My new gerbils bite (my thumbs mostly) & it hurts!

[emily]

Should I demand a refund from the pet store, who was also unsure if they were females? Or is there a way to break the gerbils of the bad habit of biting and tell for sure what gender they are and if they are pregnant or not?

[paws]

no, I don't think you should do that. GErbils are not at all like hamsters, you must work their trust. Do this with sunflower seeds and yoghurt on your fingers. To tell whether they are female or male, the only way I know of would be to take them to a reputable rodent-vet, who can tell right away. My dog's vet did this for me when I wasn't sure if one of my gerbils was female or male. As for if they're preggers, you'll find out soon enough. ;D

Good luck Emily!

Paws

[doomgerbiluk]

I hope you don't do that. It is quite likely they have not been handled or have been mishandled.
How do you pick them up?
Gerbils should not be lifted from above, but you should put your hands underneath and scoop them up.
Do you try to restrain them when you hold them? It is better to allow them to keep moving, they are not usually 'snuggly' but prefer to be on the move most of the time.
Take a step back and begin taming them all over again. If pickign them up is a problem use a cup or tube, encourage yoru gerbil into it and lift them out in it. then sit on your bed or sofa and encourage them to coem out and play. I have even used this method successfuly used with some very shy persian jirds the owner had almost given up hope handling and within a short time they where sittign on her shoulders while she was online.
Wehn yoru gerbils bite blow gently on their faces and/or say no sharply. Try not to put them down when they bite or you reinforce the biting.

Good luck.

[emily]

Thanks paws and doomgerbiluk; that sounds like very good advice. I had been picking them up by hand, but I stopped and have been using a cardboard box. Usually I think they were biting when they felt trapped but sometimes they just bite randomly when I am just sitting on the bed not bothering them. This makes me think they were mishandled, especially because the pet store owner said they bit him too. I wish I knew what species they are. One is gray and the other one is albino and they are from the desert. That's all I know.

[paws]

you have a dove or lilac and a REW. THey are mongolian, and all gerbils are from the desert. ARe they still biting? I reackon they were just not handled, becasue most gerbils turn out like this until they are handled.

[emily]

I figured out the REW(what does that mean?) is probably male because of the bulges near the tail. So I named him David and the dove girl Rosie. David is still biting. Every time he bit me I would say "No" sharply and blow on his face and not drop him. This was the same way I trained Rosie and it worked for her. Is there a different way to train really stubborn gerbils?

[coastaltidesgerbil]

I know exactly what you are going through! I got a male from a pet store a few months ago, he was quite mean... or so I thought. He bit me every chance he got, but I was determined not to let him scare me off. (He is quite beautiful) I started out with food in my hand, and he would run up, grab a seed, put it in his mouth, bite and run off. After a while he would not bite as often, but when he did I said "no" in a strong, but not loud voice and gave him a light tap on the bum, or a good blow. After a while he learned that if he ran he still would get punished with a blow or tap and a no. Then I began to handle him constantly, cooing in a loving voice and petting him gently. Soon he figured out it was much better to get in my hand and be pet, than to bite and be blown on or tapped.

Any way, I jus kept working with him and soon after that he would jump in my hand and climb up my arm. I actually bred him to a nice dove female, and their babies are beautiful ad extremely sweet. Turns out a friend of mine works at the store I got him from, he told me that when they arrive they are stuffed into a little plastic container like sardines and that they don't come from a loving breeder, but a commercial breeder. So, now I understand why Nomax was a bit testy... All he needed was a little TLC and perseverance.

So for you little guy, I say keep on trying! The rewards are much greater than the little pain of the bite. Nomax turned out to be one of the sweetest gerbils I have. ^.^

Oh, and REW is Red Eyed White.

[queenofthenile]

If you don't want babies, you will need to separate them. I would either return one of them and get the same sex, or get a new same-sex mate for both gerbils (if you are too attached to them already).