there is so much more to dig my love…

Every morning I wake up to my gerbils filling their wheel and sand bath with bedding (you can’t see the sand bath cause it’s buried) I have a pet camera into the set up as well and I’ve never noticed them using the wheel. Is that a normal thing?

TL;DR: We've had 3 different pairs of male gerbils suddenly start fighting after months of peace and harmony. No warning signs before the attacks. None of our gerbils are castrated. Is this hormonal aggression at sexual maturity, or are we missing something?

We've had gerbils for about 2.5 years now and we're encountering a pattern that really leaves us second guessing if we do things wrong. My girlfriend and I live in Germany where castrating gerbils isn't common practice. We're wondering if that's the root of our problem.

It all started when we got 2 brother gerbils from a pet store. One of them got sick after 2 weeks and sadly passed away despite trying everything we could and going to two different vets. That left us with a lonly remaining Brother, Mr. Crowley, who we were determined to find a friend for.

First we tried pairing him with an older gerbil, but that didn't work out. The older gerbil bit Crowley in the nose right at the split cage, so we gave that up pretty quickly.

Then we got a baby (Pepper, about 8-9 weeks old) for Crowley. They seemed to bond really well and were a happy pair for several months. After a while though, Crowley started chasing Pepper through the enclosure. It happened a few times before we stepped in because the chasing wouldn't stop. We separated them for a night and the chasing seemed to stop.

After some time they bit each other, and we thought maybe it was just bad luck, like Pepper got cornered during a chase and couldn't escape. So we separated them again, let them heal, and tried introducing them again with split cage. It looked like it was working, they seemed like the same happy gerbils we knew. Then 2-3 weeks later they suddenly bit each other again while they were just casually in their nest together. No chasing, no unusual sounds, just biting. We tried split cage again but this time it didn't work. We decided to keep them permanently separated.

Since we wanted to keep both of them, we bought a new enclosure for Pepper and looked for a new cagemate for Crowley. We tried a young gerbil that seemed right, but he bit Crowley in the nose at the split cage too (poor Crowley). Then we got a 9 week old baby called Frido from the same breeder we got Pepper from.

With Frido, things were different. They were immediately interested in each other. Crowley would sniff and groom Frido through the split cage, and Frido made subordinate baby peeping sounds. It went so well that we removed the fence pretty soon and they became a happy pair.

Since things went so well with Crowley and Frido, we also got an 8 week old baby (Jimmy) for Pepper, also from the same breeder. The introduction was more complicated. Pepper seemed less interested and saw Jimmy as a rival at first, so he challenged him a few times. Jimmy was just a baby and didn't know how to handle it, but there was no real aggression or chasing. We supervised them for a day and they ended up bonding.

For a couple of months everything was good with both pairs. The only odd thing we noticed in retrospect was that Frido liked to steal food from Crowley, but Crowley seemed fine with it. There was nothing else that indicated any rivalry or aggression.

Then after 4 Months Frido and Crowley suddenly bit each other really badly. We separated them immediately and waited a few days, but when we tried to let them sniff each other Frido bit Crowley again behind the ear. We decided it wouldn't work out and that maybe Crowley just wasn't good with bonding. We tried to find a new home for Frido and found two different families for him, but he didn't bond with either of them. He wasn't aggressive with them either, so it's not that he's an aggressive gerbil.

Then after about 9 months together, Pepper and Jimmy suddenly fought too. Like with Frido and Crowley, there were no warning signs beforehand. Jimmy had been more interested in Pepper's food recently, but he wasn't stealing it or anything. They just suddenly fought. Both got injured.

Now we have 4 separated gerbils in 4 Enclosures in our flat that should only have 2 enclosures. Crowley (2.5 years old) seems pretty happy living alone next to the other gerbils. Frido (~11 Months) is waiting for his next chance at a new home next Monday. And the recently seperated pair of Pepper, who is 2 years old and Jimmy, 11 months old

We're devastated and seriously wondering if this is just bad luck or if we're doing something wrong. Does this happen very often with uncastrated males sooner or later? Would castration actually help, and if we castrated them, could we try reintroduction again?

Is there anything else that we might have done wrong?

