Grooming

Grooming is a important necessity in there life. It keeps them clean, and it also gives then time to socialize with there pack. Gerbils also show there dominance with grooming each other. A dominate gerbil will groom a submissive gerbil. Give your gerbil Chinchilla dust (found in your local pet store) and place it in a dish. Your gerbils love rolling in a dust bath!

Thumping

Gerbils make a thumping sound with there back hind leg when they are excited. It also is a means to warn others of danger. There are two kinds of thumping; Danger thumping and mating thumping.

Danger thumping all gerbils will become very alert and stop to listen.  Mating thumping goes un-interested by gerbil's not interested.

Fighting

There is two kinds of obvious fighting; Play fighting and dangerous fighting.

Playfighting goes on amongst gerbil already acquainted with there cage mated, most pups play fight.  Dangerous fighting happens most often when gerbils are introduced, they can draw blood .

Scent marking

Male gerbils have a scent gland on there underside and they use this to mark. You will often see a male , what seems to look like he's "stretching" all over his cage. He's actually marking it.  Always check his scent gland to make sure there not a tumor growing. Its most common with older "elderly' gerbils. Scent marking also happens in male packs, it may seem as if your males are "mating" with each other, but they are actually marking each other to show dominance to a submissive gerbil. In a Female/male pair they male may also Mark the female to show "property", kind of his way to show that she belongs to him.

Gerbil Behaviors