Symptoms: wobbly, lethargic, puffed up but skinny, e

[buckthegerb]

I have seen many other threads describing the title as symptoms of a seizure, his eyes are also shut. I don't know if this has anything to do with it but, he is in a small cage isolated due to declanning. I was planning to split cage him soon but I can't in his currrent state. He is around a year old and is inbred. He's been alone for some time so he may be depressed or stressed, potentially? He is eating, I gave him some sunflower seeds in hope he'd gain some weight since he's very light and bony. He's also had 1 piece of a really good quality dog food in hopes that he'd get some energy, then just also his normal oxbow diet with occasional fruits and veggies. He seems to be drinking. He won't sleep in a nest, he just wants to sit on bare plastic (he's in a TEMPORARY crittertrail plastic cage). His breathing sounds normal but he shivers every breath. The room temp is 72F. He is pooping and peeing normal so I think he's is drinking. I've seen him grooming himself but not much. The vet is not an option, I'm sorry but I can't, I'm not old enough to drive and my parents won't bring him there, it is also very far. Any foods that would help him regain energy? Just a recap of symptoms: He seems tired and wobbly. He won't really move and his eyes are closed. He's eating/drinking okay, but puffy and skinny. He's fairly young. And breathing is quiet but shivers every breath. Any help is valued! Thank you.

[buckthegerb]

To add to that, he has been eating millet, hay and has a mineral block. His bedding brand hasn't changed, but he did just get a bedding change yesterday.

[buckthegerb]

I set up his playpen and he decided it was so fun that he snapped out of lethargy. He's still puffy and bony but has worked up an appetite running around. He still shivers when he breathes, but only every 3 breaths or so. He opened up his eyes too. I'm still worried about him though. Drinking is confirmed. I'll keep watching him.

[TJ's Rodent Ranch]

Good. For such a short time that's a significant improvement. I'm glad to hear he's doing a bit better.
I would suggest letting him out in the playpen every now and then, but as he's still weak make sure he's not using too much of his energy.
Eventually, when/if he improves I would try to put him with another gerbil as fast as possible, after he's fully recovered.

[buckthegerb]

Sounds great. I played with him some time today and he was no longer puffed up, but still skinny. Would feeding him fatty foods help? And if so do you have any suggestions what to feed him? He's pretty cheerful though. Thank you.

[TJ's Rodent Ranch]

Hi there,

I'm glad to hear that he's getting even better. It sounds like he's almost out of the woods, and on the mend.
It sounds like symptoms of a stroke to me, which is actually not very rare. A lot of gerbils recover from it.
The best fatty foods to feed him are things you're likely already feeding him. Such as sunflower seeds, and occasionally nuts. I would be careful about feeding him too many fatty foods, since if this was a stroke then you'll want to make sure you're not endangering his heart with lots of fats. I'm not a vet so I can't say for sure, this is just based on what I've learned from other animals.
I wouldn't say to decrease the fat in his diet, just keep it where it is and watch him closely. If he's not gaining weight, or even losing weight, I would increase the fat in his diet. The time it would take to observe this, would also much lower the risk of giving him more fatty foods.
Has the wobbling and shivering when he's breathing improved at all?

[buckthegerb]

He's not wobbly anymore. He's really active and loving the playpen. His fur is normal now. He's definitely eating and drinking too. His breathing is stable. I will definitely try not to trigger another stroke with fatty foods. Thanks for the advice!

[TJ's Rodent Ranch]

Great!
Unless anything unexpected happens, you can probably consider him out of the woods.
As long as he's doing good still and not losing weight, you can probably start to ease on and give him a little more fat in his diet if he's still not able to regain the weight he lost. I wouldn't be afraid of doing this, just be careful and go slow. You probably won't need much to get him back to where he should be, if his weight does become a problem.
I'm glad I was able to help!

[LilyandDaisy]

I wouldn't avoid fatty foods too strictly. The types of fatty foods that gerbils eat (e.g seeds and insects) don't tend to be very high in saturated fat and most plant-based fats don't contain cholesterol at all. They actually contain compounds that may protect against strokes. I think you can reasonably safely feed fatty seeds like pumpkin and sunflower, don't overdo the insects and perhaps just be quite cautious with things like cheese, yoghurt and egg if stroke is a concern.

It may not have been a stroke. The symptoms are typical of almost any acute illness in gerbils. It's great to hear that he's better in any case.

[TJ's Rodent Ranch]

Thank you for correcting me I wasn't sure, because I have learned this in different cases but I thought I would mention it just in case.
Yes, that's true. I suppose stroke was probably on my mind since I lost a gerb to one only a few days before. It was the same symptoms, but now that I think about it, it really is the same for pretty much any gerbil ailment, so thanks again, lol.

Anyways, above all, it's wonderful to hear he's better.

[buckthegerb]

He's all good. My gerbs don't seem to like insects so I don't really feed them. I feed the Oxbow gerbil and hamster/mouse food mixed with a few Oxbow Natural Science vitamin c bits. I will dive more into the diet side of the forum but overall does it seem like I'm feeding them okay? I also feed them fresh fruits and veggies, occasional treats like nuts, seeds, pastas, and rice. I really hope this is good. I want the hard truth don't sugarcoat it if this isn't enough or pasta is considered bad because some people say it can expand in their bellies if raw and others say pasta is fine raw, same with rice. I tried feeding them meal worms and they would take the smallest nibble of a live or dead one then drop it and hop away. So they don't seem to like mealworms. It's fine if you don't want to reply, I'll just take this up with other threads over on the diet part. Thanks and once again I'll say that he's doing great!

[buckthegerb]

I just checked out that those Food forums and they look awesome and I found one on Oxbow foods. So I will dive into that. I also feed my gerbils hay sometimes, not constant, just maybe like 1-2 a week I'll give them a large handful or two. Thanks

[TJ's Rodent Ranch]

It sounds like a good diet to me, well-rounded and nutritious.
I would refrain from feeding them raw or cooked pasta, due to what you mentioned above, and because it's crossing the line of processed human foods which I try to stay away from to a fair amount. I'm not necessarily saying pasta is bad, just perhaps not the best.
Other than that, yes it seems like a great diet. As far as I know, the Oxbow food is pretty common and covers a good amount of their diet. All around it sounds great.
All gerbils have diet preferences, and it can be really difficult to work around them. For example, a few of my gerbils refused to eat fresh vegetables no matter what I did. I tried for months, and they would literally dig a hole, put the food in, and then cover it up. I could not get them to eat fresh veggies, or even fruits as a strict rule.
I heard of a gerbil on the forum that would go insane for tuna and minced beef.
They all have their quirky dietary preferences, and sometimes there's nothing you can do about it, in my experience.
Also, about hay.
I actually try to give my gerbils plenty of hay. The fibers help out their digestion and move it along if there's a problem, and they gobble it up like there's no tomorrow. Literally. Sometimes the next day it'll all be gone.
Hay is very healthy for them, so I give it as I can. Sometimes this really is only once or twice a week since they go through it so fast. I know of course what it's like to have that restriction if they eat it up before you can even put more in the tank, lol. However, I wouldn't worry about overfeeding it to them.
I do want to add, that just as I said before I'm not a vet, and the dietary side of things isn't where I'm most confident. This is just what works for my gerbils.

[buckthegerb]

Thanks for all the info. Mine are pretty nuts over hay too. I will amp up hay feeding.