Male Biter?

[maxthegerbil]

Hi Everybody. I posted only a few days ago regarding the splitting up into pairs of my four young male gerbils due to a bloody fight between two of the brothers. They are now happily living in their paired groups.

My problem now is this. Berti, my large cream boy is absolutely great when out playing and being handled, but when he`s in the glass tank with his brother Barney, he`ll lunge at your hand and nip! Now whether this is just his way of saying `stay away this is my territory` or something else, I`m not sure. He was one of the brothers in the fight last week, but he was doing this lunging and nipping behaviour even before I had to split the group up.

I`m wondering if he`s been a bullied gerbil or infact, been the bully himself? Has anyone come across this `lunge and nip`behaviour? As I said, he`ll hop onto your lowered arm and climb up onto my shoulder and has no problems being handled otherwise. But I can`t quite understand this attack mode behaviour! Any advice would be great and if it`s just him being him, then that`s fine and I now know that he`s always going to be that way inclined and I can live with that, but if there`s a cure, I`m all ears! Thanks.

[Ritzie/Admin]

I haven't had this with my Mongolian gerbils, but that is probably because they were are born at my home and handled very often from birth.

However a Duprasi gerbil of me does this only in her cage, outside she is the sweetest one I have.

If the nipper is the bullied gerbil or infact, the bully himself is difficult to say! Can be both! Sometimes a dominant bully attachs first, but also very often the bullied submissive one does this to defend or protect itself.

But you tell us that he could be handled very well before, so it might also be that he associate your hand with the intervention during the fights. However, I read also that he started to nip before you had to split-up the group....

What I can recommend you is to handle him alot, let him get used to your hands again. And when he nips (sometimes not to bite, but just to tast) you can blow him in the face or something else. And you can always wear leather gloves in the beginning if you're affraid of the nipping. I'm almost sure that you can stop or decline the nipping in you hand.

[maxthegerbil]

Thankyou for your reply Peter! I`m sure it must be because he`s insecure in some way. He`s absolutely fine otherwise and will allow me to handle him with no biting. He`s the only one from the four that will urinate on your hand if picked up, which makes me believe he`s just a nervous wee soul! Which may account for the snatch, grab, nip thing that he does while in his territory. I know he does this now and don`t provoke this behaviour by waiting until he shows an interest in coming out to play and lower my arm into the tank for him to climb onto, which he does just fine. They are all doing really well in their paired groups now and are thriving again. They will be four months old on June 26th, so are still only young, so I probably need to expect this kind of behaviour. I always respect an animals ways and have to accept that some will nip and some won`t. I think it`s just trial and error!