Red stuff around eyes

[jenniferelizabeth]

Peaches my gerbil has like a little blood trail that looks like it came from her eye but it might have not been. I looked over at the tub she's in and she was drinking from the water bottle and I thought she had no eye and I started to panic but her eye seems normal but is this an emergency? do I need to call a vet or could her and Hazel gone a little too far and accidently hurt each other. I've never seen them fight, I don't even think they play fight and I've had them since Feb 2005 so I'm pretty sure they're getting along and I just checked them and Hazel was grooming her so I don't need to split them up. Should I wipe her eye or something? I tried to take a picture but she wouldn't sit still and it came out blurry. Or could it be red tears...like what dogs have? or pnemonia or however you spell it or does that only come out of their nose. I'm really worried, I've never had them sick before and they were my first gerbils please help

[pepandmax]

Most likely the red stuff you see near Peaches's eye is a substance called porphyrin. Porphyrin is secreted by the Harderian gland, and it usually shows up crusting the eyes and/or the nose of the gerbil. The Harderian gland goes into overdrive if the animal is stressed or is allergic to something. I have noticed porphyrin around some of my gerbils' noses when it starts to get warm during the spring, and my vet mentioned that excess humidity in the air can also cause secretions.

So, you need to figure out what's bothering Peaches. Has the weather changed suddenly in Ontario? Have you switched the type of bedding you use? Does the tank need to be cleaned? If absolutely nothing has changed, give Peaches a few days and see if her eyes clear up.

Also, jenniferelizabeth, I am going to change the subject heading of this post, so that in the future, if other members have a similar problem, they can find a post that will help them.

Hope this helps!
Nicole

[jenniferelizabeth]

She's on aspen like she's always been but it has gotten a lot hotter lately so it's probably that. I have a thermometer on the shelf they're on and it says 22 degrees celsius... is that too hot for gerbils?
I have a fan going to try to cool down the room to how it was a few days ago. Is there any need to wipe her eye, when Hazel was grooming her I saw her try to lick it away but it's seem to have stained her fur.

[pepandmax]

22 Celsius is about 72 degrees Fahrenheit. That's not that hot. Also, I think it's the humidity that's a problem, not the heat. I'll dig out some photocopies that my vet made for me to make sure. Later in the summer when it gets really hot, get a few large stones or ceramic tiles, wash them well, and put them in the freezer until they get nice and cold. Then, put them in the tank, and that will provide some relief from the heat.

For right now, as long as she's able to open and close her eye easily, I would leave her alone. If her eye gets so crusted that she can't open or close it, then use a cotton pad and warm water to gently wipe her eye and around it.

Perhaps it's time to clean her tank, and the dust created from the cardboard and aspen is bothering her. When is the last time you cleaned the tank? To avoid dust until her eyes clear up, you could dump out the aspen and line the bottom of the tank with plain paper towels. Be forewarned, though, that Peaches and her friend will likely try to destroy the paper towels, so you might have to add a layer or two every day!

Nicole

[jenniferelizabeth]

They're actually now in a big clear storage tub with a wire mesh lid now because it was more roomier than the 10 gallon they were in before. I cleaned it I think 4 days ago but I have no problems cleaning it again, I have carefresh bedding and a little bit of corncob so should I use that or just the paper towels?

Thank you so much for the help

[pepandmax]

Hmmm... for now, I would just line it with paper towels. In my opinion, carefresh is pretty dusty. Corncob is better, but if you don't have enough, then just stick with the paper towels.

Let us know how she's doing in a couple of days, like perhaps on Monday.

Nicole

[jenniferelizabeth]

Okay I lined it with paper towel, they seem to be having fun chewing it up. All that's left today is a little tiny bit of red crust in the corner of her eye and she seems to be doing great. I'll post again tommorow thanks again.

[amethystdragon]

i know this, it happends alot with rats. there are glans near the eye of a gerbil, when ever they need to wash themselves they use the glans to polish their furr up... if the glans are overactive or they dont wash themselves there will appear red crusts around the eye.... the glan is either over active or your gerbil is not feeling well and doesnt wash himself...

[Josien from Holland]

hi,
I am Josien from the Netherlands. I have one gerbil now, because his brother died last year. But now he had got one normal eye, and the other one is closed, like he is sleeping. That eye has a little bit dirty stuff around it, i think it's from his eye.
Do you know what i have to do ?
I'm sorry for my bad english
xx

[pepandmax]

Hi Josien,

Sometimes porphyrin can make the eyelids stick closed. Porphyrin is a reddish brown color. Sometimes it looks like blood. Use a soft cotton pad or a tissue with a bit of warm water on it. Gently wipe your gerbil's eye. He will close his eye automatically, so don't worry about hurting him. This will help to remove the porphyrin.

Porphyrin is produced from allergies or other environmental factors. Does your gerbil have any "dirty stuff" around his nose, also?

Nicole

[Josien]

His eye opens yesterday, and yes, he has a little bit black/brown stuff around his nose. two weeks ago I put some sand into his glass cage, because I've read that he likes that. His cage is clean.
What do i have to do ?
Josien

[pepandmax]

Josien, what type of litter/bedding do you use for your gerbil?

If you are using pine or cedar, stop using it and buy aspen or corn cob. If you're using a paper-based litter (like Carefresh), the dust may be irritating him. Switch to aspen or corn cob.

It is important to try to find out what's bothering him, because if left untreated, his nose can become infected. Then he'll need medicine (antibiotics) to recover.

Nicole

[Josien]

I use nothing of what you said. I use
i32.photobucket.com/albums/d46/gerritdepostduif/beukensnippers01.jpg
Mixed with some sand. He sleeps ( his whole live) in a lot of hay. It show me off that he scratch himself a lot, more than he did. Why would he do this ?

[pepandmax]

I don't recognize the type of litter in that picture. Can you post a picture of the package? What is it called on the package?

If your gerbil is scratching himself, there may be another problem, like mites (very very small bugs). It is hard to say without more description. Is he acting normally, besides scratching?

Nicole

[gerbiliser]

a couple of times my gerbils' eyes have become stuck together shut, but after awhile , did open, but recently straighty, had a red patch of (what I think is) blood. It has not happened since, and no damage seems to have been caused, I just wondered what ind of thing might have caused this?