semi-wobbly gerbil?

[eleda]

Ever since Jack got home from the vet yesterday he's looked odd. He spends a lot of time hunched up and 'resting' in his jar, though he does come out to patrol the tank and eat. It's been a while since I saw him drink successfully.

When he's in the tank and moving around he looks sort of wobbly at times, like he cant keep his balance properly. This morning when he tried to stand up for a drink it looked like he lost his balance and fell over. And yet at other times, if I'm trying to hold him for example, he looks pretty normal. I've also seen him jump onto his shelf rather than climbing up, which should indicate some coordination, but there was another time that he was using the ladder and he looked very unsteady.

It's hard to get a read on how he's really doing. His tank mate is very healthy and super active. (He's also pushing Jack around a little bit <_<)

I have some wide-spectrum antibiotic from when Rory was sick. Since Rory died before he could really use it, I thought I'd try giving it to Jack just in case he has an ear infection. I've also tried giving him water with the syringe, but he didn't seem to take it. not sure what that means.

Aside from looking unsteady at times, he is very blimpy. Rather a chubby fellow. But the vet found no evidence of parasites and he has no lumps or masses in his tummy.


It seems like every time I think he's doing better he starts to look bad again, and goes back and forth. <=/ rather troubling since I don't know what to think

[aquamarinegerbil]

I know exactly what you mean. My gerbil was doing the exact same thing! I don't want to put any false ideas out or anything, but that haoppened to my gerbil and she died. I never took her to the vet though. I'm not sure what he has. I'm sorry!

[aquamarinegerbil]

Hopefully he'll get better!

[eleda]

hmm....well I will try to keep him alive; if he dies, I'm getting a necropsy done. So if you're right about them having the same thing, we'll both know what it was!

[aquamarinegerbil]

I really hope he doesn't die! Goodluck! My gerbil was wobbly and looked like she was falling over, butI noticed she was drinking a lot which I thought was a good sign. Does he have red goop coming out of his eyes?

[eleda]

nope! aside from the wobbling he just looks fat. otherwise hes normal

[aquamarinegerbil]

Well my gerbil did so hopefully he'll be ok!

[eleda]

took a video of what jack looks like normally in his tank (complete with a little wobbling)

and what he looks like out of his tank (no wobbling)

[johanne]

Great idea with the videos! Looking at him, he just strikes me as looking old. Like a doddering old man when he's relaxed in his tank. And putting on a good show of youth when he's out, lest anyone think he's "past it." Any idea how old he is?

[eleda]

I was thinking the same thing! He looks like an old man. But if something catches his attention and hes interested he perks up. Maybe he's just bored and lazy.

My best guess to his age is 7 months. No one has told me flat-out, but I figured he was six months when I got him since he had just come into the store recently and a vet told me his cagemate was 6 months old. Doesn't make sense for a pet store to order an old gerbil. And he definitely hadn't been there long. It's been a month since I got him so I figure he's around 7.

[johanne]

I suppose it's possible there was a mistake somewhere along the line, and an older gerbil ended up in the shipping box instead of a youngster that was supposed to go. Not everyone pays attention to what they're doing, lol.

I have a few elderly males who toddle around much more wobbly and slow than Jack. But then I know they're old.

All you can do is wait and see what happens. With more exercise and a new friend in your nice big tank, maybe he'll perk up. He's certainly had more than his fair share of stress in the last little while.

[jackierose]

This happened to two of my gerbils. One got really bad and died, the other was showing the same symptoms, just a little wobbly, but we got him to the vet in time and he gave us a course of antibiotics. I believe it was a middle-ear infection, deadly left untreated.
If antibiotics don't work, or your gerbil shows signs of recovery on it's own then it could possible be a stroke, which is nothing to worry about, if a gerbil can stand and eat after a stroke then they make almost a full recovery with a lot of TLC. My gerbil, Twitch had a stroke when he was 3 and he's still living a happy life now two years later

[eleda]

I gave him antibiotics for a few days, and he showed improvement but then he was so strong I couldn't keep him still long enough to dose him. I thought maybe he had gotten better. Today, though, he looks like he may be relapsing. I also noticed he had a wet/messy bottom today and his feet may have been a little cold. I guess I'll start the medicine again tomorrow, but how do I know when he's well for sure? I'll be treating him for weeks if i go till the bottle empties.

[jackierose]

How much did the the vets give you? I got a lot more than i needed from my vet for £18, so i had been treating my gerbil for over two months, i've still got some medicine left too, 0.05 a day. There really isn't a way to tell when they're completely better, an infection can still be present in the body although symptoms aren't there, i just went with the better safe than sorry approach, he showed no more signs of illnesses after two weeks of treatment but i carried out the treatment for another 6 weeks, just in case because if you stop antibiotic treatment while the infection is still present, then the infection can become stronger and resistant to any treatment. A think two months of treatment is enough, on the second month you can give him one dose a day instead of two, he should be fine!
Hope this helps!

[eleda]

i don't know how much i have since the bottle isn't marked, but I guess I'll just try to use it all. >_< jack is not going to be happy with me.