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Post by whitmoregirl on May 29, 2005 1:37:12 GMT -8
Kess has clearly been battling with Kali and by the looks of things, Kali has been wupping her butt even though she is teeny. Anyway, Kess's nose is pretty scraped (dry blood, fur looks as though it may have been scratched off). She hasn't got any scars or anything, just a bloody nose, and I'm showing her on the 4th June with Sienna (who is perfect - no battle wounds. And she's the dominant one!) So does anyone have any tips on how to clean all this dried blood off? UPDATE: I've tried with warm water and cotton buds and got a little off but there's still a bit left. Should I try a little disinfectant on some of the cuts? (For human cuts etc, not the kitchen cleaner)
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Post by doomgerbiluk on May 29, 2005 2:00:52 GMT -8
I would leave well alone hun, nature will take care of it , but if it seems to be bleeding (gerbil running noses look like blood) or fails to hal see a vet for some antibiotic cream. These things always happen just before shows
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Post by whitmoregirl on May 29, 2005 2:05:17 GMT -8
Lol, it's so typical as well I've been watching them all like a hawk in case of any serious fights or wounds and then this happens!! Do you think it'll heal in six days? I'm not terribly worried about the show tbh, but I would like her to look her best and with a bloody nose, she does leave something to be desired
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Post by whitmoregirl on May 29, 2005 8:01:58 GMT -8
:)I took some piccies of her nose, so you can see what I mean. (They are a little blurred and I apoligise for that and the size ) (Can't see it too well on the last two but they're pretty good ones of her colour) And here the two 'enemies' are, snuggled up in the bed. I think Sienna is somewhere behind them (UPDATE: I now have this as my piccy 'cos it's just too cute ) Oh, and I'm leaving it be for now, but everytime I pick her up I always look at it and I think it's getting on her nerves.
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Post by meganb52 on May 29, 2005 16:15:17 GMT -8
If it is indeed blood, a little hydrogen peroxide on a Q-tip should take it off. Just rub the Q-tip gently over the area and it should dissolve away. Hydrogen peroxide is one of those little veterinary clinic secrets I would still watch her, as doom said, to make sure she's nice and healthy and doen't have any infection going on up there. -Megan EDIT: Also, as stated in some of the later posts, it could be mucus. The ocular (eye) glands of gerbils secrete a substance called porphyrin that is red in color. When their skin is irritated, they may secrete more, giving a "bloody" appearance to the nose, and these sectetions also further irritate the nose, and the gerbil may scratch at it or overgroom its face. In that case, yes a warm, damp towel and a small amount of a topical anitbiotic ointment like neosporin may help clear everything up, but judging from those pictures, your gerbil looks to be doing ok. Good luck! -Megan-
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Post by AndreaS15 on May 29, 2005 17:52:23 GMT -8
I don't think it's blood at all. Looks like a allergy, gerbils mucos is a red colour, and when they have the allergies they scratch the nose more making it worse and it makes the hair fall out.
I wipe it with a damp towel, then place some polysporn (or hibitain cream) on it. You'll need to find out 'what' the allergy is, usually bedding. You can switch to a paper towel and toilet paper bedding untill it heals or try a Corn Cob bedding, so far there have not been any gerbil allergies to Corn Cob.
I've had to deal with the same thing quite a few times with some of my males who have nasty allergies.
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Post by lizzy on May 30, 2005 12:46:14 GMT -8
beautiful gerbil I found teatree oil in the petshop I work at, dubbing that on bloody noses worked wonders for me. mind you that was when my gerbils had been fighting, so i'm not sure if it would work for you if its an allergy.
