How do you calm down a gerbil?

Answer 1

The best way is to keep playing with them. But you want to give them treats from your hands. If you have one of those "run about balls" They make great toys for them to play in Your gerbil will be happy if you give it a wheel yo run in, along with food and water daily.

Answer 2

Gerbils are not motivated by food unlike many other animals. The best way is to just stick your hand in and let the gerbil come to you and maybe walk around your hand, but do not pick it up. Wait a little with this and then start to lift him up just a little eventually you should be able to lift him out of the cage. You should stick your hand in its with one of its favorite treats. You should refrain from moving your hand. If he bites, softly blow on his face, and tell him no. This does not hurt him, but it will disturb him. Do this every day for a week or two. Then if he's sitting on your hand, slowly lift it about an inch off the ground. Go a little higher every day and he should get tamer.

Answer 3

I think I would need more information to really answer this question, but I will make a few guesses the first being that you have a gerbil that is seizing.

A gerbil that gets seizures will get all twitchy - his eyes will blink really fast, his whiskers will twitch quickly, his ears will flatten and unflatten quickly, and he may or may not open and close his mouth. Some will have random leg and tail movements. If this is what you are seeing, you have a gerbils with seizures. The best thing to do if you are hodling the gerbil, is to cover him gently with your other hand, so that he can't accidentally fall, speak gently to him, and either wait for him to come out of it on his own, or put him back in his tank, and continue to speak gently to him while perhaps stroking him lightly or just being there with him. His tank mate will also gently keep an eye on him. Most gerbils out grow seizure disorder. Those who have or have had seizures should not be bred.

If this is not the behavior that you are asking about, then the next closest thing would be a gerbil that is running and jumping really high and squeaking a lot. This is typical in a gerbil that is being chased by a dominant gerbil in the tank and who is afraid of being attacked. This gerbil needs to be removed from the tank before an all out fight ensues.

The last situation that I will address is a gerbil that is just not socialized. You will see this in most pet store gerbils. They aren't used to being handled, so they run from people's hands and hide. To them, the human hand is nothing more than a modified Eagle Owl talon come to grasp them in preparation for eating. You aren't going to "calm" this gerbil down. If you succeed in catching this gerbil and purchasing it, you are looking at months of intense work taming it and getting it to recognize your hand, scent and voice as safe. Realize that there is a possibility that it may NEVER accept you as safe.

While I don't want to sound harsh against pet stores, many of them employ people who know nothing about gerbils to work their gerbil areas. They purchase gerbils from gerbil mills and they don't spend any time socializing their gerbils (either the gerbil mills before the pet store purchases them or the sales clerks after they are in the pet store.)

Your better bet to get a well socialized and calm gerbil is to purchase from a private breeder - your best bet is a breeder that is an AGS affiliated breeder. The American Gerbil Society (www.agsgerbils.org) has a charter and a code of ethics that includes socialization of pups, but also integrity of breeding so that only gerbils with good personalities are bred (so those with high strung personalities don't get to pass on their high-strung genes). You will also find that in most cases, purchasing from an AGS breeder will get you a matched gender PAIR for about the same price as a single gerbil at a major pet store chain.

In addition, you can get information about the parents of the gerbil, care information, housing information, and often times a forever contact who will help you with any future questions about your pet. Try to go back to your big chain and find the same sales clerk 5 months down the road who will remember your gerbil and be able to answer any questions about it or its litter mates. Compare that to an AGS breeder who will.

Answer 4

feed them from your hand about 4 times a week or 2 and let them get more exersise.

Answer 5

• don't make to much noise
• make sure the room is nice and quiet
• 
  

Answer 6

Play baby music it makes them doze off