Hand Taming Gerbils (part 1)

[@celenataylor8252]

Tonight is my first night with my gerbils... so this helped me a lot, THANK YOU... YOU ARE THE BEST!!!

[@ghosted1607]

Finally a simplistic taming guide 👏

[@JTB_Mostly_VR]

Thanks for the info about hand taming gerbils!🙂

[@melvang353]

Super helpful! Thanks a lot

[@shrekkydevito1822]

Can you do a video on treats because I can’t find treats that they really like

[@lunaslife739]

Absolutely I’ll get it uploaded shortly - Thanks for your suggestion 🙂

[@gracesnape4857]

Yes

[@spiffy3530]

They love plain oats and banana

[@albertinee_03]

This is so helpful tysm❤

[@southernsweetums]

Thanks for this info! I've had my gerbils about 3 weeks now. They love taking treats from my hand and anytime I take the lock off their enclosure they come running over to where I am. So im hoping this means they are getting used to me. I'll try lifting my hand a little next time and see how it goes!

[@lunaslife739]

Ahh, that’s great let me know how you get on.

[@shrekkydevito1822]

Thank you!

[@alxzxa]

Is it rice krispies the can eat, like plain?

[@liliannarich4086]

How long should we wait after getting them before doing this?

[@lunaslife739]

Give them at least a few days but still talk to them and approach them don’t ignore them completely for the settling in period. Xoxo

[@liliannarich4086]

@@lunaslife739 Is it ok to still be offering treats at 6 pm if there here at around 10 and my friend is coming for a sleepover so would we need to be quit or?

[@ThePanini212]

im getting a dog soon so im gonna have to train 2 gerbils and a little frenchie

[@may8101]

I got some new 10 week old baby girls today how long should I wait until I try taming and handling them?

[@lunaslife739]

I would let them settle over night so they de-stress from any travelling

[@may8101]

@@lunaslife739 ok thank you also I’ve named one Luna after yours :)

[@mocha_o_4943]

My gerbils don’t like rice Krispy what should I use instead?

[@lunaslife739]

M Cripps-Humphrey take a look at this and it explains what other things I use - kzbin.info/www/bejne/eqGXooh3fNybhrM

[@obster6708]

Luna’s Life don’t use rice crispy not a healthy treat

[@kristin5433]

Sun flower seeds, but if there food has them already try removing them from their daily food and start using them as treats!

[@mocha_o_4943]

@@kristin5433 ok thank you very much! x

[@shrekkydevito1822]

Also am I screwed because I have had them for nearly 2 months now and have picked them up a lot. I also chase them around their cage so I can grab them. Now that I know not to do that they don’t trust me. Also one time when I was playing with him, his tail got tangled in my hands and he was tugging on my other hand and trying to run away, then, a centimeter of his tail just came off! He is ok now, but he doesn’t trust me nearly as much, and he barely even trusted me before☹️ If you could reply that would be extremely helpful. Thanks!

[@lunaslife739]

Thank you for your honesty you are now researching what is right for your gerbils therefore you are now doing the right thing for them. I suggest starting with feeding treats outside cage at times when you would want to handle them and have the time to do so, so that they associate your hand with good treats without feeling rushed. I like using sunflower seeds/rice krispies/ pumpkin seeds/walnuts/ hazelnuts, that kind of mix will be really welcomed. Then if they receive treats always and come when called and not run away at the slightest thing you do you may be able to move to opening the door and offer the same treat mix still from outside cage whilst talking to them all the time so your hand and your voice is deemed safe...again once they come when called and receive treats without hesitation or running away then you can go put your hand just inside the cage and repeat the process. Only once they are eating without running away/nipping or hesitation/fear of you moving then you can attempt an open hand in the bottoms of the enclosure you can then follow my videos for hand taming - the reason for these extra steps is because it sounds like they have already associated negative thing with you and your hand, therefore you need to be incredibly patient and take time to develop a positive relationship that instills trust and safety. Remember it is vital each step is repeated consistently every day at the same times and may take weeks/months, not days! You need to play a long game here to help them trust you, this can’t be rushed because you want to hold them or you will find you have to regress back to square one again! Good luck and let me know how you get on.

[@w4476]

When they eat treats on my hand they bite my hand because they think its food

[@w4476]

What should I do

[@lunaslife739]

Try washing hands and only placing one treat in your palm that way it may help with them smelling food on your hands

[@w4476]

Thank you

[@gracesnape4857]

Sometimes the bite my dad's hand too.

[@fiaszady1121]

So i have one problem.. my gerbil doesnt have a treat she really wants to take from me..

[@gracesnape4857]

My daughter has just got her gerbils and is bonding with them quite well. She sometimes struggles with holding them and her little brother is very interested.

[@lunaslife739]

Grace Snape once they are handleable and you want to move away from the enclosure I would begin holding them in the bath tub that way your daughter doesn’t need to worry about struggling to hold them for any length of time as they can’t escape. Good luck and enjoy xoxo

[@46L482]

Does not work for me. They will take a treat from my hand the ran back in there den.

[@lunaslife739]

That’s great that they are taking them from your hand. This can take a long long time depending on your gerbils personalities and the level of trust they have for you, keep persevering it will happen eventually x