How to stop repetitive behavior in gerbil?

Question

I have a gerbil that will slide his nose in between some bars on one of his levels in his cage. He'll do this so much, he's rubbed some of the fur off his nose. :/ I don't want to move him into a tank, but he has tons of toys, chews, food, water, AND a littermate living with him in a pretty big cage, so I don't really know what other option I can do.

I've tried covering the level, and he ripped up the fabric, put it in the nest, and then went right back to shoving his nose through the slots. It's almost like an OCD kind of movement- he just does it over and over and over again.

Answer 1

Death often ends the repetitive cycle.  They are very repetitive hyper animals and once they form a behavior it is almost impossible to stop.

Answer 2

~ Hi ~ ! I'm sorry about what you're going through, I can tell you're very worried about him. I know I would be too.  

I know you really don't want to consider a tank, but you really may need to. The one thing to consider is Gerbils are considered desert animals and therefore there shouldn't be a huge issue with smell with a tank (they don't pass f***s/urine as often as other rodents).  I think at this point your best approach to take is looking for strategies that will change the behavior and changing his environment (even if it only ends up being temporary), is really something to consider. If you can break him of behavior, you can slowly reintroduce him to his cage and observe what he does back in the cage and see if the behavior has stopped (it will also allow an opportunity for his nose to heal).

I hope some of these suggestions help you, you're in my thoughts. =)

Answer 3

yeah put a few drops of whisky in his water, and turn him into an alcoholic.

Answer 4

This sounds very much like stereotypic behaviour.

These are repetitive behaviours - they look like OCD as you describe. They may be normal behaviours done in an abnormal way, e.g. out of context, or completely abnormal behaviours.

Generally, stereotypic behaviour is a "coping mechanism" resulting from chronic stress.

This can have two problems.

One is the behaviour itself may be detrimental (cause harm) to the animal. In this case he is rubbing away his fur, but if he doesn't stop he could end up causing serious wounds to his face.

The other problem is that chronic stress in itself causes health problems - such as reduced immune respone, increased cortisol (stress hormone), increased heart rate and blood pressure, and even reduced lifespan.

Obviously you care about your pet otherwise you wouldn't have posted. The first thing you need to do is consider what may be the cause of this animals stress.

You may want to consider getting him checked by a vet to ensure he is not sick or injured.

Otherwise, the stress is likely to be caused by environmental factors. The most common causes are boredom (generally speaking) and frustration of natural behaviours.

Here are my suggestions:

You say he has a pretty big cage.

The question is - is it big enough, and is it suitable?

Most commercial pet cages are actually far too small, some abusively so. So what seems large to us may still in fact be tiny to the animal. With all animal cages the bigger the better.

The other issue is suitability. Gerbils are a burrowing species - digging is their number one priority, the single most important natural behaviours. Gerbils without the opportunity to burrow frequently develop stress and stereotypies.

I would suggest getting a new cage - the biggest and best you can.

The best cages for gerbils are those that allow for plenty of burrowing, plus giving enough space above ground for running around, toys etc.

You can buy these - try looking in google images for "gerbilarium". They are basically a tank with a cage on top - so the animal gets the benefit of both.

Another option is to build your own - e.g. buying a large cage but instead of using the plastic base it comes with use a large storage tub or similar.

You then provide very deep (at least 8 inches) of bedding in the tank part.

Giving your gerbil the opportunity to burrow enables him to practise his natural behaviour, will alleviate frustration and help prevent boredom.

In the cage part you should also provide fun things for your pet to do. A solid running wheel is a good way of ensuring he can get adequate exercise, and some rodents will run on one for hours. Other toys can include commercial pet toys, cardboard boxes and tubes, plant pots, etc.

Some toys are pretty boring for animals - once they have investigated them they stop using them. In other words the novelty value wears off.

You can help with this - and provide a more stimulating environment - by changing things regularly. Buy or save a few more toys than you will use at one time. Then, every time you clean them out swap them around or move them. This way the gerbils get something new each time (maintaining novelty value) and can spend time exploring their "new" environment.

You have already commented that your gerbil shredded the fabric you used. A good idea would be to provide him with things he can safely shred - such as paper towels.

Another great way of enriching the lives of rodents is to allow them to forage - as this is another major normal behaviour.

If you currently give them their food in a food bowl, stop. Ditch the bowl and hide the food instead - you can mix some of it into the bedding, hide in in boxes or toys, wedge it between the cage bars etc. This way the gerbils have to spend time finding and working for their food, so again it helps keep them occupied and prevent boredom.

Just to warn you though - stereotypies are habit forming. Once they have started it can be very difficult to get the animal to stop - although if he has plenty of other behaviours to do instead you should at least notice him doing it less.

Good luck and have fun - I presonally love finding ways of improving my pets quality of life, trying out new cages and toys etc! Hope I helped.

Answer 5

My daughter had a hamster that did the same thing.  Unfortunately, rodents have very small brains and don't realize they're doing the same thing over and over again!!  He shouldn't really hurt himself, though.  Our hamster never did.. except for losing a little fur.  You can't change their behavior.  And you really shouldn't put him in a tank either.  The ammonia from their urine will build up inside the glass and could possibly kill him.

Answer 6

sounds like anxiety.  Can't give him prozac, but have you tried brandied fruit?

Answer 7

Maybe he is very very bored in his cage and wants some more interesting hobbies, try playing games with him and getting him some more interesting toys, or making him a maze or an interesting hamster house out of boxes etc.

but understand repetitive behavior is very very normal for small animals, they are genetically just created this way. It is very normal, if you try to change your hamster you are disturbing its natural instincts and behavior and this is probably just really uncomfortable for the hamster to be disturbed in this way.

Rubbing the fur off of his nose really isn't that harmful, animals do things like this all the time. It is just kinda their normal behavior, if it was hurting him, he wouldn't do it.