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Post by kitching3 on Jun 3, 2021 4:40:08 GMT -8
Hi! I am a very excited soon-to-be gerbil mum (I am getting a pair of girls from a local breeder (it was a miracle that I found her but that’s another story)) and would be so grateful if someone could explain when and how much I should handle them: how often can you handle your gerbils and pick them up? Does picking them up and standing over/ right beside the enclosure count as time out of their cage? Does handling them separately (holding one, gently putting her back, and then picking up the other one) lead to declanning? I understand that you have to wait a few days before interacting with them and even then will need to build up trust before you can pick them up. But, if/ when they feel comfortable to go into your hands, how often can you pick them up and pet them? I really want to interact with them but of course don’t want to do so if it is causing them stress and pulls the to girls apart. I am just a little bit confused - my instinct is to try and handle/interact/tame them daily once they have settled in (again, I won’t be trying to grab them, I will work to their pace and will be careful to look out for any signs of fear etc.) but I don’t know if I should. Thank you  |
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Post by PipSqueak on Jun 3, 2021 5:05:10 GMT -8
Once they are tamed and are comfortable going onto your hand and being picked up you can really pet them and interact with them as much as you want to. There really isn’t a set amount of time that you can pick them up. As long as they don’t want to get off of your hand or want to be left alone then it doesn’t matter. I usually interact with my gerbils several times a day. I never really pick them up since they don’t really like to but I will put my hand in their enclosure and pet them. Picking one up and then the other shouldn’t lead to declaning. I will put just one of my gerbils in the bathtub for playtime if the other doesn’t want to and they have been fine. Females can be more vulnerable to declaning and I have males but I do not think that picking them up for a little bit each will result in that happening. I don’t think that picking them up over or out of their enclosure should be considered out of cage time. What is usually considered that is if you let them roam around a room or set up the bathtub. All of this is just what I think so we will have to see what others say.
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Post by tanzanyte on Jun 4, 2021 6:03:32 GMT -8
Pipsqueak has pretty much covered it. It's a slow process but very rewarding. We haven't found that picking one gerbil up at a time leads to declanning.
Our previous girls had very different temperaments. Bubbles was very scared and didn't like spending much time away from home, whereas Vanilla was happy to spend a long time out of the cage. We used to have them both out for a short time and would then put Bubbles home and keep Vanilla out for longer. They stayed together until Bubbles had to be put to sleep.
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Post by teambenji543 on Jun 5, 2021 17:48:07 GMT -8
That was true for me too. One of my gerbils loves to be held and petted while my other doesn’t really like handling. I like to put a few sunflower seeds in the palm of my hand until they climb onto it. If your gerbil seems to get frantic and stressed them put her back into the cage. I’ve found that gerbils tend to be a look and admire pet rather than a hold and cuddle one. (Although that totally depends on the gerbil! Some gerbils love to come out and cuddle with you!)
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Post by kitching3 on Jun 7, 2021 12:18:50 GMT -8
Once they are tamed and are comfortable going onto your hand and being picked up you can really pet them and interact with them as much as you want to. There really isn’t a set amount of time that you can pick them up. As long as they don’t want to get off of your hand or want to be left alone then it doesn’t matter. I usually interact with my gerbils several times a day. I never really pick them up since they don’t really like to but I will put my hand in their enclosure and pet them. Picking one up and then the other shouldn’t lead to declaning. I will put just one of my gerbils in the bathtub for playtime if the other doesn’t want to and they have been fine. Females can be more vulnerable to declaning and I have males but I do not think that picking them up for a little bit each will result in that happening. I don’t think that picking them up over or out of their enclosure should be considered out of cage time. What is usually considered that is if you let them roam around a room or set up the bathtub. All of this is just what I think so we will have to see what others say. Thank you so so much! This is so helpful xxx |
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Post by kitching3 on Jun 7, 2021 12:19:44 GMT -8
That was true for me too. One of my gerbils loves to be held and petted while my other doesn’t really like handling. I like to put a few sunflower seeds in the palm of my hand until they climb onto it. If your gerbil seems to get frantic and stressed them put her back into the cage. I’ve found that gerbils tend to be a look and admire pet rather than a hold and cuddle one. (Although that totally depends on the gerbil! Some gerbils love to come out and cuddle with you!) Yes, I definitely want to watch them more then I handle them, thank you xxx |
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Post by kitching3 on Jun 7, 2021 12:21:16 GMT -8
Pipsqueak has pretty much covered it. It's a slow process but very rewarding. We haven't found that picking one gerbil up at a time leads to declanning. Our previous girls had very different temperaments. Bubbles was very scared and didn't like spending much time away from home, whereas Vanilla was happy to spend a long time out of the cage. We used to have them both out for a short time and would then put Bubbles home and keep Vanilla out for longer. They stayed together until Bubbles had to be put to sleep. Awe I’m so sorry that bubbles passed away. And thank you for confirming everything xxx |
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Post by Markpd on Jun 18, 2021 10:21:04 GMT -8
There is a member here (possibly betty ), who has a female pair (out of many over years IIRC), where if she took 1 (or both) gerbils out for playtime the other gerbil would get hostile with it on returning to the cage. She re-told the story in my cage declanning risks thread somewhere - gerbilforum.proboards.com/thread/35073/cage-size-declanning-causesBut that seems to be a very rare occurrence, so I wouldn't worry about it too much, just be aware of it in case they act funny towards each other after being handled or out of the cage. |
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Post by betty on Jun 19, 2021 5:08:37 GMT -8
Yes, that's right - it was a very rare thing - but these two sisters were oddies anyway. They were the most wonderful friendly and curious gerbils and had an amazing bond - just that Boo just wasnt having ANY of Bella being out of the 'home'. It was a strange thing that took a while to really understand, but that's just how it was with them.
My best memory of them was when I had moved them into a temporary enclosure on the floor one night, and in the morning I walked in on an open lid (it was a slidy lid) and the cage was bare. I just huffed out loud 'oh Bello and Boo you naughty beans' and they both came running out from under the table side by side looking at me as if to say 'here we are'. I picked them both up and they didn't mind a hoot. Bet they were tired after a night out!
(ps - I always have a sealed safe room for my gerbils after a terrible experience with a loose floorboard in a flat - not going through THAT ever again).
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Post by Markpd on Jun 20, 2021 5:32:12 GMT -8
Lol, obedient escape artists!  |
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), late 70s
