What It Means When Your Gerbil Stomps His Or Her Feet

The video to the right shows my gerbil Tori thumping her feet. This is a sound you will probably hear your gerbils make at some time in their lives.

This is something that gerbils do to warn other gerbils of danger. It's similar to when prairie dogs bark to warn other prairie dogs of danger.

You might hear your gerbils thump their feet if you make a sudden movement that scares them, if they see a shadow move across the wall (they might think it's a bird), or if they hear a scary sound.

Male gerbils may also thump their feet before mating with a female. Although both types of foot-thumping may sound the same to us, gerbils can distinguish between a warning foot thump and a mating foot thump.

Sometimes very young gerbils will even thump their feet for no reason at all. They are just practicing and learning how to be adult gerbils. :)

In this video, Tori is thumping her feet because I stood up from the couch quickly and startled her. You can clearly see and hear how she warns her sister (and any other gerbils who might be within earshot) of potential danger.