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Hand taming your new gerbil can be very easy for the owner and the gerbil. It is easier if only one person tries to hand tame the the gerbil. To hand tame you should try to separate the sunflower seeds from the food and collect them in a little bowl/container. About 4 times a day take one of the seeds at a time and place it in the palm of your hand, then put your hand in the tank slowly. When your hand reaches the bottom af the tank let it sit there, don't go chasing after the gerbil with your hand let the gerbil(s) come to you. After about a week of doing this try to raise your hand a few inches (without a treat) with the gerbil in it. If the gerbil jumps out of your hand put it back at the bottom of the cage and try it again (don't stop giving the gerbil a treat every now and then). Once your gerbil is comfortable with you lifting it a couple of inches out of the cage try going higher. After a month or so your gerbil will be very happy letting you pick it up.
After the gerbil likes having you pick it up you will notice that after you go back to the cage the gerbil will stand on it's hind legs and put its front legs on the side of the cage. He/she would be trying to say "Pick me up, I want to come out of the cage." But even if your gerbil is very well hand tamed it may start to get fidgity after a while. If it does put it back in the cage.
If you get your gerbil from a breeder the hand taming should be most of the way done for you, but if you get the gerbil from a local pet store you will have to start from the very begining.
NOTE: Don't start to hand tame your gerbil(s) until the second day. You will want it to get used to its new home first. |
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