How to get your gerbil to trust you

[@ruthm1384]

This is so gorgeous! How amazing it is that something so small enjoys so confidently being stroked by something so enormous in comparison!

[@mrviggomartin]

My first one would lick my hand when i scratch his ears ,they are smart and funny

[@noodle5311]

Omg she is so unique looking.

[@Short_Bread_66]

One of mine looks like that

[@noodle5311]

@@Short_Bread_66 uhhh I want one that looks like that ur lucky lol

[@veritasg9020]

@@noodle5311 Check out the list of coats that exist. I also highly recommend the Gerbil group on Facebook. There are gerbil breeders who are experts on the field of gerbil genetics.

[@vivilixa]

I can only pet my gerbils when they're eating 🤣. As soon as they finish eating they move their head to investigate me and wont stay still

[@ItzNotSoCreativeKyleigh]

That’s me and my hamster 🐹

[@hii.x0]

Tysm :)

[@mariotorrecilla254]

Hi, nice video! What a lovely gerbil she was. Adorable!! What's the bedding? I would like to give the same one with my gerbils. Looks great for digging.

[@lunaslife739]

Mario Torrecilla the bedding I use is called CareFresh (White) it comes in blue, pink, natural, white and confetti colours.

[@godrilla5549]

I notice most of the gerbil material on KZbin is done by British people, I take it they're more popular over there than they are here. Just got my 1st gerbil a few days ago and so far I've gotten her to take treats, very entertaining to watch. Sadly she was a loner at the store and i'm waiting to find her a friend.

[@sav2823]

Gerbils are VERY popular in the UK than in the US. They also have a lot more gerbil stuff over there as well. The US gerbil hype was in the 50s and died down from there

[@godrilla5549]

@@sav2823 thanks for the reply, can't believe i've almost had them for a year.

[@sav2823]

@@godrilla5549 Oh wow, congratulations! Hopefully getting my first trio(?) soon!

[@rubyxoxo9375]

She Is soooo cuteeee

[@bookishandbewildered]

Love this xx 🥰💕

[@hashane.]

The thumbnail is creepy but the video is cool

[@davidclark7326]

💗so cute

[@Smoll_Bean_Kyo]

I recently got a male black and white gerbil named Oreo and he was very friendly at the place I got him and he loved being held but after taking him home he got very shy and he is very territorial even though he was originally paired with many other gerbils. Hopefully he opens up to me.

[@lunaslife739]

Kyo Pandaz it’s not advisable to keep gerbils on their own, the place where you got Oreo from should be selling them in multiples. Luna was solo because she was a rescue already on her own, she did require a lot more work and attention to get her to be friendly although females tend to be more territorial than males . Due to the fact that she was not a baby and already very cage defensive I couldn’t introduce a new gerbil without risk to both, however as yours was selected recently from a group I would suggest researching about introducing new gerbils together and preferable choosing another from the same group if possible as this is something I would do in your situation where your gerbil was used to being in a group. Feel free to watch all my videos as you may find hints and tips that may become useful in the future and also other sources. Good luck and hope all goes well with Oreo.

[@bubblyxfidgetssalvador1500]

awwww🥰 i have a gerbil too and her name is pixie😇🤩

[@themcdollarfamily554]

This helps me so much thank you

[@shrekkydevito1822]

Does she have a friend?

[@lunaslife739]

No Luna was a rescue who was on her own and therefore due to how she was with me I didn’t feel right upsetting her by introducing a new friend, as she was incredibly territorial- although it can be done and all gerbils should live in same sex groups

[@shrekkydevito1822]

Ok

[@shrekkydevito1822]

Thank you

[@gracemodeoof4676]

awwwh Ok I'll try it I'll let you know if it works 😁

[@ebony.js_13standish58]

Hi please can I ask a question is basically asking if this happened to you with yours When I go near my gerbils they run right to the bottom of the bedding and freak out was this the same with you? And what would yoh do to help this?

