Gerbils can be great companions but it requires a lot of time and patience to gain their trust. They are shy, inquisitive, and affectionate creatures so don’t get discouraged if they don’t trust you right away.

This guide will go through some tips & general information to help you make bonds with your pet.

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Your First Steps…

Before you begin taming, make sure you give your gerbils time to adjust to their new home. During this period try to keep interactions and maintenance to a minimum. 

If you haven’t researched gerbil behaviours yet, make sure you do so. Check out our article called Common Gerbil Behaviours and What They Mean for more information. Understanding their temperament can help you a lot with the taming process.

*Try not to rush through the process. Gerbils can be skittish and shy, they are prey animals. As mentioned earlier, gaining trust requires patience.

Get Them Used To Your Presence

Start just sitting next to cage to get them accustomed to your presence. Move slowly and speak softly around them.

• Talking to them gets them used to the sound of your voice; chat with them, read a story, or even sing. Once they’re more comfortable, your voice may even be able to reassure or calm them.
• One of the main way they sense predators in the wild is by using their sense of hearing. Don’t raise your voice or yell at them. They get frightened easily.

Some gerbils also find music calming, there are videos on YouTube that you could put on in the background. Here’s one of our recommendations…

These things will let them know that you aren’t a threat and that they don’t need to be scared of the environment around them. *Try to wait until they are awake though, waking them up isn’t great for gaining their trust. 

*Direct eye contact (staring) is usually perceived as a threat. It’s ok to watch them, just try not to stare for too long. Here are a few strategies to help prevent this…

• The Slow Blink: this is when you close your eyes slowly and deliberately to show them that you aren’t a threat
• Winking: a gerbils way of showing content and appreciation. They may even wink back!
• Turn Your Head Away

Passive Taming

“Passive Taming” refers to the gradual building of trust by showing them that you bring positive things (ex: food). This includes things like talking to them, hand feeding and slow blinking/winking to show them you’re not a threat.

Hand Feeding

This is one of the best ways to gain their trust. Hand feeding shows them where the food is coming from directly and builds the connection that your hand is a positive thing. It’s best to wait for them to approach you rather than you moving your hand to them.

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vs Active Taming

“Active taming” is basically you encouraging them to interact with you using positive reinforcement, usually in the form of treats. Some of the most common choices include pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, and small pieces of dried fruit.

It’s best to give small pieces of whatever treat you give so that you can reward them more without worrying about them eating too much. Be mindful of how many treats you are giving them, during taming it’s okay to give them a bit more than recommended but they still need to be healthy. Once they get more comfortable you won’t have to give as many rewards. You can research this more if you’re interested.

The point of active taming is to reward the gerbil for positive interactions, but to make it easier to learn it’s best to go in smaller steps. For example, if you wanted your gerbil to go onto your hand then you would first reward for getting close to your hand before building up to putting their paws on it, and eventually actually being on your hand before giving them the treat.

Remember to be patient and not rush the process, each gerbil will take a different amount of time to gain confidence and feel comfortable. Pay attention to body language, if they are pulling back and/or showing signs such as stress or discomfort, don’t force anything. You want taming and bonding to be a positive experience.

“Passive vs Active Taming” source: Pet Connection International

A Few Extra Things To Think About…

Consider How You Approach Them

Gerbils may be more easily startled by you if you take them by surprise. Try to be mindful about how you are going to their enclosure. If you randomly come from around the corner, they may run away, thump, &/or not want to interact with your right away.

Be Mindful About What’s Happening Around The House

Gerbils have a really great sense of hearing, meaning they can be sensitive when it comes to noise. Before interacting, listen for any loud sounds around the house (such as the washing machine, a loud show on the television, etc). In some cases, when you try interact with your gerbils while those kinds of noises are happening, they could startled even more and maybe even associate you with making the noises. That being said, it’s important to know your own gerbil. Paying attention to body language is very important!

Consider Creating a Routine

If you wanted to, you could try to create some sort of routine with them (especially regarding interaction). It doesn’t need to be strict or complicated. Something as simple as offering a treat every time you open the lid can go a long way. They’ll eventually understand what different sounds mean. For example, they may start associating the sound of a bag crinkle to receiving treats.

Thanks for reading our article! If you’re interested, consider checking out our other articles on gerbils.