Gerbils are vicious? Every one I've ever had (and I've had quite a few over the years) have always been very sweet and enjoyed being handled. I guess they're like many wild animals though, including our snakes...they start out nippy as babies, but tame well with gentle, consistent handling. If you get an adult gerbil that has spent all its life crammed into a petstore cage with too many others, then they're bound to seem mean.