Splitting the Tank

To ensure that Pendy and Tig did not fight to the death on their first night together, we divided the "gerbilarium" in two with wire mesh and wood. We chose a mesh small enough so that the gerbs would be able to smell each other without being able to stick their paws through to scratch each other.

We then created a wooden border around the mesh, to ensure that the gerbs would not injure themselves on the edges of the wire mesh.

Once finished, we wedged the new tank-splitter into the "gerbilarium", and made sure that a full-grown gerbil would not be able to move it (or climb up over it). Pendy was our test subject! Of course, being a curious gerbil, Pendy immediately made a beeline for the top of the tank.

To prevent Pendy and Tig from escaping, we placed pieces of wood over top of the tank-splitter. The wood was wide enough to prevent the boys from reaching over and pulling themselves up to the top of the tank.

As a gerbil "Mom", the most difficult part of making the split-tank was taking Pendy's toys away from him. Since a split-tank has to be "nothing but the basics" (food, water, cardboard tubes), we had to remove Pendy's favorite toy - his wheel! I think this was more upsetting to him than the idea of a new tank-mate.

Even placing the "basics" around the tank was a challenge. We had to find a safe place for the food and water dishes. Pendy and Tig spent much of their first night climbing up the mesh and jumping off, and we did not want them to fall and hurt themselves on the dishes.

On the first night, Tig managed to reach over and take a swipe at Pendy! Tig's arms were so small that he was able to fit through the mesh. The next time we create a split tank, we will likely create a double layer of mesh to prevent injuries like this from occurring.

This was challenging in many ways. D'Agosta had just passed away that week, and we were both still devastated over his loss. Pendy was stressed because he had not only lost a partner, but half of his tank as well! Tig was stressed due to his brand-new surroundings, and the fact that he now shared a tank with a strange gerbil. WE were stressed because we wanted the boys to like each other, we wanted Tig to feel at home, and we were worried about something happening to either one. It didn't help that Tig was having tooth problems, and was skin-and-bones, but that is a story for another post.

I think it'll be worth it. Pendy was very lonely without a gerbil buddy, and it may take a while, but I have a feeling he and Tig will be close pals eventually.

Twin Squeaks is my favorite resource for everything gerbil! Visit the site for more split-tank "tails" and advice.