In the Toriel battle in this universe , she doesn ' t deal any damage to you if you don ' t move . <| sep |> Because I ' m distant and don ' t really show have trouble expressing emotions without feeling uncomfortable . Our 7 month anniversary was just two days ago . <| sep |> They would almost certainly recognise each other after 16 hours apart . Rodents can show social recognition for ~ 24 hours after being briefly introduced to a previously unfamiliar conspecific , so I really doubt a gerbil would fail to recognise a cage mate after 16 hours apart . Gerbils are highly territorial , so there is probably some other factor that ' s making them fight . In any case , I think split caging is the right approach . <| sep |> I ' ve read a few studies that it changes the way you store and burn fat by some other mechanism related to hormones iirc