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Post by whitmoregirl on May 30, 2005 13:00:48 GMT -8
beautiful gerbil I found teatree oil in the petshop I work at, dubbing that on bloody noses worked wonders for me. mind you that was when my gerbils had been fighting, so i'm not sure if it would work for you if its an allergy. Thanks And I'm pretty sure it's gotta be fighting, she's been in the same style bedding and such for three weeks now and the nose cuts have only just appeared. Plus the other night a few days before I noticed it they were all fighting . But tea tree oil ... hmm... well I'm going out tommorrow hopefully, I'll see if I can't find some. Which petstore is it that you found it in?
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Post by lizzy on May 31, 2005 7:23:05 GMT -8
Pets at home, there are many scattered around the uk.
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Post by whitmoregirl on May 31, 2005 9:17:10 GMT -8
Typical! I went all around the stores including two P@H and none had any!! I might try again in a little bit with a little water and some more cotton wool. It looks a lot better btw, it seems to be healing over, with just one (I think) clump of dried blood underneath her left nostril.
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Post by callimico on May 31, 2005 11:14:00 GMT -8
Beautiful girl but it looks like red mucus to me- exactly as I've seen it before (just once). It appeared in one of my girls living on aspen but I had placed a pine house in her tank. She was allergic to it and a few weeks later developed a red nose, after rubbing it it became raw and looked painful (dried clumps of "blood" underneath). After removing the house and putting in fresh corncob she has been fine. It could also be she's allergic to bedding, especially pine, but occasionaly aspen or carefresh can trigger the mucus. I'd try switching the bedding or checking to see if anything new was added to the tank. When gerbils fight they nip the flank, occasionaly sides, and most often base of the tail but I have never heard of a gerbil going for the face or nose before. When locked in a ball to kill one another they go for the throat- but at that point one would be dead, so I'd guess she's having a reaction to something in her tank rather then being nipped by her tank mate.
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Post by whitmoregirl on May 31, 2005 11:40:50 GMT -8
Thanks Calli And I don't know if she's allergic... lemme check what's in the cage.... Ok, they're on big value wood flakes (shavings basically) and the bedding is Nestle Down, economy pack. Jeeze I sound like such a cheapskate!! UPDATE: Ok, thinking it could be the bedding because the first two weeks they were on some green bedding I can't remember the name of and now they're on this Nestle Down which I've been using with my gerbils for the past 4 - 5 years with no problem... Still she always has to be the weird one doesn't she?? Btw, if anyone has any idea what colour she is, I appreciate your help
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RW
Member
When someone you love becomes a memory, the memory becomes a treasure. Puppy 6/6/07
Posts: 530
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Post by RW on May 31, 2005 12:22:11 GMT -8
I agree this looks like some sort of irritation, however:
About three weeks ago, a pair of adult males that I'd introduced four days before somehow managed to get into a fight, even though I was still keeping a very close watch on them. My argente cream had a very nasty bite clear through his left front paw and two bites beside his mouth. My black boy had several on his back, one on his tail, and numerous bites around his nose and mouth. Since this was my first experience with gerbils fighting, I don't know if bites to the nose and mouth are rare, but it can happen.
RW
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Post by doomgerbiluk on May 31, 2005 12:25:36 GMT -8
I have to tell you that I've seen gerbils give each other bloody noses a few times, usually when in a split cage though, where they fight throught the partition. It's unlikely that gerbils that fight to that degree will every live together either (at lease in my experience). My 3-year old Bailey always go for the face when fighting with others (he's had 3 female partners and every time I've tried to pair him with a son or another male it's been a disaster, the last time resulting in a bloody nose and losing the end of his tail through the split ) Anyway there are three possibilities, injury from fight or accident. allergy or infection (the latter usually after an injury). Yhe advice you've been given seems sound, obviously if it doesnt clear up you'll need antiobiotic cream. good luck
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Post by RyanF on May 31, 2005 14:39:21 GMT -8
It doesn't look too bad. I would just use a slightly wet papertowel to wipe off the nose, then maybe apply some neosporin to the nose. Then lots of rest and she should be fine. If the red nose continues, goto the vet to get some antibiotics.
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