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Post by squeaksister on Jul 6, 2005 12:43:09 GMT -8
Monday morning those naughty gerbils of mine buried their waterbottle and when I found it half the tank was wet. So I cleaned their cage and gave them a smaller water bottle than the one they had before. The new one they have, they have to stand on their hind legs to reach it. I know they can reach it Ive seen them climbing on the water bottle but I haven't seen them drink from it. I thought maybe they didnt realize it has water so I got them to come over and smell it and when they did I squeezed alittle water out on them. But I still haven't seen them drink from it. So what should I be looking for in terms of dehydration?
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Post by reallybes on Jul 6, 2005 12:46:36 GMT -8
When my pups were weaned and still learning to drink from the bottle (hehe) they start licking the corners of the tank (usually where the water bottle is) they were probably thirsty.. after they've mastered the bottle, they stopped licking
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Post by southcore on Jul 6, 2005 13:05:44 GMT -8
When i first got my male he did that a lot...and i was really worried about him...but eventually he got the water bottle drinking down and has gradually stopped licking the corners.
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Post by jess on Jul 6, 2005 19:12:51 GMT -8
If they're thirsty or slightly dehydrated they'll just be licking the glass.
If they're severely dehydrated (This goes for ANY animal), you can tell by pinching their skin. If they're dehydrated it'll stay in that pinched position and leave a dent for a second. If they're well hydrated, when you pinch their skin it snaps back instantly. But when it's really bad,, they'll also be showing other more serious signs like being lethargic.
You can also throw in some fruit. Like a piece of watermellon, cucumber or grapes to get some extra fluids into them.
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Post by squeaksister on Jul 7, 2005 17:49:53 GMT -8
I haven't seen them licking the glass, but I still haven't seen them use their bottle yet either. So I gave them some grapes yesterday and frozen peas tonight but if they get thirsty enough they will drink from the bottle right? I mean the bottle isn't completely foreign to them , it was the first bottle they had  |
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Post by milia on Jul 8, 2005 3:44:31 GMT -8
There is a common placed method in mammals (I do not know as to whether this applies to rodents), but if you *gently* pinch their scruff up, it should return to flat quickly if they are hydrated. However, if they are dehydrated you will notice the skin will take some time to return to its original position.
Hope this description is clear.
It has worked for me in the past to tell whether a gerbil is dehydrated, although I do not know whether it is widely used.
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Post by squeaksister on Jul 8, 2005 7:43:07 GMT -8
Finally saw one drinking before I went to bed  |
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Post by meganb52 on Jul 8, 2005 9:12:20 GMT -8
That's good, I'm glad they're drinking. About the "skin tenting" method, I personally don't think it works well in gerbils, but it is a start. In vet school they teach us skin tenting is a very subjective test and can vary even depending on the age of the animal regarless of hydration status. If they're really dehydrated they'll be lethargic and you may be able to tell by skin tent, but it's not the be-all-end-all. When in doubt, i say put in a bit of fresh fruit or veggies to help give them fluids. If they're dehydrated, it'll do them good. if they're not, their kidneys will take care of teh excess moisture. Just remember gerbils don't drink a lot of water in the first place and don't overdo it.
-Megan
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