Stringy poop?

[Kbutton]

Hi! I’m concerned about my gerbil larry. He pooped the other day and there was like a white string. It almost looked like a worm but it wasn’t moving. When I saw it a little after it was dried up and was kinda clear. I did some research and found out that someone that used the same food as me (Kaytee fiesta blend) had the same issue. I would like to take both of my gerbils to the vet to see if they have worms but I currently don’t have the money right now. It’s like $100 to go in for an examination and run tests. I was thinking about completely whipping down their cage, disinfecting it, and changing out all the bedding, and getting new food. I would like to give them a water bath to get them completely clean but I know those aren’t good for them. Can I give them one just this once or will it cause too many issues? I’ve also read that papaya seeds, pumpkin seeds, and carrots are all things that may help treat pinworms and are safe for them to eat. So I was gonna get them that also. I read that wormwood is good for humans to use when they have worms and I was wondering if there was a way to safely give my gerbil some? If someone could help me I’d greatly appreciate it because I’m so very concerned about them. Thank you!

[eowynandpoppy]

That does sound suspiciously like a parasite to me. Or it could be benign and be a bit of shredded bedding he ate or something. But I would treat it as a parasite just in case. I would definitely clean and disinfect their cage, and if you want to try giving them those foods, go ahead. I've never heard of feeding animals papaya seeds, though, so just make sure they're safe.
I would definitely save up and take them to the vet, who might prescribe worm killers. However, I would skip the water bath. I think it is unnecessary and unnatural, and it stresses them out. And stress is the last thing you'd want in a sick gerbil. Perhaps a sand bath would be a better option.
If Larry lives with another gerbil (or more), or if you own other rodents in a separate tank, or just any animals in general, I would recommend being very careful to avoid spreading the bug, in case it's contagious. For example, wash your hands before touching other animals, don't share toys between cages, etc. Better to be safe than sorry and end up with more sick pets!

[Kbutton]

Thanks! I am saving up and should be able to take them very soon. I just wanted to do this now I’m case it helps.

[tuftsnfluff]

Hey there!

I would definitely heed Eowyn&Poppy's advice.

One thing extra you can do that will help is when you purchase food from a pet store (or anywhere), ALWAYS open an end of a re-sealable package and then place it in the freezer for least three days.

This way, if any un-hatched eggs or tiny critters hard to see of any kind are in the food, the freezing process will kill them while the food remains unharmed.

I never ever give anything to my gerbils till I freeze it first.

I do this with all sorts of things, like hay and alfalfa, anything I can fit in the freezer.

It really helps out a LOT and I've never had a parasite issue in 13+ years of gerbil ownership except ONE time.

But that was due to another breeder's gerbils I adopted.

Hope this helps!

[Julia Holding]

I was holding my gerbil and saw a thing on me on closer inspection I saw that it was too poops attached together by a white-pinky vein thing. It looks a bit like a small sprouting seed but there was no seed and too make small shoots, and there is a darker thing in the middle. I may be mistaken because I have no experience on plants but I just want to know if it’s anything serious, thanks

[betty]

It does happen every so often - where two poop stick together. As long as they both look like normal poops, and it only happened once, I wouldn't be to concerned.

Apart from taking some really good quality macro pictures while it was fresh - I'm not sure what they are exactly?