erin
Member
mom to two gerbils <3
Posts: 80 
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Post by erin on Jan 31, 2015 13:35:39 GMT -8
Hi, I have a now 8 week old baby whom I got from a breeder. When I first got him he was super friendly, had no trouble with me picking him up, just didn't like to be pet which is fine with me. I've had him for nearly 3 weeks now and he's gone completely downhill. He darts back into his house when I come into the room. I can only pick him up if I corner him first. Have I done something wrong? Too little handling? I only handle him if I take them out for play time in the bath tub or to clean their tank. I thought he was tame by now, is it something I have to continuously do? He lives with a 7 month old gerb and is surprisingly dominant out of the two. Is it because he's getting older now? Do they molt or something? Just confused about this change in personality. Thanks  |
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Post by crittercrazy on Feb 1, 2015 20:44:00 GMT -8
You said you only handle him when cleaning the tank or during playtime. . . how often is that? I've noticed that even just a few days or a week of no/very little human interaction can cause gerbils to become skittish. Especially pups- it actually just happened to my litter of pups as I was gone for awhile then sick and unable to do much with them when I got back. Anyway, when I finally started handling them again, they were extremely skittish and not very tame. So my suggestion would be reduce any stress from the environment (maybe move him to a quieter part of the house or just make noises in that area minimal) and more importantly, try to handle him as much as possible. Also, until he gets over this, I would recommend no longer holding him but just giving him treats and letting him crawl on your hands and so forth. Good luck! |
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Post by johanne on Feb 2, 2015 17:15:40 GMT -8
It's generally best not to corner a gerbil as that can frighten them and make them skittish. It's better if they get used to coming to you. If you need to move one you can use a clean glass or plastic jar. Hold the jar in front of gerbil and they'll generally wander into it to check it out. Then just cover the opening and take him wherever you need to take him.
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