Taming Timeline

[jennybenny]

We have only had the gerbils since December 26. I hear stories about how they will climb into your hand or sit on your shoulder etc. I’m not necessarily looking to do that but I also want to make sure our gerbils are OK. They still seem a bit skittish, one more than the other. When I put my hand in the tank, Lily will take food out of my hand And she’ll crawl across my hand etc. Oreo will come up and sniff but she won’t climb on my hand or take food from me. For either of them if they are by my hand or and I move they immediately run away. We were told not to try to play with them too much at first to let them adjust. We were also told to make sure to play with them so they get to know you. I’m not sure the timelines for all of this or how much we should be interacting or how long it typically takes for gerbils to become comfortable and friendly. Any thoughts?

[TJ's Rodent Ranch]

Hi there!

I hope you don't mind my no doubtably, what will be a long reply for this one...
I have developed a system to work with more shy, or reclusive gerbils.

The first thing I do (which is the most time-intensive part of the process) is to get them used to my hand in their environment, for them to know I'm not a threat. I recommend keeping your hand in the tank for five minutes or so every day, as much as you can- possibly more. This is to make your hand part of their environment. When they don't hesitate to stand on your hand with all four paws on you, then you can move on to the next step. The 'all four paws' is a significant sign of trust. They know very well that you can lift them up and away.
The next step, is to start moving your hand (slowly of course) when they sit on it. Just move them to the other side of the cage, to their food bowl, water, house, or wherever you think they might have been going (not far off the ground). In my experience, this shows them that your hand isn't part of their environment after all, but that doesn't mean you want to hurt them. I move on to the next step when they don't get jumpy or try to leave your hand when you move.
The next step, is to hold them for a brief moment. take them completely out of the cage and keep them in your hand or on you. think of it as getting to know you, not playtime. It's best if you don't hold them for more than a minute, just for them to understand that holding them isn't a bad thing, and they won't come away from it eaten.
The point when I move on to the next step here, is when they wait for me to place my hand on the ground before stepping off, instead of jumping as soon as they think they won't die from the fall.
The next step is more loose: I handle them as often as I can. The most important part is for them not to become stressed. As soon as they appear to become frantic or panicked, put them back in the tank. As they become more used to you, you can put them on your shoulder, your arm, and if the process if successful, they will jump into your hand and allow you to pick them up and handle them. I have several gerbils who worked well with this. They're very sweet and love to be handled now.

Of course, this is just my method, I hope it wasn't a mile-long feeling to read, and I hope it works!

[jennybenny]

Thank you thank you for the reply! No worries about it being a long response. That just means you’re a person after my own heart. I’ve been known to be long-winded lol.

That was very helpful though. We are luckily doing the first step already, and we put our hand in there many times throughout the day. We will try to do it for longer. I had read not to come from above because it feels like prey, so I place my hand by the bedding and put a treat in it or nothing and wait for them to come by. Lily will take food from my hands and she will put two paws on my hand. Oreo has just graduated to sniffing, but she will not put her paws down or take food from me. She did run across my hand super fast once lol. Now I know to look for the 4 paws before progressing.

Any tips on what it looks like when a gerbil is panicked? I can kind of guess but just in case there’s something specific I should look out for that I haven’t thought of…

[TJ's Rodent Ranch]

Yes, I always seem to write long replies myself, and I have to do my best to shorten them, glad to know you don't mind, haha!

When I usually start, they immediately run to their enclosure when they hear the lid opening, so they often don't actually see my hand coming in. (Of course, I usually get very fearful gerbils from pet stores, so your gerbils may never have gotten to the degree that they run as soon as they hear the lid opening).
That's great that Lily will take food from you and put her paws up on you. Leaving your hand completely still in their environment is a good way to earn their trust quickly, so at first, they see your hand as more of an object.

It depends on the situation. A warning sign between gerbils is when they stomp their feet to warn other gerbils of a predator. If they have very jerky movements that's another sign that they're panicking, or if they don't move at all (kind of stuck between fight and flight mode. Not that they will fight, that's just kind of the psychology behind it).
Those are the best ways to tell when they're in the tank, but if you're holding them it's kind of hard to know exact signs beyond just instinctually knowing if they're panicked.
Gerbils never really sit still much, but you can definitely tell a turn in the way they act when they're afraid or panicking.

[Markpd]

Sounds like a good method , something I should try with my boys (one of them at least is to the stage where he'll walk onto my hand at least! .

Btw, re this
Those are the best ways to tell when they're in the tank, but if you're holding them it's kind of hard to know exact signs beyond just instinctually knowing if they're panicked.

With my boys, sometimes they just leap off your hand without warning or regard to height! At least when they were younger, made me very wary of holding them!
More lately though I think Gan does it because he's trying to escape onto the lounge floor, he went through a phase of being obsessed to escape! So now, unless it's a very quick transport for them, once they're on my hand I hold the base of the tail, no escaping then! (they have tried, lol). Funnily enough they're not panicked by that, Gan may try once or twice in quick session to escape, but then he just sits still, at least for the few seconds it takes me to put him in his cage, I haven't tried longer.
They don't seem to liked being handled, atm at least, maybe if I tried the later part of your taming technique they might.
Does it make any difference if they're one year old already?

[TJ's Rodent Ranch]

I have had several gerbils that I had to hold by the tail in that case. I was so afraid they'd leap forward and hurt themselves, or crawl under something and make it difficult to get back (they're ridiculously fast when they want to be, sometimes it surprises me). Most of these gerbils I have been able to work with and are fine now. It's always very satisfying when you reach the point of them walking on your hand, and letting you take them places with them just sitting there.
While it does help for them to be younger, it does work with all ages.