster cage with no tank and my Mum says I can't get a new one until my birthday.

Tyler is so timid, whereas the other one is very active and rather forward. We are also at loss trying to name him, light, sandy-coloured with white markings and red eyes? He's very beautiful, that's for sure. Nemo ... Crumbles ... Sandy ... Geronimo ... Dynamo ... nothing seems to fit!

Also, he's worse than a roborovski hamster. I train all my gerbils from Day 1, but this little guy has too much energy, he slips out of my hands like soap! We bought a new wheel today, which we were going to give to my overweight roborovski hamster who drinks too much, but I wonder if I should give it to the baby gerbil ...?

Thank you, lots of questions, I know.

Please get back as soon as possible - Tyler really is paranoid, and the hamster is a bubble!
Also, my oldest gerbil (2 years) Pippin, has a red substance coming out of his tear duct. It seems to have calmed down, but his nose, and the nose of his companion, Yoshi, is very red and bleeding badly. Are they allergic to wood shavings? Can I use soil or peat instead?


Thank you - again and again and again.

Becky.

Answer
Sometimes two rodents just done like one another. So far they only squeak or throw bedding at one another. What do they do together? They will have to create dominance and that is normal as long as blood isnt drawn. If for any reason they cant get along you can try to go to your local pet store and trade one gerbil for another. I know it sounds harsh but sometimes in your situation with only one good cage and two rodent not liking one another it is for the best. Before you do this go to freecycle.org and there people give items away for free to save them from the trash. Once signed up ask for another cage and explain why you need it. You may be surprised at the people willing to give you cages or other items you can use.

As for the wheel as long as the baby cant get his legs stuck in the wheel this is an excellent way to get him to calm down. He is young and very active. He may need a way to get his extra energy out and a wheel is perfect. Make sure that it has small wholes not large ones for him to get stuck in.

Now to the red substance.It may well be an allergy and you can use aspen or my favorite is Care Fresh that is more a cotton type. It is great for allergies of both people and rodent. Try this first if you feel it is an allergy. Do not use PINE it makes it worse.

Sometimes pet owners, at some point, notice red-brown tears staining the eyelids, nose and sometimes the front paws of their pet rats. This substance is always mistaken for blood. It is actually a normal secretion from a large gland behind the eyes.

Try these things and dont forget to look into freecycle.org for help with a cage or call your local pet store about a possible trade if that is your only option.

I forgot to think for a name, here are my suggestion:

Goldie
Hazel
Max
Me-Mo
Nutmeg
Peach-O
Rascal
Speedy
Squirt
Woody
Zippy
skunk(white marking)


Synonyms for tan:
biscuit
olive (you can use olivia or even Mr. Olive)

Synonyms for red:
dahlia
scarlet
violet