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Post by pepandmax on Jul 8, 2007 11:22:26 GMT -8
It is very common for owners to suddenly notice that their gerbil has an orangish, bald patch in the middle of the belly.  No worries--every gerbil has this patch! It's a scent gland. Gerbils use their scent glands to mark their territory. Close-up of a healthy scent gland:  (Fox got several sunflower seeds after his photo shoot, since he definitely didn't want to be photographed!  A healthy scent gland is smooth, with no bumps or strange growths. The color is a uniform orange-tinted beige. You should not see any discharge from a normal scent gland. Some gerbils, especially older males, will get growths on their scent glands. Sometimes the growth is benign and will not bother the animal, but many times it is cancerous. In an otherwise healthy animal, a vet can usually remove the cancer easily, before it spreads. If you notice anything strange about your gerbil's scent gland, you should consult a vet to determine the best course of action. Ashgerbil has provided a picture of a scent gland tumor. Thanks, Issy! In this case, it looks like small pink lumps, almost like a rash.  In other cases, it will look like a pimple or wart. RW has a great picture of this type of growth. Thanks, RW! If you have illustrative pictures that you would like to share, please PM pepandmax (of course, you'll get a photo credit  ). |
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Post by roo on Jul 18, 2007 4:02:50 GMT -8
Excellent thread Nicole, I'll definitely be referring to this whenever I see something suspicious. I actually went and dug through old threads a while ago to find some pictures to reference from because Francie's scent gland looked a bit worrying, she's absolutely fine though, she was just doing a lot of scenting I think So this is super useful, having the pics at our fingertips - thanks! |
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cinnycinnamon
Member
Rest In Peace Jack Black 02/17/06 to 05/30/09
Posts: 1,280
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Post by cinnycinnamon on Jul 23, 2007 15:37:49 GMT -8
I agree.....very useful! I have a question though but I think I will start a new thread. Don't wanna hijack this informative thread. |
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Post by jarthurs on Aug 30, 2007 17:48:34 GMT -8
Although I don't have a picture, one of my gerbils (1 of 2 brothers) has developed a dark brown / black growth where the scent gland is. I wish I had known more about it before. We kept a close eye on him, but suddenly he became much worse. He will be going to the Humane Society in the morning to be put down. At 4 years old, I understand it is not uncommon for male gerbils to develop a scent gland tumor. Just some friendly advice to the readers, if you notice anything odd about the scent gland, get it checked out. That was our mistake, now his brother will have no one to curl up with.  |
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Post by jj on Nov 1, 2007 12:11:57 GMT -8
My black gerbil has a blackish thing around her scent gland as well. She has always had it since I got her at 2 months old and it doesn't bother her. I have had her for 3 months now. She eats, plays, chews normally like her sister does. The only thing is that she is a bit smaller in size then her sister. It looks like an extra peice of skin but that's all. Kind of like how we people get raised moles. Should I be concerned?
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Post by roberts on Jan 20, 2008 14:32:38 GMT -8
Both Spike and Jezz had the 'wart like' growth...... It was nothing to be worried about, it was only their chords which liked them to the placenta.
Still go to the vets and get it checked, as it may be cancer, still worth going for that peace of mind.
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Post by AndreaS15 on Jan 20, 2008 20:38:49 GMT -8
Both Spike and Jezz had the 'wart like' growth...... It was nothing to be worried about, it was only their chords which liked them to the placenta. Where did you find this information? My research on this found after 4 days old the umbilical cord is gone. So any other 'wart' like growth would definitely need to be seen by a Veterinarian. |
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Post by Jill on Jan 21, 2008 10:09:10 GMT -8
Andrea's right, Johnboi. Also, I was a little confused by what you wrote. Did you mean you're going to bring your gerbils to the vet to get them checked out?
Jill
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Post by roberts on Jan 25, 2008 8:11:09 GMT -8
It was what the vet said, they gave me some cream, which stoped the bleeding. Although the lumps remained, they never developed into anything more for several years.
Spike ened up with a huge black lump around the same place, but as it didnt bother him too much, and he was around 4 years of age by then, both I and the vet agreed it wasnt worth operating as he would have most likely not have come round afterwards.
So yeah, what ever growth your Gerbils gets, still get it checked out by a Vet.
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Post by Shooting Star on Jan 26, 2008 9:27:12 GMT -8
I'm not sure why your vet would say that, since the site of the umbilical cord shouldn't bleed... It does sound like they had SGT's, albeit slow-growing ones.
