Donna Anastasi <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote
>
>I just read in an article on keeping laboratory gerbils that they were
>keeping female groups as well. Given the large number of people who
>report PAIRED females fighting, I wonder if it is more an issue of an
>individual female's temperament versus the number that are together (??)
How big were the enclosures? I understand that very large numbers of
gerbils can be kept together without fighting if terribly overcrowded. I
will not say how it is done for humanitarian reasons.
>I am especially interested because I have a female group of four
>together -- Mom, daughter from first litter (14 weeks), two daughters
>from second litter (10 weeks). So far, so good. But I am wondering
>when/if I'll have to split them into two pairs.
>
>My question is (yes, I do have a question here):
>What are GMLers experiences (good or bad) with keeping female groups of
>more than two into maturity?
>
>And when there was fighting, was the aggressor any better (that is, less
>
>hostile) in a pair?
Our experience is that pairs of females are less likely to fight than
large groups. Also, age differences increase the probability of
fighting. Gerbils that reach maturity together will be less likely to
fight than ones where there are older and younger gerbils mixed
together.
--
Julian
************************************************************************
* Jackie and Julian *
* [EMAIL PROTECTED] *
* National Gerbil Society *
* http://www.gerbils.co.uk/ *
************************************************************************
