Glad I can give "my 2 cents" for once:-))
> Hi Jane, > Very young pups that are separted from mom and dad > without an adult in the tank do tend to hide in a box > and not venture out much for a while, I've noticed. > 2 months ago, I got my 3 males when they were 4 weeks old. They are my first gerbils ever and they had no adults with them. They are in a big tank. They did sleep quite a lot the first couple of days, but within the next few days they were running up my arm to sit on my shoulder. I also worried about them eating as one seemed to be a lot greedier than the others, and while his 2 brothers were asleep he used to sit in the food bowl and eat himself silly !! The other 2 have caught up now, and all 3 are healthy and like to come out on play and they do let me know when they want to come ! I'm lucky enough to work from home so I did and still spend a lot of time with them, not necessary handling but watching them and talking to them. They quickly went into a daily routine; they know they get a treat in the morning when I first see them (so even the sleepy one rushes out of the nest when he hears me !). Then they get on with their business of tunnel building, nest rearranging, etc, then they sleep, and towards the end of afternoon till late night they're very active and expect me to play with them! Also, make sure there's nothing near their tank that might be frightening them and stop them from coming out of their nest. Good luck and have fun with your gerbils, I'm sure they'll soon be all over you! Catherine