[@lunaslife739]

Ebony Standish hi, Gerbils are prey animals and therefore sometimes no matter how tame they are they can still be spooked or startled by sudden noises. If this is happening every time you enter, I would make sure every time you enter, so it slowly and approach them slowly, make a noise like an exaggerated kiss repeatedly whilst approaching them and then present them with a small treat such as a Rice Krispy or equivalent. After several weeks they will associate this sound with a good experience (receiving a treat) this way when they have a spook response to you or any noise, you just have to make the noise and they will instantly relax - all of my gerbils have been trained using this method and now they always come to the glass and up to the top of their enclosure when ever anyone comes in - I often get little jumps of excitement from them too, don’t get this confused with fright jumping is a sign of excitement. Spend a few minutes throughout the day every day regularly just approaching and talking and offering treats, using the kissing noise or a noise of your choice and you will see a massive difference in how they behave. It’s all about the time you put in, consistency and whether you are loud and scary or slow and gentle. Good luck and let me know how you get on! xoxo

[@ebony.js_13standish58]

@@lunaslife739 Thank you so much I will let you k ow how I get on your KZbin channel is going to help me so much I can tell already I really just want to stroke my little babies but as you said it takes time and I will do what you say thanks so much 💜 XOXO

[@ruthm1384]

@@ebony.js_13standish58 How are you doing now? Any progress?

[@veritasg9020]

Gerbils also can hear things we can't - or at least react to sounds differently. For them, we're quite the titans with snapping bones and other weird sounds. So it is important to be patient and sit a long while with them. If you have an enclosed area where you can sit with them and a way for them to climb out on their own, I'd do just that, sitting across the room or area. Little munchies in the hand, chilling out with a book or smartphone. Just a week or two. Oh and soft talking. Not condescending or so, just so they get used to your voice :).

[@dracomalfoy_asacowboy3455]

I can not hear bc my gerbils are going to town on a cardboard tube

[@cutelilly1000vedios]

We just got a Gerbil yesterday, he was alone so we thought we shouldn’t get 2 so he wouldn’t be stressed. He was not shy at all where we got him and was very understanding. Once he got home we tried transferring him to the cage we bought him and when my mom went in to transfer him he bit her and drew blood. Is there something we’re doing wrong? Is it the fact that they don’t like being held? Should we start by just learning to pet him first? If so how can we pet him without him biting?

[@lunaslife739]

anilla_md thanks for your questions - Im sorry you’re mum got bit, it’s an unfortunate thing but anything with a mouth can bite when feeling scared. there is a process that you need to follow for introducing new gerbils, please don’t just put two gerbils from different litters together, this will stress them out, it has to be done gradually through split cages - if the gerbil bit your mum when transferring to his new cage after travelling home, he was probably scared and defensive due to stress and due to no handling stages being done before hand - do not touch or handle your pet for about a week after purchase. I know it’s difficult but they need to be able to acclimate to their new surroundings - watch my video on new gerbils it may help, also please research how to bond new gerbils. If you have any other questions please ask. Hope you enjoy your new pets!

[@cutelilly1000vedios]

Luna’s Life thank you for replying so quick!

[@elizabethmary427]

I had the same problem when I got my gerbil, Scout back in March. He was all alone at the pet store and when we got him home, he bit my boyfriend very badly. He was extremely territorial, scent marking everything in his cage and stomping a lot. Our original plan was to do the split cage method so that he could eventually go in with our other gerbil whose cage mate had passed away, but Scout is way too territorial and they are both fine in their separate cages. So, I'd say definitely don't try to put another gerbil in there with your gerbil. Having been by himself wherever you got him from, he probably became territorial and scared, as gerbils are usually very social. Just try to put your hand in the cage for a while every day and he will warm up to you. My boyfriend actually earned his trust pretty quickly by letting Scout scent mark his hand. It took him longer too warm up to me because I was a little scared of being bitten. But just try not to be scared of the gerbil and spend time with him everyday. Don't get discouraged! I was extremely discouraged with Scout at one point, but now he is the sweetest little guy and he's actually more trusting than the gerbil I have had a little longer than him!

[@does_rei_agree]

I Have 2 Gerbils and one is named Max And the 2nd one is called Albert and Albert doesn't trust me and Max on the other hand got in to a imagery so Max trust me!

[@lyzare5873]

I have a white and ginger one the ginger one is fine but my white one is scared

[@riley883]

Me and my 2 gerbils have never been this close. They act very shy but I don’t know if I’ve done anything wrong. What do I do to get close to both of them? :(

[@lunaslife739]

Riley’s World it’s just about being patient and consistent really, my three boys were quiet shy and it had taken almost a year to get just one close to being as tame as Luna but they are getting there and I see progress every week. Keep trying all the techniques in my videos and research other channels/resources also and I’m sure you will get there xoxo

[@riley883]

@@lunaslife739 Thank you so much! I've had them since January of 2019 and it's not like they bite me, because they are actually very nice. They just do their own thing most of the time. I'll do some more research so I can get as close as I can to them. Also, I love your channel and I think I'm gonna subscribe to stay updated! Xoxo

