gerbil diagnosis

[Robin]

hi, my name is Robin and i have two gerbils, chip and dale. dale is fine but chip seems very ill. his eyes open only part way when they are open at all, he has trouble eating and a very hard time walking, it seems like his back legs might be paralyzed or injured. he is very shaky/ wobbly most of the time. he also will stay put for long periods of time which is extremely unusual for him as he was always a very hyper gerbil. right now he is just sitting on my computer keyboard, not moving, with his eyes closed. he also bit me, which he has not done before. whats wrong with chip and how can i help him? im very worried so plz give some advice.

thanks,
~*Robin*~ and chip

p.s. chip is almost albino, with light gray fur and red eyes and he is almost two years old. i got him from a store called the fish nook along with his brother dale. he has been to ssee the vet once before for sore eyes.

[doomgerbiluk]

it sound as though he is sick and I would suggest a vet could best diagnose any illness
certainly those are the symptoms of a very unwell gerbil
keep him warm and unstressed and see a vet asap

[sweetie]

I also would recommend a vet. Have you given him any change in diet? Some times, if they eat too much, they can respond that way.

THe only way to know for sure is a vet and I strongly reccommend that. You can look under vet listings further down depending on where you live.

Keep us posted. I hope all goes well for you and Chip.

[Ritzie/Admin]

It is always good to visit a vet!

I had maybe a similar situation with one of my former females! Only not this severe! She has had a stroke, and one side of her face was paralyzed! One eye was always half open and sometimes stuck together (eye lids).

Here some information on strokes from my site:
Strokes
Symptoms: Suddenly paralysis or weakness down one side, these are more common in older gerbils. Right-hand picture taken by Peter Maas.

Causes: A brain haemorrhage or a blood clot in a blood vessel in the gerbil's brain.

Treatment: Most of the times a gerbil will unfortunately die. When they do survive they will recover mostly very quick and may be left with little or no disability. The best treatment is to try and make the gerbil as comfortable as possible and keep it warm. Contact also a vet.

Prevention: You cannot prevent it.


This is how she looked like, here she has here eye open, but thatw as not always the case! She lived with this for a year!

[gracie]

aww, poor little chip

i wuld also say the vet is the best thing to try at this point. do u hav a good vet 2 go 2?

[amie]

poor little guy! i agree with wat gracie said, u should take him to the vet!