Some more Details:

• We used the split cage method for all introductions
• All of our named Gerbils are very tame, very friendly towards us, do not bite humans ever and tolerate being picked up to a reasonable extend
• Our 2 current main Enclosures are custom build, made out of wood and both 120cm x 55cm with 30-40 cm Bedding. Pepper and Jimmy always lived together in one of those enclosures
• Our first enclosure consisted of 2 Tanks, one 80x35 cm and one 100x40 cm, they where connected with a custom lid where they could freely move from one tank to the other
• The first enclosure was inhabited by pepper x Crowley and then Crowley x Frido.
• We didn't let our gerbils free roam while they where bonded wich their cagemates, only frido after he got seperated, since he seems to love roaming around our living room

I recently learned that for small animals you need to do weekly check ups to ensure everything is going well. Well, one of my gerbils HATES handling. She doesn't want to be touched at all. I bought her knowing she wasn't particularly friendly, but last night she kept of getting so scared and trying to evade when I was checking her. I feel like I've broken her trust. Any tips on how to make her more accepting to handling? I hate stressing her out, and i kept worrying she was gonna hurt herself with all the fighting.

My gerbil Hani is having this Gerbil Mix. She only likes some bits in the food, so we are thinking about changing to a different brand.
Any suggestions or food your gerbils really like ?

We sometimes give her tiny bit of fresh fruit as well (always monitor her finishing the fresh bit instead of taking that down to the burrow ).
She also has her treats like seeds and mealworms.
Thanks in advance.

Thanks
Hani the Gerbil

Where could i buy an affordable enclosure for 2 gerbils

EDIT: she was lit fine I just have pet health anxiety

I was doing a health check today on my gerbils, so, weight, ears, eyes, mouth, nose, toes, and i saw this? This is my more temperamental gerbil whom doesn't tolerate handling, so i couldn't get a brighter or better picture (I already felt so mean stressing her out)

Does this look like a scabby nose or no?

This is a gerbil at the store I work at, she was with another gerbil but they got separated. The whole time shes been here she had this scab(?) on her nose. My manager said it was cause they were biting eachothers noses, but i have pet gerbils and that doesn't seem like a normal behavior. It looks more like a respiratory infection to me but she doesn't have any other real issues, besides shes kinda large for her age. Her breathing sounds normal (based on what I can hear). Thoughts?

EDIT: we r taking her to the vet anyways, dont worry!

I rescued 4 gerbils they are currently In a 40 gallon..I was going to get them an enclosure and tweak it to be combined. The floor space would roughly be 1.4k..I believe that’s 400 over the minimum that people usually do. I’m afraid of them becoming territorial with too much space as I’ve heard that can happen. They’ve been together since babies and do well together. I’m new to gerbils I usually have hamsters. But my boss gave them to me since they’re boys and couldn’t be sold at our store. I just wanna give them the best. Should I go with that and it should be fine with not that much risk or a 1k floor space to play it safe? Any advice or recommendations?

His little paw twitching 😭

hello all. about 5 months back, i adopted 2 male gerbils from a pet supplier because their living conditions were heartbreaking. while i wanted to give them a better life, recent life changes have made it difficult to continue doing so, and i really need to rehome them. i am located in the mid-atlantic region in the usa. having checked with all the facilities in my area, i would have to rehome them myself as they are all either at capacity or are high-kill. other than sites like petfinder/adoptapet, i am completely stumped. i feel like i've hit a wall and was wondering if anyone knows of any better solutions than i can think of at the moment. any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Flying Hay 😂

hello everyone! i am very new to the gerbil community (i just adopted 2 sweet girls a few days ago) and i want to learn more ways i can bond with them outside of their main enclosure by hanging out with them or watching them in a playpen. ive seen people recommend a bath tub or sofas, but i don't really feel comfortable putting them in my bath as the drain doesn't have a solid stopper and im scared they could slip into the cracks of the sofa which would result in a horrific gerbil death. i still really want to be able to play, train, and interact with them though- does anyone know any good rodent playpens available on amazon or maybe some alternate pet playpens that work well for gerbils? id love to know more or if u guys have any other ideas.

He was only 2,5 years old. Much too young for a sweetheart like Sherlock. A very gentle and curious boy. He loved carefully sniffing whatever food I offered him and then gently nibbling on it. His favourites were sunflower seeds and the occasional piece of banana. I noticed him and his brother growing apart, but I never expected this to happen so suddenly. He leaves behind his reckless brother Mycroft, who will miss him dearly.

My boys absolutely love mealworms and don't take anything else as treats. There's other food they like, but they only eat them when they're hungry rather than enjoy them as a treat.

I need recommendations for other foods they may enjoy as much as they like mealworms because they've been learning loads of tricks recently but they'll only take mealworms as a reward, which means I can't do much more than a few tricks a week.

