Maeby & Nellie's Second Tank Cleaning

I'm happy to report that Maeby and Nellie survived their second tank cleaning since their introduction last month! The first couple of tank cleanings after a split-cage introduction always make me a little bit nervous. It's probably more about my own paranoia than anything, but I always wonder, Will they still get along when I put them into a new, clean tank?

Maeby and Nellie just proved tonight that I was worrying for nothing. In fact, not only did they get along with each other just fine, they were both very friendly tonight. Maeby's always been a fairly skittish gerbil. Lindsay was a good influence when she was alive, but after Lindsay's death, Maeby went right back to being scared of me. Tonight, though, Maeby hopped right into my hand when I was ready to clean their tank. And when I put my hand in the critter keeper after cleaning the tank, both Maeby and Nellie started crawling right up my arm. It looks like Nellie's been a very good influence on Maeby! These two are becoming great buddies.

The photo I've attached to this entry is one that I took after the tank cleaning tonight. The girls were starting to shred the toilet paper tubes and make a new nest.