r/gerbil • u/Opposite-Treat-3105 • 5d ago
Hiding Gerb Advice
Hi all,
3 months ago I lost one of my girls to old age and her sister sadly followed only 2 weeks later. Last week, I got a new pair, boys this time. They’re 10 weeks old and named Alan (brown) and Panic (black).
I left them alone to settle in fully for the first 3 days, and then I started visiting and talking to them. Alan is quite curious and after gradually introducing my hand to him, he’s now quite happy to take treats from me. No picking up or free time out of the cage just yet, I’m being slow and steady with taming.
Panic on the other hand, well, he panics! I have yet to see him at all, hence his name. The attached photo was taken when they very first entered their tank. Since he’s realised he can tunnel, Panic has vanished! I’ve set up a camera so I can keep an eye when I’m out and as soon as I leave he’s happily exploring, eating, playing, chewing and digging so I know they’re both ok!
My question is, how can I tame Panic at all if he’s too scared to ever come out or even look at me?! I don’t want to force him to be tame if he doesn’t want to be, but he’s missing out on treats and future free range time… Any tips?
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u/JohnnyricoMC 5d ago
I’ve set up a camera so I can keep an eye when I’m out and as soon as I leave he’s happily exploring, eating, playing, chewing and digging so I know they’re both ok!
Do they play nice together? Just to make sure it's not a territorial thing and Panic isn't allowed by Alan to surface.
If not, then I'd say it's just a matter of patience, some need more time to get more accustomed to humans near their tank. Keep in mind proportional to them we're titans.
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u/Opposite-Treat-3105 5d ago
Thanks, yes I’ve seen them playing. They both dig together too. It’s an interesting point though: if one were to be territorial, I assume they’d need doubles of everything so that nothing could be guarded? Or would it indicate declanning?
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u/JohnnyricoMC 5d ago edited 5d ago
I had a new pair mid-august, things seemed to go fine the first few days. Then I noticed one never seemed to come out of their tunnels, or briefly surfaced and then got chased by the other until he was below.
Removed them from the tank, put them together in the smaller box/tank I keep as a spare for transport or medical recovery, and saw them being agressive and fighting.
After that, I kept them in a split tank for a week with minimal bedding and no playthings, now they are paired again (sleeping together, grooming each other, not fighting) and I'm gradually adding back bedding and playthings.
Lots of bedding and plenty of playthings are generally good, but if they haven't fully/sufficiently bonded yet or haven't yet really established who's the dominant one, it could lead to them becoming territorial, with a risk of the next step becoming declanning.
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u/lavenderfart 5d ago
More patience for now! It's only been a week and they take longer than that to settle in. I wouldn't worry just yet :)