My gerbils won't warm up to me

[FunnyUsernameIdk]

I have a weird history with my gerbils. I would do things they didn't like, like repeatedly hurting them in some ways. I say it was due to a tic disorder but I still feel like it's my fault. It wasn't abusive like hitting them, or flicking them I don’t know they're tiny creatures, but it definitely made them scared of me, not like I was a threat, but like they would strongly prefer to just stay in their cage. What really broke my heart was when I closed the door because I wanted to get a picture of them sleeping together and my brother was yelling, and when they heard the door they jumped up and ran down into their burrow. They did this every time I used the door but this was the first time I connected the door to me coming in, and me coming in to them being terrified. I recently went on a 2 week vacation away from them which helped the tic go away, and it has disappeared. However, the gerbils are still afraid of me and have not warmed up to me whatsoever after 2 weeks of being around them and not harming them. Yesterday I tried to scoop one up when he was at the edge and then I held and petted him for about a minute, trying to calm him down, but the entire time he was freaking out and when I thought I'd calmed him down a bit he'd freak out a bit. I fear that every time I hold them they think I am threatening even if I do nothing, then when we are done and I put them back they are even more scared because the entire experience with me was frightening to them. Also they seem to be WAY more scared of me now then before the vacation. Really the whole point of this is, I don't know how to get them to not panic around me. I have washed my hands super well and gotten the scent of their bedding all over my hands, I have tried to get them to take treats from my hand, I've done everything you're supposed to do but it's as simple as they go into their burrows when I get near the cage. I have tried everything to get them to come up to the surface. I really need any ideas you guys have on how to get them to not see me as a threat, and to make it so that when I hold them it's a positive experience and they want to be held again. Any help would be appreciated, I don't know how to end this thing sooooooooooo

[Markpd]

I can't answer all your questions, but I would say for now, seeing as they don't like to be held by you (or likely anyone?), just don't try to pick them up, and definitely don't try to pet them (for now).
My boys don't like to be petted anyway and would freak out too if I tried to hold them for a minute! , petting isn't calming to them if they don't want to be held.
In the long run your gerbils might end up tamer than mine, but for now just offer them treats by hand (finger and thumb, not on your palm), if they are that scared of you, you will probably have to rest your hand in their cage for a considerable time before they venture out to investigate, so get comfortable!
When they eventually(?) and comfortably take treats from your fingers, you could then proceed to feeding them from the palm of your hand, when they start to do that, still don't pick them up yet.

If you have to pick them up for e.g cleaning their cage, offer them a long tube (like a poster tube, or paper kitchen towelling tube) and hopefully they will climb into it, and you can carry them that way .

Btw, the way you worded "like repeatedly hurting them ..." makes it sound like you were doing it intentionally, although you explain it isn't afterwards, I would still re-word that so that someone doesn't get the wrong idea!

Also, although hopefully your tic won't return, if it does I would take whatever action you need to so that they can't get hurt, e.g just don't put your hands near them until you can control(?) it, because otherwise the next time they get hurt by a tic, might be their last , and I'm sure you don't want that.

PS When you post a long message could you break it up into paragraphs please? Makes it somewhat hard to read .

[yeti218]

A lot of gerbils dont like to be picked up. Mine will run onto my hand if they're in a social mood, but they dont want me to lift my hand, and will scamper away if I try to.

I would spend more time sitting in the room with them, talking to them. Try to get them used to you being a non-threatening presence that doesn't always try to pick them up.

If you're not sure if you can physically interact with your gerbils without ticking, you may need to enjoy just watching them. You can make them lots of cool toys and give them fun stuff to play with and just enjoy them as gerbil tv instead of animals to be pet and held. Gerbils make great watch-only pets as well, so if this is the situation you find yourself in, theres still lots of ways to enjoy them and give them a good life. Search for gerbil enrichement and diy toys on this forum for many good ideas and exciting things you can make for them.

If you think the risk of ticking is reduced enough to handle them again, I'd start with what I said above (get them used to you being in the room), I'd also give them all their food and fun enrichment things when you go in the room, and then hopefully they'll start to associate your presence with good things. Then you can start taking the lid off, putting your hand in, and eventually offering treats from your fingertips and then flat palm to make them walk on your hand.

This may take a lot of patience. Gerbils are naturally skittish, and you're trying to undo some negative conditioning instead of starting at a neutral point. So just take it slow, be patient, and let the gerbils set the pace. I recommend just spending more time in that room (see if you can bring a book or a laptop in there and just hang out, then you dont get bored immediately if it takes your gerbils ages to come out).

[Markpd]

Yea good point yeti218, it probably would be best to start with just being in the room with them (if they don't already).