I split up my breeding pair Promise and Bullet yesterday, because I am not satisfied with the temperament of these latest pups. As some people my remember I got Bullet last spring. He was my "jumpy" gerbil (as my 7 year old put it). I took him out of the tank shortly after shipping and he sprung straight in the air a good 12-18 inches. With lots of handling he stopped this startling reaction and is now super calm (he's always been reliable and never bit). Well, we just had two incidents in two days with his pups - with almost 4 week old (Promise's daughter) and an almost 3 week old (Blossom's daughter being fostered by Promise). Very weird, but the situation unfolded identically with two different gerbil pups and my two different daughters... These pups have been handled, but not alot and not early on since Promise was so agitated at first and they've been held only by me. I was holding an almost 4 week old pup and my younger daughter came in. I handed her a pup, the pup startled and leapt straight in the air about 8 inches landing on the floor. When my young daughter picked her up, she bit my daughter right at the base of the thumb, even broke the skin. I didn't think too much of it because (although she's never been bitten (just one warning nip)) she can be pretty rough with the gerbils). Now the next day my older, extremely gentle daughter comes in. I'm holding the three week old pup and handed her to my daughter. And the exact same thing happens! The pup leaps straight in the air, my daughter picks her up, and she bites her on the inner base of the thumb. My older one was so upset. She was crying and crying -- mostly I think because she felt betrayed as all of our gerbils have all been extremely kid-friendly in the year we've had them. Anyways, I've removed Bullet from Blossom (I'm trying to put introduce him into the boy nursery tank). It was fascinating to see the genetic temperament being passed on (as far at the springing in the air reaction when startled). I think with extra handling these pups should become confident and calm like dad is now, I'll see. If I do set up another breeding pair, I think I'll mate Rocky, my younger girl's favorite and an amazingly tolerant boy. My girls think we should have named him "Rock" because he'll just sit without moving clutche to my younger one's chest, watching TV for an hour at a time -- very un-gerbil like. -- Donna ABC Gerbils http://www.geocities.com/abcgerbils/home.html
