water?

[jesster]

hi....I have a sad situation and need some advice. I got 2 6-week old gerbils from a breeder. They were lively and looking great. Two days later they were still great. The next morning when I woke up they were both lethargic and one was lying prone. This one died quite soon afterwards. The other one was moving more but wobbling a LOT while walking around and her eyes were almost shut. I held her and tried to give her water. She walked around in my hands a little and alternately slept and almost had little fits. I tried to keep her as comfortable as possible and do what I could, but sadly she died after about an hour or two. What did I do wrong? Is it possible they weren't drinking enough? For the first two days I had a spoonful of water for them but it always spilled so I eventually just left them with the water bottle. Shouldn't 6 week old gerbils be okay to drink from a water bottle on their own? I never actually saw them use it though. Could they die from dehydration in just 12 hours? Any other ideas? Please help.

[queenofthenile]

I'm really not sure what happened to your gerbils, Jesster, but I don't think it was dehydration. Was the water bottle in an easy to access location? It just seems like they went too fast to be dehydration.

Since the reason for their death is unknown, I would completely sanitize the cage and everything that goes in it with bleach - *twice*. That way you can ensure that any future gerbils will not wind up the same way.

Sorry to hear about the little guys, and I wish you the best.

[doomgerbiluk]

Agreed
if possible contact the supplier .....it may be they have a problem they are unaware of.
Check that their are no chemicals, drafts etc that might have made them ill
And yes clean that cage thoroughly
good luck

[sweetie]

Hey Jester,

I am sorry for your loss .

I just got a 6 week old pup and he is able to use the water bottle. I am not sure what might have caused it . What kind of litter did you use? I mine show signs of an allergic reaction when I used the Carefresh.

Like Doom suggested, it might be wise to contact the person you got it from.

Good luck. I wish you well!

[jesster]

Thanks everyone for your replies. I'm still not sure what happened. If anyone else has any ideas, please let us know.

Thanks again
Jesster

[sweetie]

Hey Jesster,

What kind of litter or bedding did you use? Food? House?

If you give us a run down from beginning to end, maybe we could figure it out? For example did you wash the cage with cleaner? Was it a new or used cage?

I really hope we can figure this out in order to prevent it in the future!! You may want gerbils again, right?

[j]

sweetie said:

Hey Jesster,

What kind of litter or bedding did you use? Food? House?

If you give us a run down from beginning to end, maybe we could figure it out? For example did you wash the cage with cleaner? Was it a new or used cage?

This would be my guess too. Something in their enviroment made them sick.

Dehydration - Nah. I've heard of gerbils going a couple of days without water. Even mine have been without water for a day and they were active and normal with no signs of dehydration. Most gerbils only drink a few drops a day anyway. And there was water spilled in the cage? They would've found it and licked it up if they were thirsty.

And if it was something wrong with the gerbils from poor breeding, they most likely wouldn't have been so active the first 2 days ....But you could also try a google search on whoever the breeder was you got them from, see if anyone else had any complaints that pop up.


What did you use for a cage? Bedding? Where did you have the cage/tank?

Did you have it in a drafty room? Use any kind of scented things or like cleansing products that could've gotten in the air? Touch any other rodents somewhere else without washing your hands and then touching them? Did you clean the cage before putting them in it? If so what did you clean it with..

[lydia]

Really sorry that your new gerbils died .
If you are not confident enough to contact the breeder yourself,list your set up and food etc. on here,I'm sure someone will be able to help.
Did the breeder run through the basics of gerbil care with you ?
Personally, I provide care sheets to anyone who buys a pet from me.
It sounds as if the second one did suffer a seizure,I've read about them in mongolian gerbils,but I'm not experienced enough to know what triggers them.Usually,they are expected to recover from a seizure,but I guess it is sometimes fatal.As yours were very young,and still getting used to a new home etc.,
maybe they both had a seizure,that unfortunarely for them and you,proved fatal.
Don't let this horrible experience,put you off keeping gerbils.They are normally very healthy little pets,that are a joy to own.Also,don't blame yourself.

Lyd

[lizzy]

going by the symptoms i'd have said a bad seizure/fit. however this is usually caused by stress and if you had them for 2 days and they'd been fine it shouldn't have happened on the third day. and usually not both of them have one at the same time. i'd definitely say contact the breeder.

agreeing with the others, i'd definitely say it wasn't dehydration.