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Post by gerbilsalldaway on Jun 28, 2007 12:45:17 GMT -8
I don't think it should be unstickied either! Its a REALLY useful thread!
Last summer - after seeing the heart-rendering deaths of 8 baby lionhead rabbits from heat-stroke - I was adament that my pets would NOT suffer from heat-stroke and in each gerbil cage I placed a small tile which they could sit on. They proved so successful that I left them in all winter and they were great.
I also used a sprayer (one of those things for spraying clothes before you iron them) to slightly dampen my gerbils at regular intervals throughout the day. It never did any harm and I am just WONDERING what harm it could do.
Also, would tanks not get really hot inside? I opened my (well-ventilated) playpen tank today and it was like a microwave inside!
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Post by abbey on Jun 28, 2007 15:24:43 GMT -8
Well apart from the obvious discomfort spraying a gerbil would cause, unless it is very very hot - the tpye of heat ireland doesnt really get much, the gerbil would stay damp for a while and be at high risk of getting a respiratory infection.
I find it strange your tank would be like a 'microwave' today since ireland was mostly overcast with only a few short sunny spells in between showers - certainly no gap of time where the sun could raise the temperature that much.
Tanks dont get too hot unless they are improperly ventilated, or placed somewhere that is going to get a lot of sun, but tiles/marble slabs etc are always helpful in the hot weather.
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Post by ohmylokix on Jun 28, 2007 15:57:32 GMT -8
My tanks are always room temp. Of course, I have the fan in my parent's room blowing cool air from the AC into the hall until we get central air.
It could also shock them. Gerbils have a higher core temperature than us. If you spray them with what seems like 'cool' water, you are actually spraying them with chilly water!
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Post by Thelodar on Jun 8, 2008 8:00:50 GMT -8
THANK YOU for this thread. I was about to ask about it since my two have been sprawled out on their backs barely doing anything active since yesterday and I am really feeling for them. I'm gonna get some ice packs to put around the tank and a tile or terra cotta pot.
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Post by SilverGerbil on Jun 8, 2008 11:46:20 GMT -8
I really wish i had seen this thread alittle while ago. Poor old little Sparrow came down with heat stroke and i really thought i was going to loose her. I found her at about 6 at night i had been at work. It was one of the most terrorfieghing things to have happen to you, it was almost as bad as the situation with my cat Darcy (whos fine now btw  ) She had most of the signs you listed. - very heavy panting - pressed up against cool glass - extremely lethargic and weak - disorientated But she also had a very greesy ruffelled up coat. (they get sand baths so its not from my leglect!!) When i picked her up she just didnt know what was going on. eyes shut ears down and was really bad i didnt know what had happened. Rushed downstairs and got my mums help and she and i both identified as heatstroke she suffered it badly. But how i got her back was by filling a jam jar with frozen peas and water and putting that with a tight lid in one corner of the tank to radiate cool. I did try to give her bits of grape that were kept in the fridge to keep them cold for hydration, though she wouldnt accept so i had a seperate bottle with a dropper and cold water filled in it and dropped water for her aslong as she was accepting (like drinking from a water bottle but from a dropper). The scariest thign is her movement...has anyone else had a heat stroke gerbil? beacuse i would like to know whether or not her movement was just her...or its what they all did but she was dragging her self along by her front feet and just going mental slamming her self up against the glass tank to get cold...looked like she would hurt herself. And every 5-10 mins giving her more water. I kept doing this pretty much all night, and by about 8oclock the next morning she had perked up alot more, she had half open eyes and wasnt as panty. To be honest i thought i would be burying her in the garden the next morning from the state she was in. I mean when i had her in my arms she curled up on my chest and just laid their. I really think this thread deserves stickiness its a great help!! xoxox |
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Post by goudajack on Jul 6, 2008 16:44:54 GMT -8
Great thread. Wow silver, i'm glad you're "baby" is ok now. I've got things ready just in case something happens but i have them in the coolest room in the house (my room). |
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Post by izzerie on Mar 4, 2011 12:58:25 GMT -8
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Post by esztershine on Apr 13, 2011 8:21:22 GMT -8
Any suggestions on the opposite? If your house is not warm enough, say 16'C not 20'C should I worry about them catching a cold? As my flat is a ground floor one, the heating is appalling. it gets cold quick and can't use it when am out as it cost a fortune on the electricity bills. i, however found a website where I bought tank heaters, selling them for reptiles and small animals, 3 different sizes, and stick it to the glass underneath or on the side, from outside, I personally use it on timer, so every 15min it comes on, provides enough heat, but not too hot to get heat stroke.
is that any good? Or am I doing wrong here? I have been using them for over 2 years now.
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Post by cheekygerbils on Apr 13, 2011 9:44:48 GMT -8
Thanks PepandMax I found the thread very interesting. Living in Scotland I don't think I need to worry about my Gerbils getting sunstroke! I have noticed that they love sunbathing when the sun hits their tank, they jump up into the topper and stretch out. I always make sure there is a shaded part of the tank and if the temps get higher I'll move the tank into a permanently shaded area. Like all Scottish people my gerbils seem to soak up as much sunshine as possible whenever it appears! |
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doug
Member
Posts: 2,064
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Post by doug on Apr 13, 2011 19:29:40 GMT -8
This was a pretty old thread but since the question was asked...
Gerbils can take wide temperatures as they are desert animals, 16-20'C is actually an ideal temp for them. I have had gerbils bred and done fine in temps up to 90'F and down to near freezing for short times, on the colder temps they will burrow more to keep themselves warm.
That little item you linked is just perfect for gerbil to chew apart.
Doug
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Post by blocketh on Jul 25, 2011 13:18:54 GMT -8
Wouldn't it just be easier to switch the gerbil from an aquarium to a cage during the summer? I did that for my gerbils and they seem much happier.
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Post by gerbillies on Aug 27, 2011 12:58:22 GMT -8
Gerbils do sweat, I think. I found this out the hard way... Or something they were wet when our A.C broke
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Post by Markpd on Jan 30, 2024 12:56:04 GMT -8
Rediscovered this little gem of a post by Pepandmax in my bookmarks, seems worthy of the FAQ, so here it is! I don't think there's any need to unlock this thread as we can discuss any issues in the health section. But if you think otherwise, PM me. |
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