BIting hard!!

[Rachel247]

well in the begining my 2 male gerbils didnt really bite only nibble then one stopped but the other one bite me today and it started to bleed i think i lsot the trust of my gerbils they always scurry and run away whenever i enter the room am i scaring them to much if i were to get an exercise ball and put them in that and see if they like it maybe they will think of me as a way out to play??:(

[gerbilgirl92]

I personaly wouldn't start with the excersise ball. I would just lay your hand in the bottom of the cage some treats on them. Eventually they will start to sit on your hand. Then you can slowly raise your hand up and hold them. Hand taming takes a lot of time and patients. Don't go to fast or you could ruin it.

[Rachel247]

well before they would eat out of my hand and i could raise it and lower it just fine but lately they seem a little spooked and jumpy!

[gerbilgirl92]

it could just be a stage. As long as you keep the hand taming up it should be fine. When they bite say "No!" in a loud voice. if they don't respond, blow of tap them on the nose. Also, make sure your hands don't smell like food when you put them in the cage. One good thing to do it to sit in the bathtub and let them crawl over you. They will start to think of you as a playground. Just don't do it until you think that they trust you enough. If you need to get them out and you don't think they will just come over, you can always put a jar in there and they should go in. Thats another way of transporting them. Its not good for either of you to be chasing them. They will get stressed out. Good luck!

[Rachel247]

yea i think it may of been because i was handling sunflower seeds.hmmm should i put them in the tub with me now or wait intill they actually let me physicallly take them out???

[gerbilgirl92]

I would wait for a few more days untill they get even more used to you. How long have you had them for?

[Rachel247]

i have had them for 8 days.... my mom is kinda nervous about me trying to put my hand back in because she doesnt want them to bite me again but its only one that bites and when they eat out of my hand they run away with the food and then come back its weird i have weird gerbils they are like 3 months old suposably or like 2 in a half is that too old to start taming if it is thats going to suck!

[gerbilgirl92]

No its deffinatly not to old. Its the perfect age. I didn't realize they were so young. The one might just get over it.

[Rachel247]

ok some say its harder to tamm them ifthey are from a petstore and well they are the ladie there prolly terrified them because she chased them around a picked them up by their tails i freaked out on her but of course she prolly thought she knew more but o well... im just wondering iis it normal from them to hide from any movement because my bed is like right next to them and when i wake up they run and hide but eventually they come back out lol