Split Cage Method

If you have acquired two gerbils from different litters, or if your gerbils have been separated for more then a day, a split cage will be needed to introduce them to each other.

When setting up a split, keep it plain. You do not want them to claim anything as being their own. No wheels, no hides, and no glass jars. They should have a water bottle, bedding and food.

Each day they need to be swapped an odd number of times, so that they sleep on different sides of the cage each night. Watch them closely for signs of aggression. It may take a week before they stop marking the cage each time they are moved. Watch for signs of them grooming between the bars and sleeping next to the wire.

After about 10-14 days they should be getting along. Be prepared for a fight. Wear leather gloves to protect yourself. Be sure to have a kritter keeper (or other container) by your side incase you need to separate them.

If when they are introduced they start to arch their backs, watch carefully. This is the first sign of a pending fight, though it doesn’t mean they won’t get along, just that they need more time in the split. If they seem to be okay with each other, watch them diligently for a half hour. You need to stay in the room (or take them with you) over the next few hours, and don’t think you are safe until they have napped together. You will have to place them in your room with you so if they fight in the middle of the night, you are there to break them up.

Grooming each other is a very good sign.

Intro’s do go better later in the evening. Let the tank go dirty till about 2 days after the intro is done. This ensures that the tank smells like both of them. If you clean the cage you are starting back at day 1. Gerbils remember each other by smell. So its very important that when you do clean the cage to always leave a handful of bedding behind.