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Post by jyrenze on Apr 15, 2006 0:08:24 GMT -8
Hi all, I am fostering 3 gerbils which were kept in a wire cage by their prevous owner. One of the gerbils has a hairless and very pink nose, its the gerbil that was gnawing on its cage bars when i got it, is there anything I can do to help it recover the nose fur?
Also one of the gerbils has a stump where the tail was, the previous owner said it was bitten off by a rat. The stump is rather red and bleeds a little when the gerbil licks and nibbles on its stump, anything I can do about this?
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Post by lizzy on Apr 15, 2006 1:06:55 GMT -8
Do you know how long ago the rat bit the tail off? Did she take the gerbil to the vet at all when it happened? I think it needs to see a vet. When a gerbil loses its tail say if someone picks it up by the tail, it normally doesn't need to see a vet as it heals up by itself.
As far as the sore nose goes: You probably won't be able to do anything about it other than encourage her to get a glass tank for it. Maybe someone else will have some ideas on how to stop it chewing...
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Post by jyrenze on Apr 15, 2006 3:01:56 GMT -8
I'm fostering them now, the previous owner does not want them back, I have no idea who the owner is either, the information I got is from the petshop owner. I was at this pet shop looking at the gerbils for sale when the petshop owner asked if I wanted these 3 for free, apparently one of his customers told him to sell or give away 3 gerbils with their cage. I have moved them into a tank, and plan to adopt them out after they have recovered.
I dont know how long ago was the rat bite, but I think its not too long ago as the wound is still a bit raw. The gerbils were kept outdoors and the wounded one was most probably not taken to a vet. Chewing bars wont be a problem now since I keep them in a tank, just wondering if there is anything i can do to speed up the healing process. They were extremely dirty and smelly, covered with pee all over. There was almost no bedding in their old wire cage, and the floor was covered with pee. I gave them a water bath followed with a sand bath this morning.
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Post by doomgerbiluk on Apr 15, 2006 3:59:16 GMT -8
I have a few concerns. 1st was it a fancy or a wild rat? If it was a wild rat I would definitely get veterinary advice. If it doesn't heal quickly also see a vet, on some occasions vets need to tidy up the stump. Try a vitamin supplement or even probiotics to get good condition in them. Other than that I think lots of TLC and a forever home are what these gerbils need most.
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Post by jyrenze on Apr 15, 2006 5:25:50 GMT -8
It was a wild rat. I'll give the stump another 2 or 3 days and feed them supplements and yogurt. Hope it heals up by then else I'll head to the vet, but those around here dont really treat small animals so I hope I wont have to visit them. Thanks for the advice.
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Post by malabui on Apr 16, 2006 3:01:57 GMT -8
Aww poor little things
Have you bathed the sore bits in lightly salted water? That will help the wounds to heal up faster. What colour and roughly how old are the gerbils?
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Post by jyrenze on Apr 16, 2006 6:18:03 GMT -8
Have not tried salt water yet, maybe I'll give it a go. I tried antiseptic and iodine so far. here is a picture, 2 lilacs and 1 agouti, The age is more than 1 year old, not sure exactly how old. Missing body parts include tail, bits of ear, hole in lip/mouth, toes.....
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Post by malabui on Apr 16, 2006 13:22:57 GMT -8
Aww poor little darlings. If you lived in the same country as me I'd take them on.
They do look like they are enjoying their fresh food.
I do know that once the vet made a cone collar (like they put on dogs and cats to stop them licking wounds) to go on one of my gerbils out of a piece of clear plastic and a staple. That would be the only way to stop your little un chewing on his/her tail stump.
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Post by jyrenze on Apr 19, 2006 19:55:25 GMT -8
The tail is lightly better, but the gerbil is getting hard to handle, lol..he knows im going to clean his wound and squeaks a great deal when i lift him up. Any idea on how long I have to keep them seperate from my other gerbils? I would like to adopt 2 out and keep one as a partner for one of my agoutis. How long is the "quarantine period?"
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Post by maxthegerbil on Apr 20, 2006 0:46:47 GMT -8
It`s nice to see them happy now. They just need time and peace to recover. Poor wee lambs. x I would`nt introduce them right now. I`d give them time to heal and settle in first. I would also make sure that whoever takes the two gerbils on that you want to rehome knows how to look after gerbils. Whoever had them previously needs a good talking to.
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Post by malabui on Apr 20, 2006 1:36:33 GMT -8
Can't you keep all of them? They are all kinda special...
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Post by jyrenze on Apr 20, 2006 18:08:10 GMT -8
The 2 I am rehoming will probably go to the breeder I got my existing gerbils from, she gave her only lilac gerbil to me then, so she won't mind taking another back, lol.....Red eyed gerbils aren't very common here. Well I would like to keep all, but my gerbil pups are growing fast and I need my spare tank to house them when they are older. My parents are also starting to freak at the amount of gerbils I have now. Currently 9 in total.
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Post by malabui on Apr 21, 2006 6:21:58 GMT -8
So who will you keep?
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Post by jyrenze on Apr 21, 2006 8:04:41 GMT -8
Most probably the tailess guy, but not certain yet. The tail is better today. all the green crust has fallen off
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Post by malabui on Apr 21, 2006 10:14:09 GMT -8
ah, the Gerbster!!! He is really cute too. Have you thought of a name for him yet? I'm glad that the tail is getting better.
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