Ear thing and above ground sleeping

[xtra]

Yeah I not sure how to describe it. My black gerbil Aki has kind of a pink thing in his ear. Not sure if its like the ear lobe or something. Sorry i don't know how to describe it ^^;;;

I was just wondering if anyone knew what i was talking about

Also the above ground sleeping is normal right ?
I figured that it was because it was warm so i opened the window up a little bit to cool the room, and i also gave them some cold blueberries. Is that ok ?

[gerbillover9612]

Im not sure about the ear thingy but above ground sleeping is fine as far as im aware i guess its just where they find comfiest and safest. Opening the window and giving them cold blueberries isn't necessarily necessary (if that makes sense) But i would get someone elses opinion about the ear thing and above ground sleeping. Sorry its not much help xx

[wolfgirl]

above ground sleeping is perfectly normal, especially when its hot. and could you try to take a picture of the ear thing? i'll see if i can get a good picture from one of my boys so you can compare.

[qtoffer]

A picture of the ear will help. Actually, pictures of both ears would be good for comparison. Try distracting the gerbil with a sunflower seed and hopefully he'll sit still enough for you to get good well lit shots.
Gerbils dissipate excess body hear through the ears, and they can get quite pink when it's warm.

Sleeping on the top during hot weather is normal. Cool treats like refrigerated berries are always welcome.

[rennmaus]

Cold blueberries are my gerbils' favourite thing about summer time!  

[xtra]

Ok thanks for waiting patiently while i got a photo of Aki's ear. I done both side so you can compare. Here is the normal side:



And here is the side i am concerned about:






Does anyone know what it is. I'm not sure myself because I have only had the boys for a little over a year now, so I'm still inexperienced and still have a lot to learn. 
I haven't seen any strange behavior... well stranger than normal. And I haven't really noticed any change in him. 

[qtoffer]

Good shots - give him another sunflower seed for being so good

It certainly does look like there's some kind of growth there. From what I've read, these are usually benign and slow growing. Often they're overlooked until they they start bleeding from being scratched at. How long have you noticed it and does it seem to be getting bigger? Does he scratch at it or does it seem to irritate him at all?

I would imagine that most vets would adopt a wait-and-see approach and only remove the growth if it started bleeding or otherwise bothering Aki. In the meantime, you can find out how much it would cost to remove and start saving up just in case it does need to be removed someday.

[xtra]

I noticed it for a while but didn't think too much of it, I thought it was part of the ear or a bit of bedding because sometimes they will just burst up out of the bedding rather than use the tunnels. It looks the same size from what I remember.

But the funny thing is when i see him i seem to be the one more bothered by it, he doesn't seem to notice or care

[eleda]

Jean Luc had a growth like this on his eyelid and he even ignored that even tho it was getting pretty big. I guess they'll put up with a lot. I had to have his removed because of the location - it could have caused other health issues if left alone (and it grew quickly) but the vet said it was benign so if it hadn't been on the eye we probably could have left it

[xtra]

Thanks for replying. I will keep an eye on him and see how it is and if it stays the same