Help! I Don't Understand My Duprasi

[AnimalCrzy]

Hi,
I have owned my Duprasi for a little over a year and I am lost as to how to tame them. When I got them they were 2 mths old. I had researched them and discovered that they are supposed to be docile and never bite. Therefore I was very surprised when both of my girls bit me to the point of bleeding almost immedately. I have tried to spend time with them but they are so mean that I have almost given up and have settled with holding them only when I wear gloves. They are very aggressive with each other as well and cannot be housed together. All I have to do is put my hand in the cage and they will run from across the cage to attack me. Does anyone have any ideas on what I can do to tame them?

[Ritzie/Admin]

Stories go that duprasi never bite, but that is not true. They do that as other gerbils do that too. It depends also on the character of the individual duprasi. Although they are in general more docile than other species.

They are indeed most of the times aggressive towards each other. This is because they are solitairy animals. In the wild they live alone, not in pairs or groups. It is possible to keep them in pairs or groups in captivity, but than they sometimes fight or "agrue". Sometimes duprasi won't accept others, and want to live alone (and that is only natural behaviour). I keep my 5 females together, and my males in pairs. This goes well, but some duprasi can't stand other duprasi.

You can tame them the same way as you tame Mongolian gerbils and Syrian hamsters. Just handle them as much as you can. Give them treats. You said they attack you in the cage. I have also one female who does that. But outside the cage she is the most tame one of all. Outside the cage she never bites me. My other 10 duprasi luckily never bite. Some breeding lines are more nippy and less docile than others, and it is said that the smaller Egyptian subspecies is also more nippy and less docile than the larger Algerian subspecies.

Don't give up, keep on handling them, best every day. Maybe you need to do that at first while wearing gloves, but finally you will notice you can handle them without gloves. You can also wash your hand with their bedding, so that your hand does not smell strange. I hope you will succeed taming them, because I can tell you when you succeed they are fantastic pets.

[animalcrzy]

Thanks so much for your advice. I have gotten so discouraged and where I live no one and I mean no one has even heard of Duprasi, so no one can give me any advice. It is really nice to be able to ask someone questions.

[Ritzie/Admin]

Feel free to ask any question! No question is stupid! For that reason this forum has been made!

[Da id]

hi my gerbils have been togethor for 2 or 3 days since i bought them and have been fine but today they seem to be fighting and are both biting me everytime i get them out, plz plz plz help me because before this they were lovely pets but now you cant even go near them thanks, david :( :( :(