Gerbils frequently spooked and thumping their feet...

[gerbilord]

This last week both my gerbils have had little fits of thumping.

Wednesday was the first episode: Merry was thumping for a good minute so I took her out of the cage and she was literally rigid in my hand for a few minutes. Then she seemed to realise she was in no danger and took a few steps on my lap, but she was still very spooked. Once she had fully recovered I put her back.

Thursday was the second: Pippin this time thumped but for a bit less long, she was hiding under a bendy bridge though, so I took her out. She wasn't frozen like Merry had been, but when she moved it was not a smooth run, more like one step pause two steps pause etc. Again, once she recovered, I put her back in the cage.

Then today (Saturday): Pippin was the one that got spooked (I think) so I comforted her for a minute or two with merry next to her. 

I just wonder why they've been getting so spooked. There has been nothing around that could scare them, I did clean their cage yesterday, but that was after the first and second incidents... Anyone got any idea what this might have been from?

Thanks 

[Markpd]

Could it be something more distant? Like roadworks maybe??

My 2 regularly get spooked, Blake often bolts! But they don't so often thump, when they do it's usually brief, but 1 occasion last week they were both thumping and for much longer than usual, then I realised their was a Chinook flying a little way off, with it's rotors 'thumping' to a similar speed to the Gerbils, so Blake and Avon were being warned by a much bigger 'Gerbil'! lol

[Pim]

Mine recently started thumping more often because two skittish young gerbils were put in the room. clover was thumping because of them and in turn the trio started thumping back.

[Markpd]

lol

[gerbilord]

There haven't been any roadworks or large trucks here lately, and I haven't got any more gerbils... It's a mystery!

[jal]

It might be something you can't hear that's not in a human's hearing range. My gerbils have the odd day when they seem very easily spooked, bolting, freezing or thumping, often for no obvious reason, then they're totally fine again. It's a mystery but I think totally normal for gerbils.

[gerbilord]

Hmm, it could definitely be down to something I can't hear, but they've never acted like this before, especially not so frequently either, and there's not been any difference from last week to this, so I'm a bit stumped really.

[betty]

They can also get spooked by light and shadows (mine used to get freaked out by seagulls flying past the window on a sunny day) as well as noises, vibrations and smells.

All very strange.

[gerbilord]

hmm thats interesting... we do have a lot of red kites in our area... Maybe that's it...

[betty]

Yeah, we used to have to pull the curtains in that room on a sunny day as we were in a top floor flat in seagull central.

And once they got started, even us leaning past the light from the window to reach a book or something would set them off again!

[Markpd]

Did you get to the bottom of this gerbilord?

[gerbilord]

no I didn't, but since they've moved cage and room they seem a lot calmer. Who knows what goes on inside those tiny brains...

[betty]

Ha ha - we would pay a lot of money to find THAT out gerbilord!

[Markpd]

Definitely!