Can gerbils sense your mood?

[hannibal]

Hi everyone
I've recently had a lot of personal tragedies, so naturally I've been very sad.
What I noticed was that on the days that I was really sad or bad mood, they would act totally different from a normal day.
My gerbils are always playful and energetic, they are only 9 months old so that is only natural. But when I'm sad they seem more careful and sweet than usual, my girl who is not very keen on being taken up would sometimes crawl up my arm and sit on my shoulder completely still, as if she wanted to comfort me. They would come over to my hand and just sat or crawl around, whereas on normal day we couldn't get them to sit still.
It got me to thinking whether they could sense our moods the way cats and dogs can, I tried to read about but that all suggests that gerbils don't act that way.
Has anyone had the same experience and what do you think?

[catnut]

soo sorry to hear you are going through a hard time. I'm not sure but yours seem to have "special powers" and know and want to be near you. I know my cat can sure tell when I'm moody and she wants to be far away from me, lol but my gerbils don't seem to be as tuned into my moods. I"ve had some dental issues- root canal on sat. and need a crown(expensive) and also am dealing with my strata about noisy neighbours(strata doesn't really want to get involved so I'm very frustrated) but I'm trying to stay calm as I know it is best for me and my pets.

Do you have someone to talk to with what you are going through? I really don't so I call the crisis line when I do feel overwhelmed as it's free- there just isn't much help for me in my area and I live in a big city, so it's annoying- I can't afford private counselling.

Take care,

Tammy

[betty]

Yes, I am sorry to hear that you are going through a tough patch at the moment and I am glad that you have your gerbils to help you at this time - it seems as though whatever has happened, they are a comfort to you in those lonely times when you just sit down and drift off into your own thoughts.

Gerbils are great to watch, and I think the more you watch them, the more interesting they are, and the more character you can attribute to them. So perhaps during this time you are able to focus on them more and as a result are able to see parts of their character that you may have missed before.

Also, as you may be more relaxed at this time (focusing less on the pace of life that we get so wrapped up in until something personal happens) and so your gerbils could be sensing or reacting to a more relaxed you. Like us all, I am sure you don't always let your gerbils simply explore you for ages with no 'end time' in mind - we usually fuss over them when they are out for a set time and then have to get something else done afterwards.

What a great way to appreciate your pets. The gift of time.

[nauticalamity]

yes, i've noticed that, too. sometimes i'll take crowley out right after/during a sobfest and he gets extra affectionate then - sits still, cuddles into me, etc. they're very sweet, and very smart.

[fluffy501]

I don't know. I swear they look at me just the same even if I am crying and I'm observant