Paralysis of front paws - Update

[betty]

What would cause an adult female gerbils front paws to 'stop working'.

I will use human terms to describe it though for ease:

She is holding her arms like normal, but the paws are just droopy? She walks around sort of on her wrists and is reluctant to walk down to a lower level than she is on. She doesn't explore by moving when on human hands but is very inquisitive to smells and sights and goes up on her back legs to look around.

She eats with her wrists and still chews cardboard (she just wedges it against the side of something and sort of leans it in place). She hasn't lost weight and still looks totally normal in every other way.

She is 2 years old and was with her daughter of 19 months when they started to show signs of a de-clan. On closer inspection by the owner the front paws were noticed - which could either be the cause of the squabbling or the result of it. She also has some small scabs on her lower back and tail.

They aren't sure when this first happened, but couldn't be longer than their last clean out.

Any thoughts on what this might be would be appreciated.

[Shooting Star]

Any scabs around the "wrists"? My hunch would be an injury, since they know she's been bullied.

[betty]

No scabs around feet that she could see. She thought they looked 'puffy' but I think it was as they were all droopy and sitting differently on the wrist.

I just thought it was weird that it was both feet, totally useless... Could an infection cause it, or something systemic rather than injury related?

[Shooting Star]

It could be neurological, that would be my next guess.

[MoonstoneGerbils]

She could have recieved bites anywhere on the arm that severed the nerve. i would bet injury related.

[betty]

So, a month later, she is just about using the paws again and they are normal size. The left has fared better than the right so far and she is still in great condition although slightly subdued in character. She picks up food from the bowl with her mouth then holds it afterwards and manipulates it as normal.

It must have done something else that we can't see as well as we were just able to introduce her to a 5 month old female (who I think is brain damaged and definitely blind (long story behind that one)) - in one go.

I know someone who is very good at introducing gerbils and she thought that 2 single 'disabled' gerbils might work out well as neither would be dominant due to their disadvantaged state. She followed her normal first intro procedure, but they were just unaffected by each other, so she kept going.

They are currently asleep together in a tiny coconut shell - as they have been on and off since meeting each other for the first time about 4 hours ago today. Obviously, this is uncharted territory and the long term results will be monitored closely - I will be taking them into the bedroom tonight in case of delayed scuffles.

Although the paw one (Poppy) does a bit of prolonged bum sniffing and scent-marking, it seems that the blind one holds her ground a lot more nose to nose with Poppy (and has never scent-marked in her life that I have seen).

Is it a good idea to keep them together long term or am I just too hopeful - I don't want either of them to be alone if I can help it. And would you think that the fact that she is subdued means that she could be in pain?