Sharon wrote:
> Donna wrote:
>
> >>And get her a friend. Gerbils need to live in pairs.<<
>
> I'd like to do that, but I have a few things standing in the way at
> least right now.
>
> Duncan is probably about a year old and has lived alone since coming
> from the pet store.
>
> Also, she is not tame at all. When I first got her, she would run away
> from my hand and not get anywhere near me. Then I bought a gerbil book
> and read that to start taming her, I could put food in my hand an lay it
> on the bottom of the cage.
>
> I do that as often as I can, which is about a few times a week, and she
> now will come onto my hand for the food and sometimes eat on my hand,
> but I haven't been able to pet her.
I think it's against gerbil nature to like being petted much. They don't
seem to like things touching them from above, maybe it has to do with
instinctive fear of things above them (birds of prey attack from above).
Anyway, mine are all VERY tame, but they don't sit still to be petted,
except for a few of them, once in a while.
>
>
> I at least need to have her tamed in order to get a friend for her,
> because I want to confirm her sex so that I can get a same sex gerbil as
> her friend, because as much as I'd like to, I don't want to breed.
>
> Any hints for taming her would be great.
>
> The book basically says start with the food in the hand, then start
> stroking them when they get comfortable with climbing on your hand for
> food. I am not able to pet or stroke her yet. She runs away.
I'd ignore the book at least as far as the stroking goes. Keep doing what
you're doing with the food, but also put your hand in there without food
sometimes so she doesn't associate your hand with food necessarily and
expect it every time. Spend some time just sitting with your hand in the
tank, letting her explore you if she wants. Hopefully she'll start trusting
you enough to eventually climb into your hand. When she seems comfortable
with that, start lifting your hand up a bit when she's on it - just a couple
of inches at first, and gradually increase it. The idea is that she'll get
used to climbing onto your hand and being lifted up.
>
>
> Sharon
--
Tana and The Little Rascals
http://members.home.com/tlr-gerbilry
