Post by doomgerbiluk on Apr 24, 2005 1:49:48 GMT -8
We have heard a lot of cases of this and in fact the it seems to be on the increase.
In the UK the NGS has identified a strain of E-coli as being the cause of many of these incidents. This form has responded to baytril.
To read the NGS advice on E-coli read
gerbilsuk.proboards15.com/index.cgi?board=talk&action=display&thread=1111772986
This is good advice for all gerbil owners.
Now for my experience:
my problems started with one of my breeders, Tufty, who I had seperated from her partner, and had just taken the females from her previous two litters away for rehoming. She had a young litter, eyes just opening who all developed diarhioea. These where treated with baytril orally and the rest of my stock given baytril throught the water bottles.
3 out of the 4 pups got sick and died.
After treating my whole stock I assumed they where clear. Two months later an unrelated female, Ragamuffin, had 4 pups, including my 1st ee pups. 3 out of 4 got sicked and died at eye opening stage. Baytril did nothing for them. Since then my stock has been in quarantine.
Tufty had a litter of 7, one died at birth and theother 6 have turned into fine fat gerbl pups. yesterday their eyes opened and 4 developed diarhoea. I amtreatign with baytril and will see the vet Monday to arrange cultures and a sensitivity test.
Meanwhile I would urge EVERYONE to be wary of diarhoea in gerbils and take it seriously. I know of one lass in Europe who has lost a number of gerbils and jirds to E-coli and with the increasing number of cases it is up to all of us to take this seriously, not just for our own stock but for the sake of those we rehome to.
I am not urging panic, I would emphasise that gerbils are relaitvely disease free and easy to care for, and that this problem will only become a major issue of breeders ignore the problem.
In the UK the NGS has identified a strain of E-coli as being the cause of many of these incidents. This form has responded to baytril.
To read the NGS advice on E-coli read
gerbilsuk.proboards15.com/index.cgi?board=talk&action=display&thread=1111772986
This is good advice for all gerbil owners.
Now for my experience:
my problems started with one of my breeders, Tufty, who I had seperated from her partner, and had just taken the females from her previous two litters away for rehoming. She had a young litter, eyes just opening who all developed diarhioea. These where treated with baytril orally and the rest of my stock given baytril throught the water bottles.
3 out of the 4 pups got sick and died.
After treating my whole stock I assumed they where clear. Two months later an unrelated female, Ragamuffin, had 4 pups, including my 1st ee pups. 3 out of 4 got sicked and died at eye opening stage. Baytril did nothing for them. Since then my stock has been in quarantine.
Tufty had a litter of 7, one died at birth and theother 6 have turned into fine fat gerbl pups. yesterday their eyes opened and 4 developed diarhoea. I amtreatign with baytril and will see the vet Monday to arrange cultures and a sensitivity test.
Meanwhile I would urge EVERYONE to be wary of diarhoea in gerbils and take it seriously. I know of one lass in Europe who has lost a number of gerbils and jirds to E-coli and with the increasing number of cases it is up to all of us to take this seriously, not just for our own stock but for the sake of those we rehome to.
I am not urging panic, I would emphasise that gerbils are relaitvely disease free and easy to care for, and that this problem will only become a major issue of breeders ignore the problem.