What should I do about a lost tail after an injury?

[elaine1301]

Hi. We have two female gerbils and they have been getting on well for the past year or so. They were squabbling a little yesterday evening but nothing major and so I didn't think anything about it. This morning one of them has lost the end section of her tail - it looks like it might have been bitten off either by the other gerbil or possibly by the cat if he has sneaked into the room when I wasn't looking (this seem the least likely explanation). There is also some cuts around her rear leg.

I've separated the gerbils, given the injured one a dust bath to clean up her fur a bit as there was a little blood on it, and have put the injured one in a new gerbilarium with clean bedding etc. She is sleeping now, but is there anything else I should do? Do I need to take her to the vets?
Thanks in advance for any advice.
Elaine
P.S. She has eaten some sunflower seeds earlier (special treat), some nibble sticks, and has drank some water and was quite happy being handled earlier.

[rs]

I just stumbled onto this thread, so I hope that by now everyone is okay. We got our Jenny after she lost her tail at the pet store. The staff had her in a separate thank and gave her less bedding than usual, changing it every day. Are your girls okay?

[alleyj]

If this ever happens again, I would take her to the vet just to be sure. Gerbils have tiny little systems and infection can spread with lightening speed, especially in a cage that isn't spotless and will never be. I fostered a gerbil who had lost her tail in a fight the week prior and seemed fine. One day I came in and she was in horrible shape, breathing hard with lost patches of hair and even with vet help I couldn't save her. I regret not taking her in and getting her on antibiotics right when her tail came off.

Just for reference, when gerbils roll around with each other aggressively it is attacking. When they get up on their hind legs and bat at each other it's play. My girls do this often.

[rs]

Point of information: I asked our vet about this. Our Jenny (who he has examined) did very well with the way the pet store staff took care of her,but he recommends taking gerbils with injured tails (even if not off) to a vet. They can check our friends for infection and other, possibly hidden, injuries, and can even do surgery to complete a clean amputation.