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Post by Mygerbiliscute on Oct 19, 2023 17:24:50 GMT -8
My gerbil, Racoon, doesn't get nearly as much out-of-cage time as he should, mostly due to the fact that there aren't many gerbil-safe areas in the house, and I'm not often available to supervise. Recently I was wondering if it would be okay to let him run freely around on a tabletop. It's a nice-sized area for him to run on, and as I'm often spending time at the table with a book, I could keep an eye on him. Do I have to be concerned about him trying to jump off the table? He's usually responsible around heights, but can he really be trusted? I'm assuming a jump from a table would be a disaster- it's probably a 30-inch table, on a wooden floor.
Any thoughts?
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Post by LilyandDaisy on Oct 20, 2023 5:02:34 GMT -8
Most of the time when gerbils fall, they're fine, but you're right that there's always the risk of injury. I used to let one of my past pairs run around on tabletops a lot because they were good with heights (I won't say they never jumped down, but if they did they were aware of the height and jumped carefully), but I can't do that with my current pair because they aren't very sensible with heights. So it really does depend on the gerbil and your own risk tolerance.
Maybe you could put blankets or something round the edges of the table to cushion his fall if he does jump.
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Post by catnut on Oct 20, 2023 13:22:29 GMT -8
I wouldn't as you wouldn't want an injured gerbil or worse if he decided to jump. How about a large bin that would give him space to run around in with some of his stuff like a wheel, etc.? sometimes you find them cheaper at a thrift store or even have on at home? just make sure it is cleaned out.
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Post by gingerandbasilgerbil on Oct 21, 2023 5:16:30 GMT -8
It sounds like it could be difficult. Depending on your gerbils personalitys I have had gerbils where they would jump off at different directions at the same time or be speedy to try and jump off.But also I have had gerbils be more calm that would not do that. So you are probably best to decide the safety depending on the way your gerbils act. I would try it once with no book and just do it prepared to hold them back if they go to the edge of the table. See how they seem and if your comfortable with it you can watch with a book. If I were you if you have like a bath tub. They are perfect for free roaming with a towel underneath and surpivision they are great.
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Post by TJ's Rodent Ranch on Oct 21, 2023 8:29:50 GMT -8
I think it's very doable, but you'd need to be careful.
As LilyandDaisy pointed out, gerbils don't easily injure from a fall. This is partially due to their size, and the way they land. If Raccoon is good with heights, I think this would be perfectly fine as long as you were at the table and keeping a peripheral vision on him. I used to do this for my boy Onion before he passed and he was great with it. (He lived four years, three and a half of them spent with me, and I did it since I first got him so I can say the risk isn't terrible). If you also have some more exciting things on the table for him to play with (like a puzzle toy, a house, or even just a little pile of seeds) he'll be less likely to want to explore elsewhere. Whereas, (in my experience at least) if you place them on a completely empty tabletop they'll immediately go to the edges. Either way, if besides all that he did fall, he should be fine. And as LilyandDaisy said, most gerbils that can calculate heights well will do it very carefully.
Although, as Catnut said, if you're just very uncomfortable with it then a bin is a good alternative. Just make sure the sides are very high since they can jump some surprising heights!
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Post by Mygerbiliscute on Oct 22, 2023 14:32:30 GMT -8
After some consideration, I decided to give Racoon some tabletop time today. I put some items on the table for him to investigate, and kept it short, since it was a new experience for him.
I think it went okay. He seemed happy to run about on the table. He did approach the table edges a few times, looked carefully at the floor, stuck a front paw out in an experimental way, then seemed to decide that jumping wasn't a good idea. He did jump onto my lap at one point, but then quickly climbed back onto the table to continue exploring. Since he seemed to like it, I'll try it again soon.
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Post by TJ's Rodent Ranch on Oct 22, 2023 20:45:33 GMT -8
Great to hear! I'm glad he enjoyed himself and got some outside time. One more thing that I'm sure you already took care of, but I thought I would mention, is to make sure that if he does jump off, you're able to get him again and he can't run off into the rest of the house. If he does manage to get free into the rest of the house it can be a real problem. It's pretty easy to sidestep any possible problems from that with a little barrier beneath the table. Just make sure he can't jump and land outside the barrier. If you have an adjustable playpen it's easiest, or you can use something else, just make sure that it couldn't fall on him if he was beneath it. Anyway, I'm glad it was able to work for you. Best of luck with him!  |
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