Hiya.

Please don't do the blowing on them thing. It's an outdated method which can in fact induce seizures in Gerbils who are prone to them.
How old are they? And also where did you get them and at what age?

Have a look on my website here

Gerbils Who Bite « Indy's Rascals Gerbil Rehome

and here

Damien’s Story « Indy's Rascals Gerbil Rehome

Both of these should help you

Oh my G-d I didn't know that! I won't do that again! Thanks for the links will take a look now

They are from a rescue. We aren't certain about their age. I've had them for about 2.5 months. They were in quarantine for a month. So they are deffo older than 3.5 months. I guess as they arrived dumped in a box but with eyes open etc that they were approaching a month old.

So all in all, they are atleast 4 - 4.5 months old. They were actually in a box with three boys when they were dumped, yet none of the girls were pregnant so the lady at the rescue said they had to be very very young. That's why I have three, a bad number I know! But after their horrible start in life I couldn't leave one behind and had to take my chances that they would get on ok together. I know now it's incredibly difficult to bond an adult female with another - but I just got to take the chance....which I am nervous about. So far all ok and they play very happily together.

One thing though, when they arrived at the rescue they were very malnutrioned, dirty and looked as if they hadn't been given any care at all. Since being with me they haven't really grown much - just put on slightly more weight, they are very small - much smaller than other gerbils I've seen, although they are females. I guess if they were malnutrioned and starving this could have effected whether they were able to become pregnant - so perhaps they are older, but I think it's most likely they were an unwanted accidental litter.

Also, this behaviour has just suddenly come on.. They weren't doing it before, but started doing it shorlty after being placed in the mega tank (they spent about a month in a small perfecto while I was waiting for the mega tank to be made!)

Hope this info helps?

xxxx

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Mummy to 4 piggies, Manny, Floyd, Izzy and Eve, 3 hammie's, Jean Claude van Ham (aka JC), Princess & Prince Philip, 3 Gerbils Itsy, Bitsy and Ditsy. Foster piggies China & Alfie.

mmmmm, I read the links and although it's really useful information it doesn't seem to be what the issue is. My gerbils don't bite me. They aren't afraid, they will happily play with me and I never try to pick them up. I'd just rather they come to me which they do, they fight over me themselves budging each other out the way for a treat. They also like to sort of dance with my fingers. If I wiggle my fingers above them they seem to think this is great funny. They climb up my arm in the safety of their own tank - I leave my arm in there and they love walking up and down it.

They come right up to me (you can see from the video - what they are like). They do trust me. They aren't 'chomping down', it's more of a nom nom nom nom action.

I give them time in the bath - with toys to play with and again leave my arm over the side, they will happily play, climbing and sitting and jumping on me.

Now I wear long sleeved clothing and pull it down over my hands - to stop them chewing my skin, it doesn't hurt like if a hamster bite you would, but they have sharp teeth so if they are chewing it still hurts, if you know what I mean?

I will get some garden gloves though so I feel more confident about having my hand in there without having a sleeve pulled over it!

I will try and film them doing it, so hopefully you will be able to see what I mean.


Thanks GerbilNik!
xxxx

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Mummy to 4 piggies, Manny, Floyd, Izzy and Eve, 3 hammie's, Jean Claude van Ham (aka JC), Princess & Prince Philip, 3 Gerbils Itsy, Bitsy and Ditsy. Foster piggies China & Alfie.

Ok, have a video - just waiting for it to upload onto youtube - be back in ten minutes with a link - really really hoping you can tell me what I'm doing wrong!

Thanks!

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Mummy to 4 piggies, Manny, Floyd, Izzy and Eve, 3 hammie's, Jean Claude van Ham (aka JC), Princess & Prince Philip, 3 Gerbils Itsy, Bitsy and Ditsy. Foster piggies China & Alfie.

Here's the video - took yonks to upload.

P1000274.MOV - YouTube

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Mummy to 4 piggies, Manny, Floyd, Izzy and Eve, 3 hammie's, Jean Claude van Ham (aka JC), Princess & Prince Philip, 3 Gerbils Itsy, Bitsy and Ditsy. Foster piggies China & Alfie.

Had a look at the video and just seems they are using you to gnaw on. As long as you keep allowing them to do it then they will carry on. Best thing to do is if they do something you don't want them to do, you can try saying "NO" in a fairly stern voice and move your arm/finger/hand away. Gerbils separated from their parents too early tend to be more likely to show this sort of behaviour as they have never really learned how to act "properly".

You could also try washing your hands before you interact with them and rubbing your hands in their bedding so the scent stays the same. If you have touched other animals or eaten food before handling this can also encourage them to have a nibble. Really the easiest solution though is just to move your hand away if they use you as a gnawing block!

Ok, thanks will try that.

I read today that you can try pushing them very very gently away by pressing on their nose. I read that this is what gerbils do to one another when one is doing something they don't like.

As I got the blowing thing wrong, is this idea ok? Or wrong aswell?

Thanks so much

xxxx

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Mummy to 4 piggies, Manny, Floyd, Izzy and Eve, 3 hammie's, Jean Claude van Ham (aka JC), Princess & Prince Philip, 3 Gerbils Itsy, Bitsy and Ditsy. Foster piggies China & Alfie.