gerbil bit me!!!

[Angel81191]

I got bit my my geril do you think I could get rabies??

[Deermouse]

No! It's more likely you'll get hit by a bus than get rabies from a pet gerbil (or even a wild one).

There has never been a recorded cas of anyone getting rabies from a mouse. The reason should be obvious. Rabies is transfered through a bite, any rabid animal that would bite a mouse (or gerbil) would just eat it. Rabies is a problem with larger animals that may fight with a rabid animal, but not be killed by it. These would be things like a dog, cat, raccoon or fox, etc.


------------------
Bucky Goldstein's
G.W. Deer Mouse Ranch
http://public.surfree.com/johngalt

[angelfire1966]

I hope that you are alright, but I agree that you should not worry about getting rabbies from your gerbil. Gerbils need to always be handled gently or they will bite. Even mine that are handled from birth and raised with lots of patients and love can easily become frightened and bite you. They are cute little animals and do make wonderful pets with the right owner. Good luch with your gerbil. I raise them, as well as many other little critters. If you would like to think of a small pet that has a little better temperment you should think of the rat. To be honest the rat is the best pet for children as they are so affectionate, do not need massive care, are clean, are not as jumpy as the gerbil, mouse or hamster. I have raised rats for about 25 years now and just love them.(of course I love my gerbils to or would not have them)

[Sharon K]

The only time a gerbil bit me is when he got out and I was trying to get him to put him back into the cage. He normally would let me pet him, but he was afraid and was running from me - I grabbed his tail and he turned arouind and bit me.

I just cleaned it well with soap, water and peroxide, then put black, drawing salve on it, wrapped it tight so no air could get in and said a prayer. He has since been very gentle in the cage.

Also, for those who handle pups - anyone who handles a gerbil pup without some sort of common scent (not with your bare hands), I think they will eat their pups because of the scent - that is the way it is with hampsters. They may not go after you when you handle their pups, but the scent you leave will make them act as they would in the wild.

[HuskerJade]

I handle my baby gerbils and rats from day one and haven't had any problems with mothers eating their young because of this. They only eat those that are sick or underdeveloped. =)

[Sharon K]

TO HUSKERJADE

[Sharon K]

TO HUSKERJADE
:angel6:
Thanks for responding. I was told by someone that HAMPSTERS will eat their young if you have a scent on them and birds will ignore their young if you handle them - I assumed it was the same for gerbils, too. Nice to know it isn't.

I have one gerbil that has both eyes shut - one was almost shut when I got her. I use Aspen litter. She does fine, climbing all the tubes and going from cage to cage.

Sure wish I knew how to get rid of all but two or three gerbils. Afraid to just give them to anyone, as I want them to be appreciated and loved. Any suggestions? I also don't want to give them to someone who will feed them to their snakes.

They say rats are gentler than gerbils - true? Thanks

Sharon K

[HuskerJade]

Yeah, hamsters & birds usually don't like humans handling their babies, but rats, mice, & gerbils don't usually mind. What do you mean you have a gerbil with both eyes shut?? When I have baby gerbils or something that I can't get rid of, I usually find a pet store that will give you some store credit for them and make sure they go to pet only homes. I definitely prefer rats over gerbils...they are much more calm, like to sit on your shoulder, give rattie kisses, etc. They're WAY more social than gerbils!! They come in tons of different colors & markings too--would you like to see pics of mine?? If so, just e-mail me: LRJADE96@aol.com!!!!!!

[Sharon K]

My gerbil that had her eyes shut is an adult that has had about 6 litters of pups. Her eyes are only slits and are tightly closed - I don't know why. she knows where the water is, food & all..

Are rats escape artists? Do they make a lot of noise? I hear they are clean. Do they travel well? I have a motor home - would be nice to take. Do they like to run in tubes or are they satisfied in a ball when out of a cage and in one cage when not in the ball?

Are rats like hamsters, preferring to be alone, or more like gerbils who want other gerbils around?

I was just about to take a few gerbils to a pet store that said they would take them, but some gerbils started attacking each other and I lost about 12. They have three huge cages as well as two smaller ones and aobut five penthouses, so I don's know why they did this.

Yes, I will look at your pictures. Thanks.
Sharon

[angelfire1966]

Sheesh, I sure have heard that from a lot of sources but did not expect it here on this forum. I have handled baby hamsters, gerbils, rats, kittens, puppies, degus and many many other types of pets from the day they were born. A pet that is well cared for and treated with love does not fear its human. They do not mind if the baby smells like human. We are not talking about a wild animal here. If you lost babies from handling them, I would think that the mom might not have been very tame. I love getting to pet my little ones and watch them grow in my hands. I have never ever had a baby eaten because of handling them.

I agree that it takes a lot to make a tame gerbil bite, but it can happen. I have seen a child surprise a sleeping gerbil, and that is just terrible. Mine have gotten out before, it is easy to happen when there are children in the home. But they did not bite me when I caught them. I no longer have gerbils as I have decided to devote my time to my rats. I am starting a rattery and have a web site up now. It is far from done but I would love it if you guys would check it out and let me know what you think. It is at fortunecity.com/meltingpot/taiwan/83/
thanks Marianne

[Sharon K]

I am SO GLAD to hear you can handle baby gerbils as they are sweet as they can be. I was afraid since I heard about the hampsters. My Momma gerbil likes to be petted a lot - she is the calmest one of the whole bunch. I have 12 and two pups.

Sharon K

[angelfire1966]

wow, quiet a little gerbil herd you have started. They are very cute to be sure. Not all mommys are the sames, so precede with caution if you do not know how an animal will react. I have been blessed to have had my mommys for a time before I decided to breed them. Do you have a site? or pics of your gerbils? Marianne

[angelfire1966]

I did not even notice the other page of entries on this. Hehe, my bad. My rats are great. They do not smell, but I am sure if they had dirty cages and such they might. I let mine out every day, first all my boys and than the girls in turn. Mine do not try to run away, but will play with us and explore the house. I do have a few that would like to be out all the time, but that is just not happening. I know people who have had rats lose all the time, and when I was young I did that often as well. They are not like hamsters or gerbils. To be honest they are sooo much smarter. I have heard them called little dogs, as they are very loving and intelligent. Mine hate the balls and wheels and such and prefer freedom to those types of excersise. They do like large tunnels and such. I think they are the best pet out there. Check out my web site. It is not done yet but I would love to hear what you think of it so far... fortunecity.com/meltingpot/taiwan/83/
Marianne

[Sharon K]

Marianne,
I don't have a site yet and no pictures. Will have to take some, but it will have to be after I get to Florida for a week. I have two black and white, two cream and white, one silver and white, one a ginger color, three solid brown, one black and one solid cream. I had more, but they seem to fight and then some die. I have two big cages, a small cage and two pent houses on top the entertainment center with tubes running all over the place - then a tube that goes up, across a door threshold and down to a large cage and a small cage on a table by the chair, so why they fight, I do not know.

Sharon K