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From babies to older animals, gerbils respond well to taming with the proper guidance from early on in your relationship. Follow the taming plan you wrote to help you stay on track with the process. Gerbils of any age respond to taming. If your gerbil is older, it's important to not be discouraged if he takes longer to tame. You can tame him as soon as he joins your family. Just know that it may take a little more time, effort, and patience on your part. Remember that gerbils can be intelligent and loyal companions. Proper communication and behaviors with your gerbil will help you to train him at any age. Gerbils are very sensitive to smells and before you handle them, you need to thoroughly wash your hands. This can help calm your gerbil and make him more likely to jump on to your hands to play. Don't use a soap that is too perfumed so that it doesn't turn off your gerbil. Before you can handle your gerbil frequently, gain his trust. This is a simple process that requires you to put your hands in the cage often. Put your hands in the cage often to clean it or allow your gerbil to sniff you. He may or may not jump into your hand. Make sure your gerbil knows you're around before you put your hand in the cage so that you don't startle your animal. It may help your gerbil to trust you if you put a few seeds in your hand when you place it in the cage. Remember to remain calm as gerbils can smell adrenaline in your sweat. Once you've gained your gerbil's trust, you can start to hold him more often. By staying calm and handling your gerbil properly, you can hold him for hours or let him explore you for fun. Just as with gaining a gerbil's trust, it's important to stay calm and not panic when you hold your animal. It's very important to handle your gerbil properly so that you don't scare or injure him. Scoop up your gerbil with both hands and hold gently and securely. You can put some seeds in your hands to help your gerbil settle down. You can pick up your gerbil with one hand as you get more experienced. Never pick up a gerbil by his tail as this can injure him. When you pick up your gerbil, it may help to turn away from their tank or cage. This sometimes calms small animals because they don't see the place they want to get back to (to feel safe), so they don't desperately scrabble to get back. Be aware that there are some gerbils that don't like to be held. Try and work with shy gerbils and let them know you're there to take care of them. One important component of training your gerbil is exposing him to other gerbils and people. This will keep him happy and comfortable in any situation, and less likely to be aggressive. It will also make help tame him. Gerbils may act aggressively towards other animals and people and this behavior can be prevented with proper socialization. Help your gerbil be comfortable around people by exposing him to positive and calm situations with other individuals. Tell any new people to allow your gerbil to sniff them first so the animal is less likely to feel threatened. Socialize your gerbil by taking him out of the cage and letting him explore. It's also important to invite people to your house so that your gerbil is comfortable having other people visit his home. Keep every aspect of socialization calm and positive. If you are introducing two new gerbils, place them in a clean space free of scent. This will help them get used to one another and be less likely to exhibit aggressive behaviors. Patience is the most important and hardest part of taming a gerbil. If you are calm and happy, your gerbil will be calm and happy. You will be most successful at taming your gerbil if you are patient with him. If you keep your time together fun for both you and your gerbil, you're more likely to be patient with him. Yelling or physical punishment will only counteract your taming, and also may cause your gerbil to fear you and other people. Rewarding your gerbil for his positive behaviors is an integral part of the taming process. Understand that your gerbil may make occasional mistakes and that you must avoid physical discipline or yelling at him in these situations. Positive reinforcement trains your gerbil by rewarding the actions you want him to repeat, such as jumping in to your hands. Reward your gerbil with treats such as seeds or fruit. Your gerbil may occasionally nip you or won't want to be held. It's important to react to your gerbil's behaviors promptly. You will reinforce taming by doing this, and also ensure that your gerbil doesn't fear you or other people because you disciplined him improperly. It is counterproductive to verbally or physically punish your gerbil. This will only cause him to be fearful and confused and may even discourage him becoming tame. For example, if your gerbil nips you, use a firm "no" to let him know this isn't an acceptable behavior. Never hit, yell at, or blow in a gerbil's face. Also don't drench them with water. Not only are these measure counterproductive to taming your gerbil, but can also cause serious health issues such as seizures. Gerbils are sweet animals that can be a lot of fun. Making sure that you enjoy can help you tame your gerbil.
Start your gerbil taming as soon as possible. Wash your hands before you handle your gerbils. Gain your gerbil's initial trust. Hold your gerbil. Socialize your gerbil. Be patient and calm with your gerbil. Use positive reinforcement and avoid physical discipline and yelling. React to behaviors promptly. Enjoy your gerbil!