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Post by catnut on Mar 16, 2014 14:37:15 GMT -8
sorry to hear one didn't make it and hope the others aren't ill, keep up the good work, it will be soo cute when they open their eyes and act more like gerbils.
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Post by chloejane on Mar 16, 2014 16:49:14 GMT -8
sorry to hear one didn't make it and hope the others aren't ill, keep up the good work, it will be soo cute when they open their eyes and act more like gerbils. Thank you; they all seem to be ok when I fed them just, they are right little buggers at the moment haha! When feeding them I'll put the gerbil back in the next and I'll get the next one (since each one is a different colour and I've name them all it's a lot easier to pin poor which ones I've fed and which ones I haven't) and by the time ie done that the rest of the gerbils have scattered across the cage and I have to round them all back up haha; they have small dots in the corner of their eyelids which hopefully means they should open any time over the next 2 days I'll keep you updated
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Post by MoonstoneGerbils on Mar 16, 2014 20:05:57 GMT -8
As far as vet costs... probably about $50-$100. It can really vary quite a bit around the country. i usually pay 60-75 for an exotics visit. Plus, there's always the "emergency fee".
The probably have a pneumonia, or other upper respiratory infection. It is possible that you are just hearing suckling sounds, but those sound different, and i can't quite tell you what that difference is. Also, with one dead pup that leans more towards the likelyhood of it being a disease.
Are they with an adult still? and/or do they have a heating pad? or heat lamp to keep them warm?
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Post by chloejane on Mar 16, 2014 21:59:41 GMT -8
As far as vet costs... probably about $50-$100. It can really vary quite a bit around the country. i usually pay 60-75 for an exotics visit. Plus, there's always the "emergency fee". The probably have a pneumonia, or other upper respiratory infection. It is possible that you are just hearing suckling sounds, but those sound different, and i can't quite tell you what that difference is. Also, with one dead pup that leans more towards the likelyhood of it being a disease. Are they with an adult still? and/or do they have a heating pad? or heat lamp to keep them warm? Ok yeah that's quite a lot but I'm from the UK so it would be slightly cheaper - and yes that is what I thought at first is it suckling sounds as sometimes they don't make the noise as much as when they want feeding- if you understand what I'm saying- unfortunately no they are not with mum but I place a hot water bottle (with a cover on) under their cage and replace that every time they get fed (every 2 hours) I make sure the temperature is right and doesn't go out 80 farenheit. I was going to use heat pads but I was worried with them that they would get too hot cause you can't really cover them :/ But I am please with their progress as a few people told me that the babies may only last a few days (due to not getting all the nutrients) but they have been hand feeding for 9 days and I'm so pleased with how they are growing One last question their bellies are starting to feel quite fat now they are getting fed every 2 hours (they get fed at 5:30 - finish at 6 they get fed 2 hours later - this was because they wouldn't feed as well at 2 hours for example 6:00-8:00) when would I be able to make the period of the feed longer for example 2 1/2 hours etc, just to make sure I am not over feeding them ?
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Post by betty on Mar 17, 2014 0:15:57 GMT -8
How much are they eating each time? I suppose that is just as important as how often.
When I tried to hand rear mine - she wouldn't eat a thing - so I have no idea how much their little tummies can hold.
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Post by ashtree93 on Mar 17, 2014 2:52:52 GMT -8
In terms of vet costs in the UK, I'm in Kent and it costs the sme as a standard consultation (£32). If you need medicine like Baytril, I was charged £12 for a big bottle as I had to treat 5 gerbils.
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Post by chloejane on Mar 17, 2014 9:19:30 GMT -8
How much are they eating each time? I suppose that is just as important as how often. When I tried to hand rear mine - she wouldn't eat a thing - so I have no idea how much their little tummies can hold. I just feed them as much as they went usually about 0.2/0.3 ml every 2 hours, I thinking about making the length of their feeds longer as their bellies seem to be on the tubby side - as I said try have been hand reared for 10 days and 1 passed away Saturday, but I think they are doing well
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Post by chloejane on Mar 17, 2014 9:20:37 GMT -8
In terms of vet costs in the UK, I'm in Kent and it costs the sme as a standard consultation (£32). If you need medicine like Baytril, I was charged £12 for a big bottle as I had to treat 5 gerbils. Ok thanks for that, I know in a vets near mine I think a primary consultation is on special at the moment for £26 but I will ring around and keep that price band in mind- thanks again !
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Post by chloejane on Mar 18, 2014 12:29:53 GMT -8
Good news/quick update the pups are 18 days old and have finally started to open their eyes, I noticed when I fed them just one of the gerbils was sitting there with one eye open and the other one starting to open. They are making good progress I would include a picture but they are looking a tad scruffy so I have to give them a clean with some cotton buds I'll post a picture when I can
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Post by danw19 on Mar 18, 2014 12:58:44 GMT -8
That's great to hear Can't wait to see a picture
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Post by chloejane on Mar 19, 2014 0:16:31 GMT -8
So since the gerbils are 19 days old- I'm going to guess their chance of survival is a lot higher in comparison to when I started hand rearing them (9 days old)
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Post by chloejane on Mar 19, 2014 6:00:01 GMT -8
Unfortunately another gerbil has died so I have a litter of 5. I will keep you all updated on their progress though
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Post by chloejane on Mar 19, 2014 6:18:10 GMT -8
Ok It sounds sad to say but all the gerbils seem a bit slow on their feet today I'm not keeping my hopes up on to whether they will make it or not, I'm doing my best for them and I will keep you updated on them
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Post by betty on Mar 19, 2014 12:07:12 GMT -8
Oh no, I hope they perk back up after all they have been through....
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Post by chloejane on Mar 19, 2014 12:23:47 GMT -8
Oh no, I hope they perk back up after all they have been through.... I have a feeling they must have had an infection as another 2 are not moving very much; I have moved them so they are seperate, looks like things aren't going well for them but i got told when I started to hand rear them that chances of survival are slim and their health can deteriorate rapidly
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