My female gerbils are fighting. Why is one attacking and hurting?

Generally you need to know gerbils tend to fight and are better kept separated, it's just too common to end up with a severely injured gerbil when kept together. if you do decide to introduce them after all, put them in 2 different cages next to each other first for 2 weeks, then try to put them together under your supervision only.

I would first recommend to check their genders. Make sure they are both females, otherwise you may end up with babies. Sometimes gerbils do play rough. Observe the behavior and check for wounds. Make sure they have space to get away from each other is needed. Please post again with any further questions!

That could be just an injury but it could also be the start of a tumor. Gerbils kept in a wire cage will often spend hours chewing on the cage bars, and this will rub off fur and irritate the nose. The simplest solution to do is keep your gerbil in an aquarium with glass sides. Glad you changed the bowl. I hope you got one that is ceramic or glass - that way she can't chew it. Do you have chew blocks for her? http://www.oxbowanimalhealth.com/our-products/hay/harvest-stacks-western-timothy-with-carrots https://www.petco.com/shop/en/petcostore/product/you-and-me-wood-chew-sticks-for-small-animals She may need a better diet. I don't know what you are feeding her but I suggest you use a premium diet like Oxbow. This may curb her chewing on other things. https://www.petsmart.com/small-pet/food-treats-and-hay/food/oxbow-essentials-healthy-handfuls-hamster-and-gerbil-food-5173696.html I, of course, would recommend you take Yuki to a vet for an exam. If you don't want to do that just yet I suggest you just monitor the nose for now. Do not apply anything to the nose topically because Yuki will just lick it off and ingesting those topical medications would not be good for her. Hope this helps. Best wishes!

This is typically a dominance issue. You may need to provide a larger cage for them, providing additional bowls, toys and hides to prevent resource protection. If that doesn't work, you may need to separate them.

Hello, and thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. Like any species, gerbils can heal just fine from minor scrapes and cuts as long as the wound doesn't become infected - including their tails. Keep an eye on the wound and make sure it is looking progressively better in the coming days. If you feel it's looking worse (red, swollen, more bloody, or a thick pus-like discharge) then you should contact your vet again. Hope this helps!

Hi, and thanks for your question. This presentation could be due to a trauma or localized spot of skin infection (likely to be caused by bacteria or fungal). A check up, appropriate disinfection and possibly antibiotics or antifungal meds (oral, topical or in a shampoo formulation) are needed to solve the problem. Disinfection can eventually be started at home with very diluted hibiscrub or betadine or salted water baths. Hope this answer was helpful, but please do not hesitate to contact us again on the forum or by requesting a consultation if you have any more questions or to discuss it any further.

Thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! I can see the hairloss you are referring to. This would commonly be caused by overgrooming by a cagemate, but since Jim lives alone, he could be overgrooming himself due to boredom. He may also have mites, a skin infection, or an autoimmune condition. I would recommend having your vet take a small samples of skin from the area and sending it off as a biopsy to definitively determine what is going on.