Gerbils Sixth Sense for Feeding Time?

[psychotherapist]

How is it that Gerbils always seem to know when they're getting fed?

I don't keep a regular routine, they're fed at different times each day and the Gerbils are all off sleeping in a separate part of the cage (so the lifting of the lid does not wake them).

What normally happens - I'll lift the lid very quietly and take out the existing dish and again quietly close the lid, at which point they're all still fast asleep and have shown no signs of stirring. I then go out of the room to clean & replenish the dish, which takes less than 5 minutes.

Lo and behold, when I return - there they all are stood waiting patiently around the hole in the substrate where the dish was previously located, every single time! Lol, I really do wonder how they do it.

[vexorg]

You have feeding times? we just keep the food bowl full at all times.

Ours are the same, when we take the bowl out to top it up, they all come out to see what's going on.

[PurpleSheep]

They probably learn to recognise the sound of the food bowl being moved and to associate that with food. I believe gerbils and other rodents have much better hearing than humans. One of our robo hamsters became extremely bonded with me and would get up to greet me whenever I got home from work. According to my partner, she would even get up when I called him on the phone at home and she could hear my voice. She was the best hamster.

We now scatter-feed our gerbils, usually at 7pm, and our first gerbil Sukie always appeared dead on 7 waiting to be fed. If we were a bit late, she would start to nibble on cardboard indignantly until we fed her. Only one of our current girls do this now, the others aren't really that keen on food.

[leafwhisp]

My gerbils always do this, they get a bit irritated if I'm late though (like, every sunday morning when I feed them at 9 instead of 7)

[Thelodar]

I'd guess they hear you, even if you are quiet. They have pretty awesome hearing, it allows them to hear predators coming and keeps them safe. Either that or they smell it shortly after you put it in.