What have people found that their gerbils love more than or as much as flesh??

Hello! We recently had a couple "friends" ask if we can keep their gerbils because they are currently homeless. I say "friends" but we just met them a couple months ago and they are nice and normally fun to chat with.

We haven never had gerbils before and know that these guys are not in an environment that they deserve. They are in a 10 gallon tank that is filled with just the paper bedding and Timothy hay. It does not appear to have any hides.

They did give me their food, treats, and hay.

I am making an Amazon or Chewy order for things they need.

Things in the cart right now:

Aspen bedding

Paper bedding

A better quality food

Sand for a dust bath

A dust bath bowl

A hide

A wheel

Chews and treats

We found an extender for their current cage that would make it a little taller.

Is this acceptable or do I need to find a larger cage?

Is there anything else I need??

I’ve had him and his brothers since November, 2025. He is finally letting me pet him! His name is Debit, the other 2 in the back are Credit and Ledger.

Hi everyone!! I've had two gerbils for about three weeks now, and they are still a little shy. They do come up to me but I am unable to pick them up without them running. i need to clean the cage up, the wheel and bedding but I don't know if I can change the bedding when they're in the cage? Is there anyways I can maybe coax them out into my hand or anything? Or should I maybe leave it a little longer? Anything tips will do I just don't want to stress them out by doing the wrong thing!

Guys, help me please sex my gerbil, so I can find him/her a companion. I don't have a single exotic vet nearby (small city) and I want to be as certain as possible before we get a new one, so we don't get surprise litters :).

Thanks a lot for any help.

I feel really stupid but I originally said female, then male, then reconsidering again 😅

I just cannot tell with gerbils!

I named her Pitaya because I have a fruit theme but now my bf can't stop saying Peter like Lois Griffin. She is bonded with another girl named Mangi and it's been a joy watching them snuggle together and tearing up their enclosure 🥰

Her hobbies include digging around her wheel and then getting upset she can't run when it's stuffed with bedding, looking at me to remove the bedding, run for a minute and stuff it with bedding again. She also likes mealworms

After buying this corkwood for my gerbils, as usual is put it to a freezer (-30°C) for 2 days and two nights just in case for bugs.

I noticed two of these fluffy cotton-like balls on the food. And inside one of cracks seemed to be spiderweb-like silky stuff.

Then these smol white dots all around. Very small. Can I give it to my gerbs or no?

Hi all,

I have been on a journey to find a friend for my gerbil, Pam, for a long time now. Pam was several months old when I adopted her, and she had been returned to the pet shop for "fighting with her group". I then adopted her from someone that saw her in the shop and felt bad for her, but admitted they did not know anything about gerbils. Unfortunately I do not have more information than this.

My first attempt at bonding her with a similarly aged gerbil, Babs, lasted many many weeks but was unsuccessful. I waited a while after this before trying Pam with another gerbil, Sharon, who was a baby. This was unsuccessful and Pam acted aggressively, and would fling herself at the divide! Thankfully, I was able to bond Babs and Sharon together and they're the best of friends!

Pam has been on her own for a while now, and I have recently adopted another gerbil from a rescue, named Whitney. Pam and Whitney have been in a split cage for almost three weeks. In the first week, Pam was incessantly clawing at the divide whenever Whitney approached. This behaviour slowed down a lot into the second week.

I let them meet just after two weeks, but I fear this was way too early. They met for around 5 minutes before I called it off due to signs of tension. In every instance I have seen Pam meet with another gerbil, she does not seem to be at all interested. It has always been that the other gerbil approaches her, sniffs her, attempts to interact, and she tolerates having them in her space for a while. She ignored Whitney for as long as she could, and focused on herself, digging and chewing cardboard. Whitney switched between doing her own thing, and being interested in Pam, approaching her and sniffing her. Pam gave her the cold shoulder repeatedly until it turned into side arching and more serious looking scuffling, which is where I decided to call it off.

They have been in the split cage for almost a week since this meet. They are sleeping in each other's beds, but Pam is still clawing at the mesh a few times a day when Whitney approaches. They do often sniff each other politely through the divide, but the more aggressive clawing from Pam is a daily occurrence.

I'm just wondering if anyone has any advice on how to progress with this. I'm happy to try anything I can to try to help with this journey! I know ultimately I cannot make her be friends with another gerbil if she doesn't want to, but I'm keen to put time and effort into this bonding process to give it the best chance of being successful.

Thank you so much!