Sick pup

[gerbilsrgreat]

A gerbil that I think is about 4-6 weeks old came in to my PetsMart with our last shipment of gerbils. He seemed really lethargic and so I isolated him Sunday, and today he was so weak I don't think he's going to make it through the night.

It's like he wasn't eating or something so one of our other associates took him home because we've been hand-feeding him every 2 hours. We have him in a large kritter keeper with a little heater on one side so it's a little warmer for him.

We've been giving him kitten milk replacer and it looked like he was trying to eat some seeds but what else can we give him for nutrition? If he makes it through the night then we might have a chance at what we can give him tomorrow so any advice ASAP would be really appreciated. Normally we would take him to our vet but the only vet that we have for small animals is out of the country on vacation, so I really need your help everybody! You can also email me directly at [e-mail]. Thanks a bunch in advance.

-Jeremiah

[meganb52]

whatever you can get him to eat would be good. No sugar added peanut butter gives fat and protein, no sugar added applesauce provides natural sugars and hydration. You could also give fruit chunks (apples, peaches, grapes, etc), lettuce, or veggie baby food. All these foods have a lot of water in them, so you'll want to watch for diarrhea because gerbils don't usually ingest that much liquid. When he starts perking up, you'll want to wean him onto a good pelleted and mixed seed diet. Like always, you want to listen for clicking noises and observe him for any discharge from his nose or eyes. Hope he feels better!

-Megan

[gerbilsrgreat]

Thanks for the response Megan. The little gerbil died the other night though. He was too far gone I think by the time we realized he was sick. Our small animal supplier has been sending us animals that are too young so we're not too happy about it. Thanks again for your post!

-Jeremiah

[annenrob]

So sorry to hear about the pup dying

[meganb52]

Sorry to hear about your pup... Don't even get me started on suppliers sending animals that are too young to be away from their mothers... sigh... I think my cat was taken from his mother too soon; he sucks the fur on his flank and kneads his paws in front of him to fall asleep and I really think it's because he was weaned too soon... I wish people would think about the animals safety a little more and a little less about money...

-Megan