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Post by roberts on Jan 26, 2008 9:59:50 GMT -8
I didnt trust them much, as there was no growth before, so they must have been slow growing ones
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Post by Rikka [: on Oct 12, 2008 13:04:27 GMT -8
It is very common for owners to suddenly notice that their gerbil has an orangish, bald patch in the middle of the belly. No worries--every gerbil has this patch! It's a scent gland. Gerbils use their scent glands to mark their territory. Close-up of a healthy scent gland: (Fox got several sunflower seeds after his photo shoot, since he definitely didn't want to be photographed! A healthy scent gland is smooth, with no bumps or strange growths. The color is a uniform orange-tinted beige. You should not see any discharge from a normal scent gland. Some gerbils, especially older males, will get growths on their scent glands. Sometimes the growth is benign and will not bother the animal, but many times it is cancerous. In an otherwise healthy animal, a vet can usually remove the cancer easily, before it spreads. If you notice anything strange about your gerbil's scent gland, you should consult a vet to determine the best course of action. Ashgerbil has provided a picture of a scent gland tumor. Thanks, Issy! In this case, it looks like small pink lumps, almost like a rash. In other cases, it will look like a pimple or wart. RW has a great picture of this type of growth. Thanks, RW!If you have illustrative pictures that you would like to share, please PM pepandmax (of course, you'll get a photo credit ). The last picture on the bottom looks exactly what my gerbil has! And he always has crusty blood on his nose! I take good care of them, I don't know whats wrong! Please, I need help! |
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Post by johndigger on May 30, 2009 12:16:58 GMT -8
Hi to all gerbil lovers!
My two year old male gerbil had a scab on his tummy. I noticed he had been rubbing himself against some wood in his cage and noticed blood stains on his bedding. He was acting and eating normally but I checked this website and looked at the pictures and realised it looked like a scent gland tumour. I took him to my local vets (Companion Care) at Pets at Home and the vet was great. I had read up on the internet about scent gland tumours and knew that an operation was possible but I wanted to see if the vet would recommend surgery for an 'old' gerbil.
The vet reassured me that this was quite a common problem in male gerbils of a certain age and prescribed some antibiotics. The vet did not want to perform the operation straight away. After 7 days, the condition had got better but had not healed so I booked my pet in for the operation. The vet explained the risks but reassured me that it was quite a common procedure. On the day of the operation my gerbil was well cared for and I dropped him off in the morning and collected him at tea time.
The operation had been a success and he was given dissovable stiches which healed after a few days. I had several follow-up appointments at the vets and my pet is now back to full health. The cost of the appointments, operation and follow up care (plus several treats & toys) was about £70 but worth it!
I would like to say thank you to this website for giving me the information to be able to deal with this problem.
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Post by becky on Jun 1, 2009 12:22:17 GMT -8
Hi to all gerbil lovers! My two year old male gerbil had a scab on his tummy. I noticed he had been rubbing himself against some wood in his cage and noticed blood stains on his bedding. He was acting and eating normally but I checked this website and looked at the pictures and realised it looked like a scent gland tumour. I took him to my local vets (Companion Care) at Pets at Home and the vet was great. I had read up on the internet about scent gland tumours and knew that an operation was possible but I wanted to see if the vet would recommend surgery for an 'old' gerbil. The vet reassured me that this was quite a common problem in male gerbils of a certain age and prescribed some antibiotics. The vet did not want to perform the operation straight away. After 7 days, the condition had got better but had not healed so I booked my pet in for the operation. The vet explained the risks but reassured me that it was quite a common procedure. On the day of the operation my gerbil was well cared for and I dropped him off in the morning and collected him at tea time. The operation had been a success and he was given dissovable stiches which healed after a few days. I had several follow-up appointments at the vets and my pet is now back to full health. The cost of the appointments, operation and follow up care (plus several treats & toys) was about £70 but worth it! I would like to say thank you to this website for giving me the information to be able to deal with this problem. Hey, I think my gerbil has the same problem. He's got two large lumps on his scent gland that look sore and bloody. How much were the antibiotics and how much was the operation? I just want to know because its £20 just to have my gerbil checked out at the vet, and he's pretty old so would it be worth it? |
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Vixen
Member
8 years of gerbil fun
Posts: 1,805
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Post by Vixen on Jun 2, 2009 13:59:53 GMT -8
Hi to all gerbil lovers! My two year old male gerbil had a scab on his tummy. I noticed he had been rubbing himself against some wood in his cage and noticed blood stains on his bedding. He was acting and eating normally but I checked this website and looked at the pictures and realised it looked like a scent gland tumour. I took him to my local vets (Companion Care) at Pets at Home and the vet was great. I had read up on the internet about scent gland tumours and knew that an operation was possible but I wanted to see if the vet would recommend surgery for an 'old' gerbil. The vet reassured me that this was quite a common problem in male gerbils of a certain age and prescribed some antibiotics. The vet did not want to perform the operation straight away. After 7 days, the condition had got better but had not healed so I booked my pet in for the operation. The vet explained the risks but reassured me that it was quite a common procedure. On the day of the operation my gerbil was well cared for and I dropped him off in the morning and collected him at tea time. The operation had been a success and he was given dissovable stiches which healed after a few days. I had several follow-up appointments at the vets and my pet is now back to full health. The cost of the appointments, operation and follow up care (plus several treats & toys) was about £70 but worth it! I would like to say thank you to this website for giving me the information to be able to deal with this problem. Hey, I think my gerbil has the same problem. He's got two large lumps on his scent gland that look sore and bloody. How much were the antibiotics and how much was the operation? I just want to know because its £20 just to have my gerbil checked out at the vet, and he's pretty old so would it be worth it? £20 is rather steep for a small pet concult. My vet only charges like £11 how old is he. I have an elderly gerbil (3yr 8 months) with 2 sent gland tumors. who I not going have operated on, and my vet aggread with me not to do this because of his age and the fact they don't bother him at all. Though he said if I needed anti biotics I was to phone and they give us some straight away. |
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