My gerbils still smell...

[4flsy]

I don't understand why but my gerbils still smell and are a little greasy. They get baths, I keep their tank clean and I don't think it is the substrate... Their diet is Ecotrition and Gerri Gerbil so I'm not sure what else could be making them so smelly? They also seem to groom each other frequently.

Is this just normal for juvenile males?

[Deleted]

Maybe some just smell more than others.

Uhura

[Boz]

What sort of bedding do they have? What does it smell like?
I'm not sure

[skthurley]

I have 2 boys and they are virtually smell-less, except for their urine. Their urine can be a little potent. But this is very typical of male rodents.

[4flsy]

They have aspen and ecobedding. I suppose it could be the substrate. Their urine smells but Sano especially just smells kinda funky sometimes. I suppose I see him cleaning himself less than Yahiko, though. I've checked him for abscess, scent gland tumor, etc but he seems to be perfectly fine. We took them to the vet shortly after taking our rats and they found nothing wrong with him so I suppose I don't have to worry. Just curious because of him being greasy and everything. I guess he just likes being smelly .

[Powerpuffgerbils]

What do you feed them? Do they get any different kinds of treats?

[Deleted]

Do gerbils have allergies to types of food?

Uhura

[4flsy]

I don't know if they have allergies.

They eat Ecotrition and Gerri Gerbil. As treats they get small pieces of fruit/veggies once in a while (so they don't get diarrhea), Gerber dehydrated apples, cheerios, and Gerber puffed wheat banana bits. The Gerber stuff they get little of. They also get pumpkin and sunflower seeds sometimes. Once in a while I give them a few tiny crumbs from Nutro blueberry treats to help their teeth and give them a little tiny bit of extra protein.

I made sure to tell the vet about their diet and he said it sounded good but I guess I never asked him about allergies.

[Deleted]

Nutro blueberry? What's that? And how does it help their teeth? I may have to check Gerber's products next time I shop.

Uhura

[4flsy]

Nutro Natural Choice. They're a type of health biscuit for dogs but are good for mice and rats and help keep their teeth down and clean because of their composition. I chose blueberry because it contains cancer fighting antioxidants (but they also have apple and some other type) and Nutro uses real blueberries.

I checked with our vet before giving it to them but he said it would be a very good supplement in small doses. My rats get half of one every other day and my gerbils get a crumbled half every couple of days mixed in with their food. It's one of their favorite foods.

And the gerber treats for toddlers are very healthy and safe treats for rodents. They're healthier than most 'rodent treats' that stores carry and you get way more for your money. I'm not ashamed to say that I definitely swear by them as treats- but not as a replacement for fresh fruits/veggies.

[Boz]

Where did your gerbils come from? It could be genetic to why they are "greasier"

[4flsy]

We adopted them from an acquaintance who says they are from Petco. So I figured they wouldn't be in the peak of health. They were quite underweight when we got them (and super greasy from never bathing). But they made a VERY speedy recovery and so I was confused as to why they're still a little greasy/smelly. Then again, they're very strange anyway. They're only slowly getting used to fresh fruit/veggies since they never had them before. :\

[gerbiluv10]

sometimes you really do have to get them a little wet and use hamster/gerbil (or small animal) shampoo on them to remove any oil. i have had to do this twice for my PEW, Sally. just assuming you have dark-colored gerbils *you may not* but here's a possiblility... they could have pee on them. yes, you would thinking grooming would get it out, but not all the time. you may not realize it because they're dark colored.. Sally is a Pink Eyed White, so she's light colored and i can tell when she is dirty. my other gerbils, i can't tell too much until they stink or feel gross to the touch.

how often do they get baths?
what type of wheel do they have?
how many are in the cage together?
how often do you clean the cage?
does their water bottle leak at all?

i ask what type of wheel they have because Sally had a silent spinner. what happened was she slept underneath it and the pee that had been in the wheel leaked onto her *gross, i know*. she smelled and her fur was yellow. if yours have dark fur, you may not be able to tell. if you have a mesh wheel, this may not be the case.

like boz said, this could be a medical condition. i dont think we could tell if it was or not..
but i have a few simple steps for you to figure out...
PLEASE DO NOT DO THIS A LOT: you have to be extremely cautious while doing it to avoid any shock.

1. get the Squeaky Clean shampoo www.petsmart.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2753363&lmdn=Small+Pet

2. fill a tub or sink up with about 2-3 inches of lukewarm water (make sure its NOT cold and not hot, just warm.) also be sure the room you are in is warm.

3. avoid getting any water in the ears or eyes. you can pretty much avoid the head all together.

4. take a tiny bit of the shampoo (just enough to cover your pinky finger) and gently massage it into the fur, especially the very oily parts. be careful not to let your gerbil go into shock.

5. rinse, make sure you get ALL of it out.

6. gently dry your gerbil with a towel or dry wash cloth

7. put back into cage. they may roll or groom each other, they're just trying to get dry. they might even sleep.

8. when dried, let them enjoy some treats and a sandbath!! it's well deserved ;]

if that doesn't work and doesn't take out the oil in the fur, please go see a vet to see if antibiotics could help control the oil they have in their fur. did they ever at one point get tar or grease on them?

^-^ hope that helps!

[greenbelt09]

Aug 3, 2009 13:55:41 GMT -8 gerbiluv10 said:

PLEASE DO NOT DO THIS A LOT: you have to be extremely cautious while doing it to avoid any shock.

1. get the Squeaky Clean shampoo www.petsmart.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2753363&lmdn=Small+Pet

2. fill a tub or sink up with about 2-3 inches of lukewarm water (make sure its NOT cold and not hot, just warm.) also be sure the room you are in is warm.

3. avoid getting any water in the ears or eyes. you can pretty much avoid the head all together.

4. take a tiny bit of the shampoo (just enough to cover your pinky finger) and gently massage it into the fur, especially the very oily parts. be careful not to let your gerbil go into shock.

5. rinse, make sure you get ALL of it out.

6. gently dry your gerbil with a towel or dry wash cloth

7. put back into cage. they may roll or groom each other, they're just trying to get dry. they might even sleep.

8. when dried, let them enjoy some treats and a sandbath!! it's well deserved ;]

if that doesn't work and doesn't take out the oil in the fur, please go see a vet to see if antibiotics could help control the oil they have in their fur. did they ever at one point get tar or grease on them?

^-^ hope that helps!

Hey, what should you do if a gerbil goes into chock from this cause? Mine hasn't, and I've never had to use water on her, but if I ever did and she went into shock it would be better to know before hand obviously... so is there anything (that you know of) to do? Or would they just either pass away or recover themselves?

[gerbiluv10]

not sure actually. i've never had a gerbil go into shock. i would say keep calm and do what your instincts tell you too. i dont think shock can affect them long-term... but you may want to look about and see what you can do if your gerbil were to go into shock