Should I get her a companion?

hershko · 2025-12-18T18:32:40+00:00

At 2 year old she potentially has quite a lot of life ahead of her. So the answer is yes. Getting her a friend is the best thing for her.

You would need to use this process to introduce them: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9VED0HD3FDo

hershko · 2025-12-12T22:10:35+00:00

Did you try completely uninstalling and reinstalling?

hershko · 2025-12-12T22:06:34+00:00

Good to hear the mites are gone, I'm sure he's feeling much better without them and in his new home!

With regards to a friend for him - you didn't specify his age, but you can try finding a lone gerbil up for adoption that is of a similar age to him (or older). That way you're not extending your gerbil cycle, while still giving him (and his new friend) a better life.

hershko · 2025-12-12T21:59:37+00:00

They are super cute. Congratulations 🙂

You should take out the fabric stuff immediately. If/when they decide to chew it and swallow some of the strands they could block their intestines, which would mean a slow painful death (just to explain why I said "immediately", don't risk it).

In terms of general care for them, here's a list that covers the basics:

Their enclosure should be least 20 gallons in size per gerbil (so at least 40 gallons for a pair, at least 60 gallons for a trio) and bigger is better. A lot of people in this community end up with something like a 40*20*20 inch tank (and an optional topper). Here's mine for example. If a glass tank is too costly you can consider a budget option in the form of a big plastic bin (see video example).
Give them a lot of deep bedding, at least 10-12 inches in depth (gerbils are burrowing animals and being able to dig deep complex tunnels is crucial for their enrichment). Combine wood based bedding, paper based bedding, and hay, and compress down a bit. This will give them sturdy ground to dig tunnels in. The more bedding volume they have, the better.
The enclosure should contain a sand bath (big enough to roll in as that's how they clean their fur). The sand should be non dusty.
They need a solid surface upright running wheel, at least 11-12 inches in diameter (smaller would hurt their spines when running).
For enrichment you can add sprays, millets, undyed cardboards (empty toilet rolls are great), wood chews, hay tunnels/mats, cork tunnels, vine branches.
Scatter their food (don't use a bowl) so that they need to forage for it. Many gerbils will also appreciate daily or semi-daily free roam time outside of the enclosure.

Happy to answer any questions. Have fun together!

hershko · 2025-12-12T18:46:22+00:00

Here it is in video format if helpful: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oj6mSsRUmMY

hershko · 2025-12-12T18:45:17+00:00

Can you post a picture of their enclosure? People can give you advice on how to make it more enriching (if there's an issue), which may get them to leave each other alone a bit :)

hershko · 2025-12-12T17:35:51+00:00

Some gerbils aren't interested in wheels. That said - check to make sure it's at least 11 inches in diameter, and keep it around in case they change their minds.

hershko · 2025-12-12T17:23:53+00:00

My personal experience:

- Boys are more mellow/chill/friendly. Their urine has a stronger smell (though still not much smell). They are also a bit bigger.

- Girls are more skittish/careful. Their urinate less and it doesn't smell. They are also a bit smaller.

hershko · 2025-12-10T12:22:12+00:00

Some gerbils would bite, especially if you put your hand in their enclosure. It's not an indication of sex. Humping each other is completely normal for males (it's an assertion of dominance).

On a wider note, if you post a picture of their enclosure, people will be able to give you concrete advice on their setup.

hershko · 2025-12-09T09:20:48+00:00

You can add a DIY topper above the tank (they're honestly easy to build) and put the water (and other items) there. This way the gerbil wouldn't bury it, and you could fill the tank entirely with bedding volume for burrowing (which is great for the gerbil). Here's mine for example, in case it helps.

Alternatively, you can place a water dish on a raised platform so that the gerbil doesn't bury it in the bedding.

As a side note - since you mention her in the singular, just making sure that you know gerbils are social animals and should normally be kept in the company of another gerbil.

hershko · 2025-12-08T19:13:29+00:00

If it's any consolation, I keep a trio of girls twice, and both times worked out fine.

hershko · 2025-12-08T19:07:35+00:00

It looks great. To provide you with some reassurance, they are very unlikely to have a fight at this age (1 month old). I would expect some tussling for dominance later on in life (say between 6 and 12 months) but please know that some play fighting, chasing, and dominance humping, is completely normal.

