No going down tubes!

[butsam]

Help! One of the new gerbils we got is scared to death of going down tubes. This is not good...he will constantly go up, but will not go down. I got a gerbil that is scared of heights. What should I do? Even if he's hungry, he will sit up there, instead of look for food.

Sam

[gerbilicious]

Maybe you'd better buy him an aquarium with just one floor so that he can access everything?

[Ritzie/Admin]

I have had also two tanks above each other and connected with a tube. It takes a while before they get used to it! But at the end they figured it out and they liked it very much! ;D

Is the other one not afraid? They learn from each other.

[butsam]

The other one wasn't afraid...and we just found out last night that the one that was afraid has now learned Yay!

It was scary for a bit, because I know one of them usually has to lead (and the other one does), but he had been shown several times. Lev (the one that used to be afraid to go down tubes, but would go up them) would just stay up the tube, and even shake, start going down, but turn around once his head was straight down (before kicking off with his back legs). Now, though, he is doing fine, thank you everyone for the suggestions I guess the hungry tummy or thirst won out...we had been hand-feeding him while he was up there in the past, so he didn't starve, but we decided to go about a day (meaning ~12 hours, not day and night) without doing that to see if he would get motivated to go down. It worked...and now he has no problems

Sam

[Ritzie/Admin]

Good to hear that he has no problems anymore!

[birko]

dont worry mate all ones that i had did that they finally go for it and go down

Then they will be scared again but over time they will get used to it
mine were sat up there for like and hour but i left him newing he would cum down u just have to give them time.

[RyanF]

Same happened with one of mine. She was scared to death to go down the tube, but a few days later she did it and still does it today. ;D