How to Play With Gerbils
Be patient., Place their cage in a central area of your home or room., Sit near your gerbils' cage and talk or sing to them., Wash your hands., Offer your gerbils a treat from your hand., Place your hand out and let them jump into it., Use both...
Step-by-Step Guide
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Step 1: Be patient.
Gerbils, like people, build relationships based on trust.
Since they are prey animals in the wild, they are especially cautious of bigger animals (like you)!Until your gerbils get used to their new home and you, avoid trying to touch them or pick them up.
The amount of time it takes gerbils to get used to a new environment and owner varies from a few hours to a few days.
Your gerbils will “tell” you when they are ready for more interaction.
If they hide or run away from you, they aren’t ready to be touched or held. -
Step 2: Place their cage in a central area of your home or room.
To become socialized, gerbils needs to be around people more than they are not.Do not let gerbils out of their cage to roam freely until you are able to hold them!, If your gerbils won’t come near your hand, spend some time each day sitting near their cage and talking to them so they can observe your movements and get used to your voice.
You don’t have to speak directly to them, but talk or sing out loud (but not loudly) so they become comfortable with your voice. , Gerbils have a very strong sense of smell and use this sense to familiarize themselves with people.
Washing your hands well before interacting with them ensures that they are smelling you and not whatever you touched earlier in the day.
This is especially important if you have other pets, like dogs and cats.
These animals would be predators in the wild.
Use a non-perfumed soap so you don’t mask you own scent. , Taming your gerbils requires a series of steps.
Getting them to eat out of your hand is the best way to encourage them to come close to you and to become accustomed to your smell.
Lay your palm on the ground with a treat in the middle of it and keep your hand still.If they will not eat from your hand right away, that’s ok.
Put the food on the floor near them and back away.
Eventually they will associate your hand with treats.
The best treats are things that don’t typically come in gerbil food, like almonds, pecans, or walnuts.
Gerbils, like people, are individuals with different levels of social acclimation.
Some may come to you quickly, while some are more skittish.
Don’t take it personally.
Sometimes gerbils will backslide, and you may have to start from an earlier stage to rebuild trust.
Don’t get frustrated and try again.
Offer a second treat if they are not tempted by one.
Put one on the ground and one in your hand to encourage them to go to either one. , This is the best way to hold your gerbil, and will be much less threatening to them than trying to pick them up.It might take a few times before s/he is comfortable getting in your hand.
Be patient and kind.
When they first jump into your palm, raise your arm slowly to your chest so that they don’t feel scared.
If they won’t let you touch them, try holding your hand in a fist near them and letting them get used to your smell first., It is better to let them come to you, but if you need to pick them up, cup your hands and place one on either side of them.
Move them slowly together so that they have to step up into your hands.
This method lets them know what is going on and allows them to decide to let you pick them up. -
Step 3: Sit near your gerbils' cage and talk or sing to them.
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Step 4: Wash your hands.
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Step 5: Offer your gerbils a treat from your hand.
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Step 6: Place your hand out and let them jump into it.
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Step 7: Use both hands to “scoop” up your gerbil if you have to pick them up.
Detailed Guide
Gerbils, like people, build relationships based on trust.
Since they are prey animals in the wild, they are especially cautious of bigger animals (like you)!Until your gerbils get used to their new home and you, avoid trying to touch them or pick them up.
The amount of time it takes gerbils to get used to a new environment and owner varies from a few hours to a few days.
Your gerbils will “tell” you when they are ready for more interaction.
If they hide or run away from you, they aren’t ready to be touched or held.
To become socialized, gerbils needs to be around people more than they are not.Do not let gerbils out of their cage to roam freely until you are able to hold them!, If your gerbils won’t come near your hand, spend some time each day sitting near their cage and talking to them so they can observe your movements and get used to your voice.
You don’t have to speak directly to them, but talk or sing out loud (but not loudly) so they become comfortable with your voice. , Gerbils have a very strong sense of smell and use this sense to familiarize themselves with people.
Washing your hands well before interacting with them ensures that they are smelling you and not whatever you touched earlier in the day.
This is especially important if you have other pets, like dogs and cats.
These animals would be predators in the wild.
Use a non-perfumed soap so you don’t mask you own scent. , Taming your gerbils requires a series of steps.
Getting them to eat out of your hand is the best way to encourage them to come close to you and to become accustomed to your smell.
Lay your palm on the ground with a treat in the middle of it and keep your hand still.If they will not eat from your hand right away, that’s ok.
Put the food on the floor near them and back away.
Eventually they will associate your hand with treats.
The best treats are things that don’t typically come in gerbil food, like almonds, pecans, or walnuts.
Gerbils, like people, are individuals with different levels of social acclimation.
Some may come to you quickly, while some are more skittish.
Don’t take it personally.
Sometimes gerbils will backslide, and you may have to start from an earlier stage to rebuild trust.
Don’t get frustrated and try again.
Offer a second treat if they are not tempted by one.
Put one on the ground and one in your hand to encourage them to go to either one. , This is the best way to hold your gerbil, and will be much less threatening to them than trying to pick them up.It might take a few times before s/he is comfortable getting in your hand.
Be patient and kind.
When they first jump into your palm, raise your arm slowly to your chest so that they don’t feel scared.
If they won’t let you touch them, try holding your hand in a fist near them and letting them get used to your smell first., It is better to let them come to you, but if you need to pick them up, cup your hands and place one on either side of them.
Move them slowly together so that they have to step up into your hands.
This method lets them know what is going on and allows them to decide to let you pick them up.
About the Author
Nancy Jimenez
Writer and educator with a focus on practical organization knowledge.
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