u/PainterBeneficial465

I introduced my new girl to her potential cagemate via split cage today and it was an absolute disaster. They were jumping at each other, charging and attacking the cage within literally less than two seconds. They actually broke the screen and were trying to death ball within literally seconds of being introduced. They both escaped while I tried to separate them and I had to spend five minutes chasing and keeping them separate in the living room before I got new girl back in her tank. She's now been arched and defensive in the corner of her tank for the last hour while OG has been super-territorial.

Is this normal and likely to be fixed through normal split caging, or is it doomed from the start? I don't want to give up too soon but it's still early enough to rehome her if this is actually dangerous.

*Breathes* Long rant ahead...

I signed up for UC in March as a self-employed person after being unable to work a routine job due to health issues (I CAN work, just not a regular job because I have to work around symptom flares). I applied for PIP at the same time for a second time, after being rejected a year ago with 0 points, and have heard nothing back there. I applied for a small Uc advance, but didn't get anything else at the end of March because of my final salary for my previous job. I was expecting £1000 (for housing and UC) at the end of April, but then didn't get anything either.

When I queried this, it turned out that my last payment from my previous job was on March 26, which was the first day of their income reporting cycle for April. Even though that payment was quite small, and was mostly about work I'd done in Feb and early March, it still counted as "income" for self-employment. So this left me with £0 from April 28 until my next payment on May 28.

But... my online query triggered another self employment review. So I had to go back in again, have a whole other assessment to prove my business, and do everything all over again. Apparently this just happens, particularly with self-employment, and these reviews are mandatory and system generated. It went well, I went back to trying to grow my freelancing business, everything was fine.

...until a week later and they randomly closed my claim. Apparently I'd just forgotten to log in and sign the exact same agreement I'd already done in March. There was no reminder or anything, and my whole claim was just... closed. When I called up they were pretty rude and said there was nothing they could do.

So now the payment I was relying on in May has just vanished too. I've gone to mandatory reconsideration and started a new claim, but I can't apply for an advance yet. It's madness. I have no money coming in since March and have just cleared the last £100 from my savings account. They're now saying I MIGHT get a payment on June 22.

Worst part is that the main contract that made me think I could survive as a freelancer fell apart. They owed me £2500 after months of work and then went bust. I got absolutely nothing from them. I've earned about a tenner so far from freelancing since March. I currently can't get another UC advance because my new claim is still in processing.

Seriously, how am I meant to survive? UC doesn't cover my living costs at all but it is still better than nothing. But £0 in March, April, May, and no support available... how is anyone supposed to manage?

One of my gerbils passed away recently and I'm attempting split cage bonding for the first time. Picked up my new gerb this afternoon but I've had a series of disasters. First of all my DIY screen for split cage broke and I couldn't fix it. Second, Hazel (new girl) escaped pretty much as soon as I got her home and began running around on the floor in front of Sunflower's (existing gerbil) tank. They saw, squeaked, and stomped at each other before I could properly introduce them.

Because there's not much I can do until tomorrow, I've got them in two adjacent tanks where they can at least smell and see each other. Is this the right thing to do? Or should I try keeping them totally away from each other until I can do split cage properly? I've had gerbils for three years but this is my first introduction.

Ginger "Bitey" Snufflina Fluffbutt (the one at the back), 2024-2026, who sadly passed away a few days ago after a short illness. She never left a toilet roll unchewed.

https://preview.redd.it/iwpza3lrgh1h1.jpg?width=1739&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=729751a66dca574434f540706e5f5c450b4ec314