Playtime:In the wild, gerbils live in a 3m area: much bigger than your cage I guess… So taking your gerbils out in a playpen with toys 30min a day would make them very happy. You can also place a wheel in your cage: they will love it! Trixie playpens are pretty good but just make sure the bar spacing isn’t too big or your gerbils could escape!
What I like to do is connect the cage and playpen with a tunnel so they can move freely from one to another! For the wheel, I highly recommend the silent spinner ones, 26cm diameter is a very good size. You can find those wheels in most pet shops and on amazon. NEVER buy hamster balls : they are very stressful for gerbils |
Toys and chews:Gerbils NEED to be entertained and to chew a lot to prevent their teeth from growing to much, so giving them a few toys to play with and chew on is necessary! You can either build them with cardboard, popsicle sticks… Or you can directly buy some toys from pet shops. However, avoid plastic toys as they are harmful to chew. Beware that your gerbils will chew ALL the toys you give them eventually.
You can find many tutorial on the internet on ow to make DIY gerbil toys. Toilet loo rolls make great toys and tunnels for your gerbil to chew on. For chewing, I recommend cardboard (ex: cereal boxes, tissue boxes…) and wood (NEVER use wood you found in a park, it could make them ill) . You can buy wood chew cubes in any pet store. PS: My doctor gives me plenty of huge cardboard tunnels, so I recommend you ask yours for some of them ! |
Taming:
When you first get your gerbils, you will obviously want to take them in your hands but you SHOULDN’T ! First leave your gerbils 2 days with no contact so that they get used to their new home. Then start taming them like explained in the steps below. The entire taming process can take from 1 to 3 months. I recommend you tame your gerbils one at a time. Don’t skip steps !
NEVER grab your gerbil by its tail or it may come off ! |
Step 1:
Wash your hand,place treats on your palm and lay your hand flat on the bottom of the cage. Your gerbils, curious, will come check your hand, maybe nibble it a little. If they do, don’t move your hand to show them there’s no point biting you. After sniffing your hand, they will take a treat each and run away to eat it in their nest. Repeat this for 4 days.
Step 2:
When your gerbil is comfortable eating in, or next to your hand, repeat the same as step one but lift your hand a bit. Do this until they eat in your hand above the cage.
Step 3:
Do as shown in step two but without a treat in your hand. If they don’t, come in your hand go back to step 2. Give them a treat after they jumped on your hand but before you put them down. If your gerbil comes on your hand, keep it flat so your gerbil feels free and trusts you.
Taming guidelines:
8. (Most Comfortable) While sitting in your hand, they will accept a treat from your fingers and eat it while sitting in your hands.
When your gerbils comfortably eat treats in your hand while in the air out of their cage, it means you successfully tamed your gerbils.Congratulations !!!
Wash your hand,place treats on your palm and lay your hand flat on the bottom of the cage. Your gerbils, curious, will come check your hand, maybe nibble it a little. If they do, don’t move your hand to show them there’s no point biting you. After sniffing your hand, they will take a treat each and run away to eat it in their nest. Repeat this for 4 days.
Step 2:
When your gerbil is comfortable eating in, or next to your hand, repeat the same as step one but lift your hand a bit. Do this until they eat in your hand above the cage.
Step 3:
Do as shown in step two but without a treat in your hand. If they don’t, come in your hand go back to step 2. Give them a treat after they jumped on your hand but before you put them down. If your gerbil comes on your hand, keep it flat so your gerbil feels free and trusts you.
Taming guidelines:
- They hide initially, but then cautiously move towards your hand, snatch a treat nervously and run off with it.
- They come towards your hand more confidently and curiously.
- They stand on your hand while eating a treat.
- They stand on your hand and eat the treat even if you then lift your hand out of the cage.
- While sitting in your hand, they will pick a treat up off your flat palm and store it in their mouths until you put them down.
- While sitting in your hand, they will pick a treat up off your flat palm and eat it. (Yay!)
- While sitting in your hand, they will accept a treat from your fingers and store it in their mouths until you put them down.
8. (Most Comfortable) While sitting in your hand, they will accept a treat from your fingers and eat it while sitting in your hands.
When your gerbils comfortably eat treats in your hand while in the air out of their cage, it means you successfully tamed your gerbils.Congratulations !!!