Going to the vet - what to expect?

[yeti218]

I’m taking my gerbils to the vet this week because my gerbil Chicken has been gaining weight rapidly. The clinic said I could bring Shark in as well, which I think is the right thing to do? So they both smell like the vet?

I’ve never taken a small animal like this to the vet before. I’m a bit worried and skeptical that they can do a proper physical exam without using inappropriate force to restrain them. 

I have a small plastic carrier I was planning on using, it’s the kind they sell for keeping crickets in if you have reptiles. I’m going to put some bedding from their tank, a bendy bridge as a hide, and some cardboard to chew in it for them. It’s pretty small, it’s 12” l x 8” w x 10” h.

Should I be worried about them fighting in a small space? They don’t usually bicker, but it’ll be a stressful experience and chicken will be removed for an exam. Would it be prudent to figure out some kind of mesh divider so they can still be together and smell alike but not actually get to each other? 

Since my gerbils look alike and I can’t go in the exam room, I’m planning on putting a small drop of food colouring on Chicken so the vet can tell them apart. 

Thanks I’d appreciate any suggestions.

[tanzanyte]

I always take the gerbils to the vets together, it's less stressful when they have their mate.
As long as there is some of their own bedding and things to chew, some food etc they should be fine in the carrier, although I guess it does depend how far you have to travel to see the vet.
I think my travel carrier is a similar size. They make much smaller ones as we've seen someone pick up 2 gerbils in a 6" one, which is way too small in my opinion. Oh and ours have never fought whilst travelling to/from the vets so I can't imagine needing a divider, especially if you've had no problems with dominance to date.

The vets really don't use any force to examine them. They just hold them and have a feel of things whilst they are in their hands. They may turn them over for a tooth check etc but this doesn't hurt the gerbil. It's helpful for them to have both gerbils as they often have a feel of both and compare, or at least our vets does.
I'm not sure you'll need the food colouring as there should be a size difference from what you've said regarding their weight/eating habits?

They will ask you about their urine and poo etc so it's giving them as much info as possible.

I really hope Chicken is ok and he's just a chonky, hungry gerbil.

[yeti218]

Okay thanks for your feedback about the travel carrier. It's not very far to the vets.

As far as being worried about the exam, it's just neither of my guys will allow themselves to be held, they are very good at escaping your grasp so I imagine if I was trying to get a good feel of their stomach area, I'd have to grip them too tight. Can you scruff a gerbil?

Im also worried about if they want to do diagnostics, theyd have to sedate him I imagine? On such a small animal I'm worried about the risks of that.

Although Chicken is 20 grams heavier than Shark, depending on how they're holding themselves, it's not always that obvious who's who. So I do want to identify them in some way so the vet can clearly and easily tell them apart. I'm not allowed to go into the exam room.

I did see someone suggest clipping a bit of fur, but they're not calm enough for me to use scissors on.

I'm thinking a small dab of food colouring is safe. But I also have non-toxic childrens paint, so I could also use that. That may wear off easier.

I could also make a dye using some blueberries, but I dont want to encourage Shark to chew or bite at his fur, although I want to use a product that won't be harmful if does.

Yes I hope it's just him overeating and that the visit goes well.

[tanzanyte]

The blueberry juice would definitely be a giggle, but may not last until you get to the vets. I do get what you mean from your profile pic so agree that it would make it easier if it isn't super obvious from their size/weights.

It is difficult when you can't go in with them and don't know what they will be doing. I usually forget things that I need to say, but they do ask if there's anything they particularly need to know.
There are ways to hold rodents without causing pain that will still allow the vet to have a reasonable feel. We've had to do the fingers either side of the head to turn them on their backs to be able to give meds. My daughter is great at doing this, whereas I am a worrier and always think I will squeeze too much and might hurt them. It does mean that when I watch my daughter I can see that she is only doing it gently and the gerbil is fine.
If you are taking them to a vets with experience of rodents or exotics then you really don't need to worry. It's always worth checking this when you make the appointment, unless it's somewhere that's been recommended and you already know who you need to see.

Good luck with the food dye or paint, whichever method you choose.

[yeti218]

Thanks for the response. I feel better about this whole thing now. 

They’re going to see someone from the “exotics department” at an animal hospital / clinic. I don’t know who exactly he will see though. But I think it’s likely the best place in town to bring these guys.  

I’ll let you know how it goes.

[yeti218]

Vet day was today. Going to post an unnecessarily detailed account in case it’s helpful to someone in the future. 

I put a dab of food colouring on him yesterday but it wore off. I noticed this morning so I dabbed him with a bit of crayola non-toxic children’s paint as we were getting ready to go. 

Gave myself 45 min to get them into the carrier because I wanted to catch them peacefully and not have to dig up their burrow system to catch them. It took most of that time as they usually sleep at that time of day and didn’t come out to investigate the food I’d laid out for ages, and then were skeptical of going into the jars / pots I’d put food in. But I got them both. Took the whole 45 minutes though, but I’m glad I gave myself that time so they didn’t have to return from the stressful day at the vets to a cage with all its tunnels and nest collapsed.

I dropped them at the clinic and then spoke to the vet on the phone about their care and symptoms, and then they called again after the physical exam. The physical exam showed no signs of any underlying health condition, it pointed to him just being a glutton. She said they checked his coat, felt his body, listened to his heart and lungs, and probed his stomach with an ultrasound probe. They did say that they are not radiologists, and the probe is not an accurate as a proper ultrasound.

Further diagnostics would require anesthesia, and we decided since the physical exam didn’t give them any reason to think something sinister was going on, it was not worth the risk of anesthesia right now. 

the vet suggested some more weight management ideas, and asked that I keep a close eye on his weight for another few weeks and if he keeps gaining to bring him back, at which point further diagnostics may be needed. She did say that it still could be a medical condition or tumour, but there’s not reason to risk anesthesia right now with our current information. 

For weight management she suggested switching to a bland pellet formula for a few weeks. Theorizing that if the food wasn’t as delicious he may not stuff his face so much. Obviously I prefer to feed healthy, varied diets, but a few weeks of poopy food likely won’t hurt them. I may just pick out all the most delicious bits of his current mix and combine that with a pellet food so there’s still some variety but (I think) will have the same effect. Will think on that for a day. 

anyway, everyone is home now and resting and I am just so SO relieved, both that he seems to be okay, and that we made it through the vet visit. 

[tanzanyte]

I'm pleased there's nothing sinister going on based on his current signs, and I'm glad that the appointment went ok. The vet certainly seemed to do a thorough investigation from the sounds of things.

They probably already said but you may need to exercise caution with the food as some can completely refuse to eat where there is a change in food (this is where the daily ways in are necessary). That said I remember a review of someone changing to a complete food mix and they left a really bad review saying their gerbils weren't eating it and they were worried. Then 2 weeks later came back and updated it and said that it was all they would eat even when she'd put their original food back in.
I think your idea of taking out the yummy, fatty bits and mixing with pellets sounds the safest bet.

I'm having to put Max on a diet as I think my daughter has been giving him lots of treats whilst she's been stuck at home. Hopefully we can get him trimmed down a bit. So no additional seeds for him for the next couple of weeks, much to his disgust I'm sure!
I hope the weight loss goes ok for Chicken, and no further intervention is needed. The main sign we noticed with Bubbles' tumour was the fact that her back/spine felt really bony despite not having lost any weight through cutting out snacks.