Picking up my gerbils?

Question

So I've have my gerbils for a while and I'm not sure on how to pick them up. I know that I'm supposed to put treats in my hand but that just doesn't cut it! That still scurry from my hand.

I've had them for about... 5 months and I'm still trying to be able to hold them. Are they just too young? I mean they run EVERYWHERE when I hold them and sometimes it scares me because I'm a new gerbil owner.

Soo yeah. Is there a way to teach them? Or are they just too young still? Probably both are about... 6,7, or 8 months old. Thanks!

Answer 1

That's not young at all.

I normally just grab my gerbils but that's because I work in a pet store and you can't beat around the bush- if you wanna pick up the animal, you grab it, you don't train it.

But I have gerbils at home now, younger than your's, and I just grab them gently and take them out, and then do whatever with them. It doesn't harm them or even scare them- it's just to get them out of the cage so they can sit on my shoulder and get used to being outside of the cage.

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There's not much you can do. They like to explore. You could go and sit in a dry bathtub with them so they can explore and climb on you without escaping- that works. I normally just sit on my bed with them on my shoulders and let them explore, and grab them before they climb off my bed.

Answer 2

Gerbils are not the kind of pets that like being held for long periods of time. They will be squirmy when you hold them, however, you should be able to hold them for a little bit.

I agree that sometimes you may just need to be firm and gently grab them. Don't ever hold them by their tail, though. It can and most likely will deglove.

I would recommend you put both hands into their cage/tank and scoop them up. You could also use one hand to do this. Just back them into a corner and use it to help you get the gerbil into your hand.

To pick up my gerbils, I either scoot them into a corner, or I wait until they're standing on their hind legs. Then, I scoop them up by putting my hand under their belly, and they usually hop right onto my hand. This works well for me, and my gerbils have learned that when I do that, I want to pick them up, so they need to hop into my hand.

A good way to work on taming is to take them into a dry bath tub. Lay a towel down in the tub, and sit in there. Let your gerbils run around and climb all over you. When they're a bit more comfortable, just work on picking them up by scooping them. I don't recommend you chase them around. It just scares them. If they're running around, just wait until you have the chance to back them into a corner to pick them up. Keep working with them. Gerbils, generally, are easy to tame once you work with them, so stick with it!

Most gerbils aren't shoulder-riders. I've tried with my gerbils, and they'll stay up for a little bit before they want to get down. The best thing to do when you want to do it is to kneel in the bath tub. It's a secure area, because they can't jump out from the sides. When you're kneeling, it's not such a long fall if they decide to climb down. You can try working with your gerbils, but I don't think they'll really become shoulder-riders. That's more for rats. However, there are some gerbils that can learn to ride on shoulders for a short period of time. Patience and repetition is key.

Answer 3

6, 7 or 8 months isn't young. You need to rest your hand in their cage for a few minutes everyday until they get used to your smell. Eventually they will get used to you and start exploring your hand and climbing up your arm!

If you want to pick up a Gerbil, the best way is to scoop them up with both hands, making sure you are holding them over a soft pillow or similar. Unfortunately, Gerbils can not be trained to sit still, it's just not in their nature!

Whatever you do, DO NOT pick them up by they're tail. The tail wil de-glove (skin will come away from the bone) which is very painfull for the little things. Please, please, please don't do it...

Answer 4

Ok first of all you cannot train a gerbil no can do !

They will always move quickly and they can jump pretty far too so be careful when handling them.

This is what I would do to spend time with my hamster ok ~ I would get a blanket or a towel and make like a lil cave I called it a cubby and once in awhile I could get my hamster to kick it there with me , but most of the time he would just keep trying to get away thats just how they are !

Answer 5

Gerbils are very had to tame as they like to dig and tunnel so when they are out of there homes they are always looking for somewhere to dig, its just lots of patience. If you have become scared of picking them up but would still like to keep them house them in a large fish tank filled with a garden peat type compost they love to tunnel through this and you can see them through the sides.

Answer 6

You have to go from above and cup your hands when you reach the floor and the quickly scoop them up!

But if you can't do that then you could always try picking them up either by the scruff of the neck (which is kinda cruel) or just by going full force and grabbing them with your thumb and middle finger around the waiste.

You just gotta hold them evry day to 'train' them, just get them used to it and they will slow down but only a bit because they are too fast anyway!!

And you should have tried to hold them as soon as you got them because when they are young they have more of a chance of learning and not going back to  their 'old ways'.

Hope i helped & good luck!!