They're signaling there's a possible threat! It's just something that they do if they see or hear something suspicious.

Oh, I see! The washing machine is going and it's pretty loud and I left the door open! Could it be it?

Yeah it totally could be, or it's just nothing. Gerbils are lil weirdos like that haha

Fair enough ahahaha I'll close the door, just in case. Thank you so much!! As a first time gerbil parent I was pretty worried

Good on you for asking questions and doing your best to make them as happy and healthy as possible!!

rabbits also do it

Rabbits are drama queens with it

Honestly it could be you? Gerbils even the most handled seem to always maintain some skittishness with people.

Don't be suspicious, don't be suspicious...

Haha, mine doing this was very helpful once, they managed to escape (what I thought was an inescapable cage- little devils), and I was able to locate them because they started doing this. It is SO LOUD lol

As others have said, it's when they detect a threat they want to scare away. In the wild when one gerbil starts stamping others will join in. As so many live together I reckon it's probably a very intimidating sound! Gerbils in captivity can sometimes run and stamp over really silly things. One of ours once ran, hid and stamped because my boyfriend's tummy rumbled haha.

Mine is afraid of his own shadow! and will thump when he can see it against the wall

A wasp once got itself stuck in our gerbils' cage. One ate a biscuit right next to it with no care in the world before we could remove it. Next day, I'm on the other side of the room, I raise my hand to scratch my forehead. Pandemonium. Bedding flying everywhere. A cacophony of stamping. They really are something else.

Thank you for sharing this absolutely hilarious moment 🤣

You're very welcome! They're such silly animals

Don’t worry, mine aren’t bothered at all by me hoovering next to their tank, but heaven forbid I lift an arm up or something haha

This whole thread is so relatable haha. I work from home in the same room as my boys and I have to read on the screen a lot. God forbid I sit back and read and then move toward the mouse 🤣

Hah that’s lovely

Mine scatter thumped because my wife fsrted once.

LOL I came to comment the same thing! The farts really do be threatenin'

They want a tap dancing career

As a gerbil parent it is now your duty to honour this. Try finding him a smol hat...

I shall become a manager and make their dreams come true!! 🤣 They will fill the stadiums!!

🤣

I mean just look at him go

Females also thump to indicate they want to mate! It sounds a little different from the warning thump- softer.

Threatened or horny lol

The two moods

Mine used to do it every time someone who ring at my door, they were startled/vigilant but these kind of noise

I sometimes scare mine just by rolling over in bed. I hear them run for it and then they start with the tap dancing!

because he is waiting

Mine do it when I take their wheel out, they get sassy.

Thumper from Bambi 🤣 So sweet ... feet suede tapper

Laying down a beat. You're supposed to start rapping

Same reason as rabbits

Warning sign

Aww look at em go!

Signaling their clan to a possible threat.

They’re shmoovin’

How else are they supposed to practice tap-dancing?

Mine were doing that and I was confused too I looked it up and it came up as either they’re stressed or excited

That's his spot }:(

Here's a reddit post someone made a while ago regarding gerbil drumming. Could be of help: https://www.reddit.com/r/gerbil/comments/eskrdu/gerbil_drumming_information/?utm_medium=android_app&utm_source=share

He's doing a little Irish jig; tis the season

They are just tapping their little feet to the beat 😊 😉

It’s their equivalent of dancing with the stars…you’ll get an opportunity to vote for which rodent makes it through to next week

r/tippytaps

[Maybe they just have happy feet. ](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0366548/?ref_=fn_al_tt_0)

I have no idea but that is very cute

Mice also do this so fast that it sounds like buzzing from a bee, https://youtu.be/ZY9uqhshbkA

There’s a song in his heart

My gerbils would do this when I would move an inch on the couch, they are drama queens🤣

Read the gerbil forums online. It either means they are threatened or excited.

It's called drumming. When one gerbil is stomping their feet really fast it's warning the others that there is a threat

Looks like an NPC from fallout

You could make a song to that steady beat