I am not an expert but I read somewhere that the red eyed gerbils do not
have good eyesight and therefore startle easily. I have a red eyed red fox
and she will run if you jab your hand at her but with gentle talking she
will come out and stand on her hind legs and sniff and if you lay your
hand/arm down in the cage she will sniff and climb up on your arm. I don't
think they have bad temperament, I think it's poor eyesight. Gentle
handling and talking to them quietly before reaching in will calm them down.
This also was a pet store gerbil at one time and she is remarkably tame
considering all the factors. So those of you with red eyed gerbils....treat
them as if they were nearsighted. Be slow and gentle with them and see if
you have the same luck I have had with my gerbil!
She's the best! Her name is Simon.
Sue
The Hillbilly Clan
----- Original Message -----
From: "Leenknegt" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
To: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Sent: Friday, April 27, 2001 1:24 PM
Subject: Skittish REW's
> Hi,
> About the REW that are so unfriendly.
> I was wondering: could it be something like you see in white cats with
blue
> eyes? They have a reputation of bad mums, but in fact, most of the time
they
> are just deaf. It's something genetic I guess.
> What do you think about this?
> Sarah
