Weird behaving and bitting gerbil

[allison]

My oldest gerbil, Rocko, is starting to bite alot. What does this mean? He likes being picked up, or so I think, When I open the cage door he'll come into my hand. But lately he's bean bitting alot. Just now he bit so hard he broke skin! I read somewhere that gerbils only bite when they are scared. But he should be use to me picking him up by now, shouldn't he? Sometimes he'll bite me when I lay my hand flat in the cage also, but just nipples. I was also wondering if theres a way to punish them when they bite? When he broke my skin just now I gave him a light tap, might have smarted for his size, but did that do any good, or are they like dogs forgetting 2 seconds later why they are being punished? (Edit: I just read you can blow on them, but will they remember why?)

Also he's been peeing on me alot....it's not just the odd accident here and there, I think he's doing it on purpose. 95% of the time when I pick him up he pees on me, sometimes when I just lay my hand flat in the cage for him and the baby to just see me he'll walk on pee and walk away, he never use to this. I thought maybe he's marking me as his "territory". Could this be true? My mom jokes about how he's saying he loves me. One time he licked me a few times, that was exciting! lol.

Any thoughts or advice would be greatly appreciated!

Edit: I just read some other bitting complaints and wanted to add some more info so you guys don't just tell me the same things. I do wash my hands before, I have hand sanitizer by the cage and I sometimes rub the shavings onto my hand. I do have another gebril but they are best buds and live together so I don't see how that would make him want to bite me. By having his scent on me I mean.

[paws]

Well, the blowing helped me. IrrelveantQ, is he a black gerbil? Black gerbils tend to be nippier.

~Paws

[queenofthenile]

You can blow gently in the gerbils face within about a second of his biting you. Anything after that, and they won't associate the puff of air with the behaviour. When does he bite you? When you put your hand in the cage? When you pick him up? While your holding him? I think that will help me understand exactly what he's doing.

Oh, I wanted to add, that tapping him on the nose will not be effective. Blowing is a much better way of telling him that it hurts.

[allison]

He's not black. He's the one in my icon picture.

I will try blowing...he nips most of the time when my hand is in the cage, he'll walk on and start nipping my fingers, when I go to move them away he just follows them trying to nip them more. Last night was the first time he was trying to nip me when I was holding him and then broke skin. I wasn't holding him badly I had both my hands cupped together and he was just standing there and I would do that hand over hand thing when he walked.

His baby friend I got him nips me when I'm in the cage too, but not as often. I don't think they are scared though because they go on my hand every time I put my hand in, they'll sometimes go on their hined legs and go on my wrist.

The thing that I'm wondering most about is why is he doing this all of a sudden?? When I first got the baby he was bitting but it was only light nips and I figured it was his personality because Rocko (the bitting guy) never use to bite me untill about the last week or so.

Edit: fixing typeos and adding a little more info

[queenofthenile]

I think the puff of air will really help in this situation. You could also try putting your hand as a fist into the cage, with your fingers facing downwards. This will prevent him from nipping you. Maybe he just needs to be retrained. As for him biting when he was in your hand, I'm not sure. It might have been that he was getting irritated from being held for a long time. One of my gerbils nips me when she has been held for a few minutes.

[sweetie]

My belief is that he is trying to protect his new little buddy. I know it sounds weird but The timing seems right. Did you change the housing at all? Mine lunged and tried to bite me when I changed from a cage to a tank. She was all nerved up. She did it again when I moved her into a bigger tank. Changes in the environment tend to lead to bitiing behaviors from my experience. I think the same thing goes for the peeing on you. He may be trying to claim dominance or scent you. Kind of like how dogs pee to mark territory and cats rub on you to scent/claim you as thiers.

[allison]

I didn't chnage the housing. A couple days before getting the baby I did add on another cage but this didn't start till weeks later. I dunno...peing may just be claiming me as his and bitting maybe it's like what queenofthenile said I'm holding him too long.

Thanks for all the help guys.