Kathleen DiMaggio wrote:
>
> I have a few questions:
> Why did my home bred gerbils start biting also...did they learn this
> behavior
> from the pet shop gerbils?
Possible. They certainly learn behavior from each other.
>
> I've tried offering gifts of treats to them and they still go to
> attack
> me...what else can I do to tame them?
Try blowing in their faces when they do that. It is most effective with
the young, so you need to start right away. Offer them treats only when
they interact with you without biting.
>
> I've had many gerbils and they have always been very sweet non-biters.
> One of
> the home bred gerbils from this troubled group has remained as nice as
> ever.
> Is he in danger of also acquiring this biting behavior?
Possibly. Hopefully you'll get the others trained out of it before he
picks it up! And who knows, maybe they'll pick up better behavior from
him, especially with you reinforcing it.
--
Tana and The Little Rascals
http://members.home.net/tlr-gerbilry
