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Post by RitzieAnn on Jun 9, 2005 18:42:26 GMT -8
One of the girls in my most recent litters (turned 1 month on the 5th) is completely bald on her underside butt area. She looks completely healthy otherwise. Eats, drinks, plays, chews.... all of it! I can onlly tell her and her sister apart by one spot, and her bald under-the-tail area. If you hold her on your hand, and lift up her tail, it's really funny to blow on her a little, because it looks like the wind has taken up her skirt!
But seriously, I'm getting a little bit worried because the balding area is bigger, and as funny as it would be to have a half naked gerbil, I don't much think it would be a good thing!
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Post by whitmoregirl on Jun 10, 2005 4:50:33 GMT -8
She could be allergic to something, or might just be scratching herself. Hm..... best keep an eye on her. (Hehe.... half naked gerbie... how sweet  ) |
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Post by meganb52 on Jun 10, 2005 6:07:21 GMT -8
That would also be my advice... One of the other major causes of hair loss in animals is an endocrine disorder, but those don't usually start on the underside of the animal, they usually start more on the flank and trunk of an animal, so yes, my guess would be allergy or overgrooming by another gerbil possibly... Keep us updated on her progress!
-Megan
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Post by RitzieAnn on Jun 10, 2005 15:58:49 GMT -8
She's starting to bald up her legs now... it's SOOO funny looking! The funny thing is that I've never seen her, or her siblings or mother grooming her there. I'll try to get a picture up here, but I have to down load my camera stuff to my boyfriend's computer, since mine is not smart enough for the internet at this moment.
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Post by sandy on Jun 10, 2005 17:58:39 GMT -8
It could be mites, too, Ritzie, I'd look closely for little moving black dots. Put her up on a paper towel for a minute or 2 and see.
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Post by RitzieAnn on Jun 10, 2005 22:36:07 GMT -8
hum... mites. Never thought of that. They do live in the house with a cat now, but she gets treated, and I've never noticed anything... but I'll look more closely now. But just to clarify, her skin is perfect and has NO blemishes on it, it just doesn't have hair either.
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Post by RitzieAnn on Jun 19, 2005 21:52:43 GMT -8
Hey, still not sure why she got a COMPLETELY bald "girly area" but I wanted to restate that I have NOT found mites, or any other living thing on ANY of my gerbils... ever. And also that the little girl mostly covered in fuzz downt here now. It's still not actual hair, but it's trying to grow!  YAY |
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Post by doomgerbiluk on Jun 20, 2005 1:11:24 GMT -8
I've seen this only on pups who had diarrhoea, when they recover the area often goes bald for a while and then the hair comes back, looking like very soft down at first.
Has this pup been ill at all?
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Post by meganb52 on Jun 20, 2005 12:18:58 GMT -8
Glad to hear she's re-growing her hair  |
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Post by RitzieAnn on Jun 21, 2005 9:07:38 GMT -8
nope! At first I thought she might have the runns, but her poo looked normal
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Post by RitzieAnn on Jun 22, 2005 22:56:28 GMT -8
OK! So... her butt area started growing fuzz back, and then she was tired yesterday evening, and funky looking this morning, and now she's dead.  What the heck! All of a sudden. No fits, or anything. It's like she just died of old age, but she's not even 2 months old! FREAKING GERBILS!  Just thought I'd let you all know on her lack of progress. Her body looked completely fine, and she pooped on me the day before she died, so I know that was functioning properly, but her little bald-ish area there looked like it should be printed with the pictures of the starving people in the concerntration camps. Her body was fine, and her skin was too, but her butt looked shrivly and dehydrated, but nothing else was, I did the pinch test, and she was fine!  |
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Post by sandy on Jun 23, 2005 9:19:29 GMT -8
Oh, no, I'm so sorry! Given that she was so young, there must be some disease to account for this death. It would be wise to take everything out of the tank and give it a good scrubbing with 10% bleach-water solution, along with all the stuff and toys you had in the tank. I'd also isolate her tank mates from your other tanks of gerbils, and reduce handling them for about 2 weeks. After handling them wash your hands before handling any of your other gerbs. A pain in the neck, I know, but it might prevent more unexplained deaths in your colony.
Er...unless this is another instance of the results of poisoning from those bad ex-roomies of yours.
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Post by sherri on Jun 23, 2005 9:31:34 GMT -8
Er...unless this is another instance of the results of poisoning from those bad ex-roomies of yours. |
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Post by meganb52 on Jun 23, 2005 9:44:49 GMT -8
I'm very sorry for your loss, Ritzie, and also completely clueless as to why she died. Animals with malnutrition can have poor hair coats, but I'm certain that's not the case with your gerbil. She may have just had some sort of congenital defect that took her early in life... I really have no idea. Very strange... -Megan |
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Post by RitzieAnn on Jun 23, 2005 22:16:50 GMT -8
her coat was beautiful, and well kept... SO who knows! And Sandy, no, I know for a fact that it had nothing to do with my jack-butt old roomie. The gerbils and I have been out of the trailer for nearly a month. I can't remember if she was balding then... I think maybe so, but still..... nearly a month- I'm sure something else would have surrfaced, right?
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YAY
What the heck! All of a sudden. No fits, or anything. It's like she just died of old age, but she's not even 2 months old! FREAKING GERBILS! 
Just thought I'd let you all know on her lack of progress. Her body looked completely fine, and she pooped on me the day before she died, so I know that was functioning properly, but her little bald-ish area there looked like it should be printed with the pictures of the starving people in the concerntration camps. Her body was fine, and her skin was too, but her butt looked shrivly and dehydrated, but nothing else was, I did the pinch test, and she was fine! 