Kate
Member
Posts: 65
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Post by Kate on Oct 19, 2019 5:51:13 GMT -8
So this morning when I went to go and play with my gerbils, I noticed that the older one (Lincoln) was really weak and curled up. when I picked him up he was cold, bony and didn't have much energy. I fed him a bit of food and right now he's really trying to run on the wheel with his buddy, but he keeps falling. He's almost two years old, so he is not old enough to die. I don't know what I should do. My area just got colder, so I don't know if it was the change in temperature that caused it but I just want him to get better. Any advice?
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Post by eowynandpoppy on Oct 19, 2019 14:17:33 GMT -8
If I were you, I'd move him to a temporary hospital cage/tank, and give him plenty of hiding places so he feels secure. You might want to put a hot water bottle under a hide to give him a warm place to go- that way no energy has to be expended by him to keep up his body temperature. Just make sure to remove it if he starts chewing it. In that case, you could microwave a mug or a rock (not one with metal flecks in it of course) for a few seconds just to warm it (don't make it too hot!) and use that instead. You can feed him a mixture of corn syrup and water (make sure it's 100% corn syrup and not any of those vanilla flavored ones or anything) or diluted honey through a syringe to give him some more energy. Raw, unfiltered honey also has antibiotic properties that would probably be of help in this situation. Make sure he's eating and drinking, otherwise you'll want to feed him through a syringe. Try ground oats and sunny seeds mixed with water- that would likely give him a ton of energy and some water too. If you have to syringe feed him long-term though, something more nutritious would be better lol. If he's falling off the wheel and seems discombobulated, perhaps he had a stroke? If this persists after a day or two, he should probably see a vet.
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Post by catnut on Oct 19, 2019 15:08:22 GMT -8
he does sound bad, just try to get him to eat/drink and get him to a vet tomorrow if he is still the same. It could be a stroke or just due to the drop in temps. Gerbils can go downhill fast and die at any age, so do all you can and then get help.
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Kate
Member
Posts: 65
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Post by Kate on Oct 20, 2019 16:32:57 GMT -8
As an update, I checked on him this morning and he was about completely back to normal. If he gets sick again I'll take him to the vet to see if anything is wrong.
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Post by acoll on Nov 11, 2019 13:37:45 GMT -8
I had similar with one of my gerbils - but she was a lot older and a solo gerbil as her sister had died a few years earlier. Had some glucose, so gave her some of that on a spoon - seemed to give her a lot more energy, enough to get back to eating. Happened a few times over the next couple of months. I took her to the vet, but they were useless - and couldn't suggest anything. I now think that she had a series of little strokes - about 2 months ago she had similar happen, but this time I got her out of the gerbillarium and she died in my hands :-( She was four, though. I now have two new Rescue gerbils - and a good vet recommended by a friend!
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Post by betty on Nov 12, 2019 4:17:11 GMT -8
Me too - a young female of mine was recently found on what seemed like deaths door - so I piled loads of sunflower hearts infront of her face, put a heat mat under her and kept her quiet. The next day she looked better but not quite there so added moist foods and more sunflower hearts and by the third day totally back to normal.
What a frightening time for her as well as me - goodness knows what she was thinking throughout.
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Post by mandamu43 on Nov 27, 2019 12:48:23 GMT -8
Betty, what kind of moist foods did you give her?
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Post by betty on Nov 27, 2019 23:00:11 GMT -8
I use totally meat-free baby foods from any brand (as my lot didn't seem to like the meat ones anyway).
I have also started to find some 'favourites' in these now as I have given so many - so the Cow&Gate Banana Crumble jar is a winner with everyone - although it is quite a big jar so I give it to all my critters to use it up in time so not the cheapest one (c.80p a jar).
Also, many of the squeezy pouches (from 49p a pouch) that are either sweet potato or fruit-based (mainly apple) go down well even if some of them look like something inedible...
I also offer the jelly pots that are for sale for reptiles as they aren't strongly flavoured, are easy to serve, cheap to buy and the gerbils and jirds love them.
Alongside their semi-normal foods which can be treat-like such as sunflower hearts, unshucked pumpkin seeds, nut crumbs (from the bottom of my mixed nuts tub - or whole nuts if they have the energy (and teeth) to gnaw them including hazel, walnut, and brazil), milk formula and scrambled egg.
That will do for starters...
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