Fur Loss (Stress?)

[kristinenote]

Silver has passed away. I had PTS when his quality of life went down. He had a tumor in his ear for a while.

Smoke is about, I'm not sure, but at least over 1 yr. Before I PTS Silver I saw a scab on Smoke's neck. I thought it was just Silver had bit Smoke because Silver was not being himself towards the end. But now the scab has turned into hairloss. I searched on this forum and found a link to Mites Symptoms. And I do not see dandruff, redness, itching.

I think it was a small wound that Smoke never let heal due to being a lone gerbil now, is over-grooming himsmelf. But I am unsure if I should get him to a vet, get a friend for him and start introductions, or what.
Picture
I really don't know how people get such good pictures of their gerbils... but Smoke is not as friendly as Silver was, and is a biter...so this was not fun for either of us.

[Thelodar]

I can't tell from the picture but it's possible the wound got infected, in which case he'll need to see a vet to get on some antibiotics.

[betty]

It could be where he is rubbing it on something and is wearing the hair away? If you can't see a single sore or a cause of the irritation then it is difficult to guess at anything. Also, if he is an Agouti colour (where the fur is a different colour underneath than it is on top) then you can usually see the different colours quite easily where the hair has lost its darker tip off.

Perhaps move all the solid things in his tank around so whatever gap is rubbing on his face isn't there anymore - and if you have anything with a small hole in it - then take that out too incase he is sticking his head IN the hole.

I have had this before where the skin doesn't look red at all. It can take quite a while to grow back too, so don't wait for the hair to grow back as a diagnosis if you think something else is the problem.

[kristinenote]

His fur is starting to come back. But he had been very inactive up until today, which I believe was from not having anyone to play with. I had been giving him a ton of attention, moving the cage to my desk.

Today I am starting introductions with a very young male pup. The pup's fur is kinda greasy, like all the gerbils in the litter. I doubt they ever had a sand bath. The pup, so far unnamed, is very small, but the biggest out of his litter. His ears are still kinda pinned back? Either pinned back or very small still. He had been living with 6 other babies, both female and male, in a 10 gallon tank. He was the only one I could definitely sex as male.

I am doing a very DIY kinda split cage methood. Where I've gotten a large plastic bin and a small cage inside the bin. I've done introductions before, so I'm not too worried.

Smoke is so excited right now, this is the happiest I've been him in a long time.