Poorly chicken

[sleepymummy]

Hi, we've had 3 male gerbils for 2 years now. They have all got on very well during this time. In February we noticed that one of the. Kept mounting another one. It was quite persistent for a long time, bordering on bullying. This grew less and less and so we put it down to spring in the air.

 

We cleaned them out yesterday and as usual, enjoyed watching them rush around checking out their cage. They have a large gerbilarium. Then, all of a sudden this afternoon, the one that usually mounts turned on a different one. He seemed to clamp onto his behind and not let go. There was a lot of fighting and then blood. I googled and it said to separate the bully not the victim. This I did but the other one turned on him. I then separated the quiet victim into a makeshift cage and don't know what to do now.

 

Will this be it now? Will they be able to be back together? Anyone know what to do now?

[Luvachicken]

I'm sorry but have no idea about gerbils but I'm sure someone will come on and give you some advice soon.

Basing the details on chickens I'm wondering if the one that has got picked on is ill, as chickens often pick on an ill one.

I think you have done the right thing separating them but don't know where you go from here, sorry.

[Cat tails]

A friend of mine has a couple pf gerbils and lost one early on. She had a lot of hassle trying to couple the lone gerbil up with a new one. In the end she had to send her gerbil to a breeder who did the coupling for her.

Gerbils can be quite viscious. But if both healthy males turn on the third, the victim might be ill or something. Having a weak gerbil in your group might lead predator to your colony.

If the victim was injured I would get him checked out by a vet. For reintroducing, I would contact a breeder. In the meantime you can try to split the cage into two with a piece of mesh or a glass cuttingboard. (Which was what my friend used temperoraly.) So all of them still have access to the cage and can safely interact.

[sleepymummy]

Thank you, I think I will contact a breeder today.

[chuckmum6]

I agree with cat tails, it sounds like it might be ill or weaker for them both to attack it. My son has three males living in a Qute, so far without issue, males are supposed to be less aggressive than females.

[sleepymummy]

Thanks everyone. I went out and bought a small cafe for him yesterday. He's always been the quieter one but I'm not convinced he's going to last a long time. I checked him over yesterday and he looked fine. Pretty sure the wounds were superficial. He's not really eating at the moment but that could be nerves. He was put in a toy box he couldn't see out of for 24 hours and now he's in a new cage. I'll keep a close eye on him and keep my fingers crossed.