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Post by doday on Apr 11, 2021 9:32:51 GMT -8
Hello,
One of my gerbils (female, 2y10m) has become very bloated in the past little while, but especially in this last week. There is not much I can do about the bloating other than a trip to the vet as soon as possible, but in the meantime she seems very tired and has been licking surfaces for a few days now. She seems to be drinking ok, and she is eating, but I am wondering if she is getting enough nutrients/protein from what she is eating, just given the fact that she is too weak to do much other than eat the odd morsel, drink, lick, and chew a little before she tires herself out and goes back to bed.
Does anyone have any advice they can give me about how to help this? Something I can give her to improve her strength?
She was dealing with what I am thinking (but not sure) was a kidney issue, and now she has this bloating; does anyone have any idea what could be happening? (She is breathing normally.)
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Post by catnut on Apr 11, 2021 14:32:50 GMT -8
Sorry to hear about your gerbils, i would get her checked by a vet- it could be fluid or a tumor, i would give her safe foods that have more protein in them (not sure which would be best so maybe google), and oats, add some water to it if she seems thirsty are very good for an ill gerbil. I would give offer more sunnies, shelled for her, the odd pumpkin seed and things easy for her to eat. Take care.
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Post by tanzanyte on Apr 15, 2021 6:42:01 GMT -8
Hi doday, welcome to the forum! How is your little girl doing? They can get bloated towards the end of kidney failure. If you are able to get to a vets for a fluid injection in the back of the neck this helps massively for gerbils with kidney disease.
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Post by doday on Apr 21, 2021 16:56:11 GMT -8
Hi everyone, thank you for the advice. Just an update: She was taken to the vet a few days ago and had a good deal of fluid drained which seemed to make her more comfortable. Just from an examination and looking at the fluid (which had some blood in it ), the vet thinks she might have an abdominal tumor near her bladder. She doesn't seem to be in a lot of pain, just tired, and maybe with a tender spot there. She is still eating and drinking, and still looks very peaceful when she is asleep (which she is most of the time), which is a comfort. One thing- she rarely opens her eyes nowadays, or at least doesn't open them very wide. Any thoughts? Their setup is pretty basic right now just to make things easy for her, and its not like she can't find her way around and find things. Thanks again.
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Post by betty on Apr 23, 2021 2:19:42 GMT -8
Quite often older and/or poorly gerbils don't open their eyes fully on waking up - sometimes well into the first hour. It doesn't seem to be a hinderance to them - and they often don't paw at them or act in discomfort either - so it is currently one of those things that we only have suggestions for.
As long as you don't notice any signs of pain (pawing, excessive wiping or cleaning, rubbing on things, swelling, extra warmth in that area) - and as long as she isn't acting strangely (staggering, walking into things, looking confused) I think it shouldn't be too much of an issue.
I would certainly (while you are still in the 'treatment' loop) ask your vet what their thoughts are for the eyes closed - as I think the more of us that start asking - the more of an insight we might get into what actually causes it and whether we should be more concerned about it.
Anyway - glad to hear she is sleeping well - always important for improving health and recovering from illness.
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