[@Knitstarz2006]

My gerbil doesn’t mind me if I put my hand in it’s cage, it will run up and smell my hand a few times and then run away. But if I try picking up my gerbil it runs away and I end up having to pick it up while it’s running around. I have had it for about a month or more now but it still doesn’t trust me, I have tried bonding methods like letting it run around me on my bed or the bath tub but still, or I try giving it treats but it doesn’t take them from me. Someone help how do I get my gerbil to trust and like me? It just runs away from me and when I’m holding it it’s trying to jump off of me or get away, and I’m talking to it, letting it smell me before touching it, I’m cleaning it’s cage often so it should be used to my hands. 🥺

[@lunaslife739]

For some gerbils it can be a slower process than others, more than a month and it depends on the experiences it has had with you so far. If you follow the steps in my handling uploads there are three of them, then you will see that it is on the gerbils timeframe not our own. Good luck xx

[@Knitstarz2006]

@@lunaslife739 thank you, you videos are already showing progress for me, I have been putting my hand in the cage every day with some sort of treat and he has been climbing on my hand to eat the food, but sometimes he will just take it off my hand and it it next to my hand (I only give him a few treats every once in a while and usually from different food groups so he doesn’t get sick)

[@ihykairo]

I used to have 2 and 1 of them passed away and now the other one doesn’t trust any one

[@lunaslife739]

Zycho oh no, it’s always so sad when they pass away - have you thought of introducing new gerbils to the one you have? It could just be lonely from having litter mates and now being solo? If you do think of doing this you must research how to do it properly if you are unsure, as it can result in fighting and ultimately gerbils terminally hurting each other. XOXO

[@ihykairo]

Luna’s Life yeah we got a new one and they just kept running and the new one ended having a heart attack😢

[@lunaslife739]

I’m so sorry to hear that - It’s a sad part of owning animals unfortunately xoxo

[@MeganCookiie]

same. mine always runs away from me now and when i try and get him out he just runs away

[@rodentsadventures4030]

I need advice- I have 2 baby Gerbils, one is 3months old and the other one is 1 month old. They got very nervous because we were touching them and now they hide in their little, green, house. Their cage is pretty small and they have only one toy, a styrofoam ball. I don't know if this is normal but I need to know it because we might have to take them to the vet :(

[@lunaslife739]

Hi Okay so here goes, this is just my opinion and the advice I would be giving to myself if our roles were reversed. The standard is that pet shops or breeders should not be selling or giving away gerbils under 6 weeks of age and only in litter mates pairs of the same sex, as this is the time when they are able to leave their mum to be independent. Did you get both together? If you didn’t and have put the baby in with a three month old stranger gerbil (not litter mate) then this could cause problems as you need to introduce gerbils gradually using a split cage method if not from the same litter. Also min cage size needs to be in my opinion between 60cm and 1m long for pairs or small groups of gerbils. Chew toys can be cardboard like empty toilet rolls or cereal boxes and wooden gerbil specific chew toys, but no plastic based toys, so remove the styrofoam ball. You shouldn’t be handling straight away or trying to pick them up until they have settled for a least a week after bringing them home into their new surroundings, but by the sounds of it, the other issues need to be addressed immediately first before handling. A vet visit would be a wise choice. Hope this helps and your gerbils grow to be happy and healthy - make sure you research everything about gerbils to prevent any concerns in the future google is always a good place to start and you may also find some other videos on you tube useful.

[@dracomalfoy_asacowboy3455]

My gerbils are scared

[@ad0resavz]

my girbel is a male his name is teddy he doesn’t trust me :(

[@zebruh2794]

When did you got him? I got two last week on Sunday, they just bite me when I try to be nice to them

[@ad0resavz]

@@zebruh2794 I got him a month ago he is still scared

[@zebruh2794]

@@ad0resavz one of them don’t bite that much and second one is still scared and still bites me so I’m trying to be patient and not push them

[@ad0resavz]

@@zebruh2794 I have some advidce get a treat for them and maybe they will get closer to u

[@ad0resavz]

@@zebruh2794 like apples or oranges just don’t give them grapes. It can poison them

[@evaluise22]

Why is she alone? A gerbil needs another gerbil ... And the enclosure is much too small.

[@GhostWolf40]

Les gerbilles vivent au minimum à 2.. elles ne supportent pas la solitude.renseignez vous avant d'en adopter...