My gerbil siblings fight often. Is it play or real fighting?

This behavior is called barbering and it’s very common among gerbils. There is usually one aggressor and one victim, just like you are describing. I would recommend separating the gerbils if at all possible. It may be a good idea to just have two in each cage so they won’t be lonely, but it may be safer for the one being attacked. Also be sure to offer plenty of food and water in space so the gerbils don’t feel like they have to compete for resources. If the injuries are severe you may want to take Ghost in to be checked out by the vet and make sure he doesn’t need any antibiotics or pain medication. I hope this helps. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. Best of luck.

If they are not fighting and causing each other bite wounds they are likely just playing. If rats are fighting they will hurt each other by biting hard. So : playing: no injuries; fighting: bite wounds and mobbing, no cuddling.

Usually siblings raised together will be able to live together. It sounds as if you have one overly dominant female though. You can try keeping them in a larger cage with additional bowls, bottles, toys and hides. This may give them enough "elbow room" which may decrease the squabbling. If not, you may need to separate them for a few days. A gradual reintroduction can be tried, but if they continue to fight, permanent separation may be the only option.

I recommend separating the male and female now before the female gives birth to avoid potential cannibalism of the pups by the male. Other than the female having an obviously distended belly, females have a shorter anogenital distance than males and lack a scrotum. For the pregnant female, I would not try to house her with other females until after the pups are weaned at 3 weeks of age (also to prevent cannibalism). When ready, the split cage method is recommended for introducing males or females that are not from the same litter. It involves keeping the 2 males (or 2 females) separated by a divider (plexiglass with holes drilled placed corner to corner dividing the enclosure into 2 triangles works well) and switching the gerbils 4-5 times a day for at least a week to get them accustomed to each other' ascents. After a week remove the divider only when you are able to carefully monitor them for fighting for 5-6 hours or longer. Generally they cannot be safely left alone together until you see them grooming each other and sleeping next to each other. Even then, if you notice any bite marks/wounds on either gerbil, separate immediately and do not attempt to rehouse together. Best of luck!

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.

Thanks for reaching out. Both photos appear to be males. Aggression can appears as breeding. Males often do not get along, so should be separated to prevent fightings and wounds. Hamsters are predominately solitary animals and can be very territoriality. Good luck.

You can make this determination by looking at the distance between the urinary and anal openings. In male gerbils, this space is larger than it is in females. This method works best when you have other gernils for comparison. Males will also have prominent and readily identifiable testicles as well as a prominaent scent gland that is larger than a female's scent gland.