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TAIL BITING IN GERBILS

First broadcast on www.provet.co.uk  


This information is provided by Provet for educational purposes only.

You should seek the advice of your veterinarian if your pet is ill as only he or she can correctly advise on the diagnosis and recommend the treatment that is most appropriate for your pet.

Gerbils make excellent pets, but sometimes they develop antisocial behaviour towards their companions - including tail biting

Tail biting or rump biting is an unpleasant behavioural problem that gerbils sometimes exhibit. There are several possible causes, including:

  • Overcrowding
  • Adding new gerbils to an established colony
  • Mixing sexually mature males together
  • Mixing sexually mature females together

In extreme cases gerbils can even kill each other.

Prevention involves :

  • Avoid overcrowding
  • Try not to mix adults of the same sex
  • Establish a colony and try not to add newcomers later, but grow/replenish the colony through breeding
  • Only mix unrelated gerbils when they are young and sexually immature.

Victims of tail or rump biting need veterinary attention, and may die as a result of their injuries.

 

Updated October 2013