How to Play With a Gerbil

It's fun to watch a gerbil play with its toys or with other gerbils. But it's even more fun when you play with the gerbil yourself. Building your pet's confidence and trust can take a little time, but it is well worth the effort, both for you and your gerbil.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Several chipboard boxes

1. Let your gerbil discover who you are. Especially if your pet is very young, begin by sitting close to the cage for a while. Let your pet get used to how you look and how your voice sounds. Move gently when putting food, water, or toys into the cage.

2. Expect that your gerbil will be friendly and that it will not bite or scratch you. After a day or so, move your hand and arm gently into your gerbil's enclosure. Rather than picking up the pet, let it move about freely, touching your hand if it wants to.

3. Spend a little time, once you and your gerbil feel comfortable with each other, gently stroking its back and the top of its head. Even though your furry little friend will probably not stick around long to be petted, becoming familiar with your touch is important to help it become more social.

4. Make a maze out of several chipboard (thin cardboard, for example a shoebox) boxes small enough to fit into the gerbil's enclosure. Make one opening in each. With the lids off, nest the smaller boxes into the larger, placing the openings in different positions within the "nest." Put a treat in the maze. Then let your pet go on a "treasure hunt" for the treat.

5. Move your gerbil outside its enclosure to play. It can be extra fun as well as good exercise for your pet. Some gerbil owners have created runways or mazes with building blocks. Runways that have different levels are especially entertaining for both pets and owners.

6. Stay alert to your gerbil's condition. In hot weather, it won't want to play very hard. Your gerbil will want to lie quietly in the coolest place it can find.

Tips & Warnings

• Always keep in mind that gerbils are great little escape artists. If you bring your pet out of its cage, watch it every moment.
• Never, under any circumstances, pick up a gerbil by its tail. To pick it up, place your hands next to the gerbil and gently scoop it out of the cage.
• Gerbils love to chew. Make sure that you do not add any item that could be harmful to your gerbil, like hard plastic or easily splintered wood, when it is chewed into small pieces.
• Whenever your pet gerbil is out of its enclosure, whether to play or to be groomed and stroked, keep a sharp eye on it at all times. It's best to close all doors, closet, and cabinet doors in the room.