pixytwinkle
Member
Molly and Misty, my lovely gerbils.
Posts: 737
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Post by pixytwinkle on Mar 26, 2006 9:17:28 GMT -8
some of you may recall i posted a thread about my gerbil molly who seemed to be ill. she is still no better. Her breathing is extremely fast and se is not very active. She is eating, drinking ok its just her breathing. She isnt clicking or making any noise when she breather though. could this still be a respiratory infection. Becasue of her fast breathing it makes her seem like she is rocking backwards and formwards. There is no vet nar me that deal with rodents. the smallest animal they deal with are rabbits. what should i do?
thanx
pixytwinkle
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pixytwinkle
Member
Molly and Misty, my lovely gerbils.
Posts: 737
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Post by pixytwinkle on Mar 26, 2006 10:07:56 GMT -8
can someone please help?
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Post by queen of the nile on Mar 26, 2006 11:16:20 GMT -8
Hi Pixie. I just went through something similar with my oldest gerbil. She was having a very hard time breathing, so much that her head was nodding everytime she took a breath. There was only very quiet clicking. I treated her with Ornacycline. There is a sticky at the top of this section that talks about how to treat with this medication. You can buy it at most pet shops in the bird section. It would be best to get to a vet, but since there is no one that can help you in your area, the Ornacycline is a good bet.
I also set up my gerbil with a hot water bottle under one corner of her tank, and changed the water every few hours.
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Post by sirius on Mar 26, 2006 12:48:09 GMT -8
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pixytwinkle
Member
Molly and Misty, my lovely gerbils.
Posts: 737
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Post by pixytwinkle on Mar 27, 2006 6:50:12 GMT -8
Queenofthenile i live in the uk can i still get ornycilin here. i looked in a et shop this morning but couldnt see any. Is it best to have the bedroom window oen to give her fresh air or closed to kee her warm. she has lots of bedding in her tank.
thanks
pixytwinkle
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Post by meganb52 on Mar 27, 2006 14:05:02 GMT -8
You can also see my post regarding respiratory infections in gerbils in this thread It's a little over-th-top, but it's what I did to cure my gerbs of their respiratory illness. The fact that I'm a vet student might be why I went all out for my girls  -Megan |
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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 Mar 28, 2006 6:24:13 GMT -8
Queenofthenile i live in the uk can i still get ornycilin here. i looked in a et shop this morning but couldnt see any. Is it best to have the bedroom window oen to give her fresh air or closed to kee her warm. she has lots of bedding in her tank. thanks pixytwinkle Ornacycline is an antibiotic (tetracycline) for birds and, if it's available in the UK, it would be in the bird section of the pet store. I would try to keep Molly as warm as possible, so I don't think opening a window is a good idea. Hope she feels better soon. RW |
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Post by doomgerbiluk on Mar 28, 2006 8:49:08 GMT -8
Over the counter ornacycline is meant for birds and will not adequately treat gerbil RI.
The NGS recommends seeing your vet who will probably prescribe baytril or, in areas where there is baytril resistance, marbocyl.
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pixytwinkle
Member
Molly and Misty, my lovely gerbils.
Posts: 737
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Post by pixytwinkle on Mar 28, 2006 8:53:30 GMT -8
thanks everyone your information is really useful. Can she survive if i cant get the antibiotics? i rang another vet near me but they dont deal with small animals either. i have checked every et store i know and there isnt the treatment that you said she needed. Would she be better is i took all her bedding out and ut her on paer towels and a small amount of hay like it says in megans post. also would she be better staying in the tank or should i put her in cage.
thankx
pixytwinkle
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pixytwinkle
Member
Molly and Misty, my lovely gerbils.
Posts: 737
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Post by pixytwinkle on Mar 28, 2006 9:24:49 GMT -8
oh and i gave her a pea this morning cause i havent seen her drink any water.
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Mud Pony
Member
We can only be, what we give ourselves the power to be!
Posts: 284
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Post by Mud Pony on Mar 28, 2006 9:32:28 GMT -8
I would leave her in her normal tank, for a few reasons but mostly the stress of being moved... and a solid tank helps keep drafts away.
Also, I would cntact any vet and tell them your issues and request that if they can to maybe prescribe you some baytril like Doom said I would tell/ask the vet do do this for you & to look up the correct dosage for gerbils... You may have to weigh her to get the right dosage( it's based on weight)
Most vets will do that much for you just be very gracious & let us know what they say.... They may still bill you for the "visit" also if they do this for you...
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pixytwinkle
Member
Molly and Misty, my lovely gerbils.
Posts: 737
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Post by pixytwinkle on Mar 28, 2006 9:38:03 GMT -8
ok thank you i will do that tomorrow morning then.
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Post by doomgerbiluk on Mar 28, 2006 13:07:46 GMT -8
It is worth talking to your vet and buildign up a relationship of trust.
If you vet trusts he/she may well be prepared (as mine does) to prescribe enough baytril to last a while so that once you know the dosage you do not have to visit for things like RI that you can deal with yourself.
BTW do not agree to give baytril via the water bottle. this is extremely unreliable with gerbils.
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