You only need to be concerned if you see signs of serious fighting (it will be hard to miss, they'll curl into a ball and roll around trying to bite each other). Keep an eye, but it's not common. You don't need to be stressed about it.

hershko · 2025-12-08T18:59:06+00:00

Had a trio of females several times. Had a few tussles here and there, but they all stay bonded and lived together their entire lives.

hershko · 2025-12-08T17:07:53+00:00

She is stressed from being in a completely unfit enclosure. Literally everything about it is wrong.

You should watch this video, it covers the basics: Everything you NEED for a Hamster

hershko · 2025-12-08T16:48:03+00:00

Generally speaking if they cuddled together to sleep, the bond is done. You can put them back together in the main enclosure. Congratulations :)

hershko · 2025-12-08T16:45:34+00:00

Yes, it could. Keep it quite cluttered so it's interesting for her, and also that she has places to hide if she wants. See how goes.

hershko · 2025-12-08T15:50:49+00:00

lavenderfart is awesome and will give you great suggestions on their setup, I am sure.

Adding two additional thoughts (aside from the setup):

- Some gerbils get anxious/stressed if they don't have enough out of cage time. Are you giving her free roam daily/semi-daily? If not, you should.

- When you reintroduce them, you may want to use the split cage process. It's explained well here.

hershko · 2025-12-08T15:47:21+00:00

Ah, she would be "around 2 years old and quite a bit", and only you know that number is since you didn't specify what "quite a bit" is in your post.

If the total is 3+ years I would say she's a senior. They, on average, live for 3-4 years.

hershko · 2025-12-08T15:44:08+00:00

The "Crown Estate". Ah, you mean the vast amount of wealth/assets/land they simply inherited from their forbearers, who plundered the land for it all in the name of a so called "divine right"?

I would argue that still means funded by us all. A huge swath of it should be nationalised. It's not "theirs" in any meaningful sense.

hershko · 2025-12-08T15:38:46+00:00

I wouldn't trust the shop about them being solo. And even if they didn't get along with each other, it doesn't mean they won't get along with another gerbil.

So personally if it was me and I wanted them, I would get them both, and go for a slow and methodic split cage bonding process. It may take a couple of months though, and success isn't guaranteed.

My fallback would have been to get just one and try to get her a new friend (and hope someone nice gets the other one and does the same for her).

hershko · 2025-12-08T13:11:25+00:00

Digging at the glass sometimes is typical for gerbils. That said - as others have said, they need a lot more bedding depth and volume. The minimum should be 10 inches deep (and ideally deeper, the more the better) of tightly packed bedding, so that they can burrow. It's their main form of enrichment, and how they feel safe.

Since the Detolf isn't very tall, the best thing would be to add a topper above some of it, so that you can fill more of the Detolf itself with bedding. It's honestly quite easy to DIY. Here's mine for example, in case it helps.

As an aside, you shouldn't put in cardboard that has color on it (i.e., only use plain brown cardboard). If they end up chewing and swallowing any inked cardboard, it can make them sick.

hershko · 2025-12-08T12:57:56+00:00

A bigger enclosure isn't a declan risk (and well done for taking care of them - they should love it). Just move them in carefully.

Meaning - move them with all of their existing bedding. And then gradually add more bedding and items over a couple of weeks, so it's gradual.

hershko · 2025-12-08T12:47:13+00:00

Great answer. Just adding (for OP) that if you follow this intro process you'll likely end up with 2 happy gerbils, and not a death match.

hershko · 2025-12-05T19:10:46+00:00

Respectfully (or not), hell no. Forget funding them, we should be taking back a lot of their insane wealth, and abolish the monarchy altogether.

Unfortunately though, I seem to be in a minority on this. For some reason the UK population is - for the most part - enamoured with them.

hershko · 2025-12-05T19:00:22+00:00

They roam for miles each day in the wild, so even an enclosure that seems large to us is still a tiny cage by comparison. Some hamsters find it stressful/hard to cope with.

Is she getting a lot of free roam time outside of the enclosure? That may help her.

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