Ok, I bought my step-daughter a gerbil for Valentines day. We brought it home from Petco, fixed up the cage, water, food, the whole works. Well, she hasn't eaten or drank anything since we got her. Also, when I got her out of the cage for the second time (yesterday), my step-daughter kinda reached to pet her, and she jumped bit me and the oddest thing happened. I wasn't holding the gerbil by the tail, but when she bit me, I almost dropped her and kinda grabbed toward her, and all the fur of the tail seemed to "shed" like a lizards tail would come off, except just the hair, but there was alot of blood. I have never seen this happen before and was wondering what could be wrong with this gerbil? Could it have been sick when we got it? and maybe the lack of eating/drinking could have caused the thing with the tail? I am very devistated, as this is her first pet. We have a very healthy hampster, and my husband has had gerbils, and never anything like this!?
2007-02-20 04:46:35 · 11 answers · asked by dcVixen 4 in Pets ➔ Other - Pets
She needs to see a vet for the tail; the vet can also look for underlying problems that may have caused the lack of eating and drinking. It is possible that she was sick when you got her, but that wouldn't have caused the problem with the tail. Gerbils will "shed" the skin on their tails (called degloving), but it's not spontaneous. Something must have pulled on the tip of the tail. If you didn't pull on the tail, it's possible that the gerbil caught it on something in the cage and the skin just didn't come off until you were holding her. Either way, it is *very* easy for the exposed tissue to get infected-- so you need to take her to a vet.
--FYI, Gerbils don't get Wet Tail. Diarrhea is not Wet Tail; diarrhea is a symptom, not a disease. Wet Tail is the common name for Proliferative Ileitis (also known as Proliferative Enteropathy or Regional Enteritis), specifically that caused by the bacterium 'Lawsonia intracellularis'. It's been shown to affect primates, horses, pigs, dogs, rats, ferrets, guinea pigs, rabbits, and hamsters. It does not affect gerbils, and it does not affect dwarf hamsters. Gerbil diarrhea is usually caused by improper diet, E. coli, or in rare cases, Tyzzer's.
2007-02-21 04:04:42 · answer #1 · answered by ShootingStar Gerbils 3 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Okay, if this little guy hadn't eaten since you bought it, that is the first clue that something is wrong. Petco has a pet return policy, I'm sure, so give them a call and see what they say. If it is decided that your gerbil was sick when you bought her, they may pay for it to be taken to the vet or exchange it for another one. Definitely contact Petco first off. No sense in you paying for the vet when they could do it for you.
2007-02-27 04:30:06 · answer #2 · answered by hmx_mail 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Hi There, my friend's gerbil was once like that a couple of days in the past and unfortunatley she handed away, she was once staring alot with her eyes 1/2 open and my pal used to be regurarly cleansing and bathing her eye and it was just like conjunctuvitis like human's do have when they have a cold, however she best died on the grounds that she was once old and had a heart attack :( so i'm definite your gerbil shall be quality perhaps take him/her to the vet :D x
2016-08-10 16:38:49 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
I do raise gerbils, iGerbils should not be picked up by the tail, because they can shed the outer layer of skin and hair of the tail if they feel they are in danger and escape with the bloody tail remains of bones and muscle. I wouls still take the wee fella to the vet incase of infection
2007-02-20 05:13:22 · answer #4 · answered by mandymoo23 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
This gerbil must be suffering from wet tail when you bought her.
Petco and Petsmart have a many sick and dying animals in their back rooms.
Please visit PETA website to see the details. It is full of horror stories how these small animals and kept and treated at these pet stores.
2007-02-20 05:09:17 · answer #5 · answered by A 1 · 0⤊ 1⤋
good day, my buddy's gerbil become like that a pair of days in the past and unfortunatley she surpassed directly to the excellent beyond, she become staring alot together with her eyes a million/2 open and my buddy become regurarly cleansing and bathing her eye and it become in basic terms like conjunctuvitis like human's do have whilst they have a chilly, yet she in easy terms died by using fact she become previous and had a coronary heart attack :( so i'm confident your gerbil would be positive possibly take him/her to the vet :D x
2016-09-29 09:16:45 · answer #6 · answered by ? 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
gerbils lose their tail as a defense mechanism, if you grab it. most likely she is sick, so take her to the vet. the lack of eating/drinking didn't cause the tail thing, but the lack of eating/drinking may be the result of her sickness. she probably was sick when you got her.
2007-02-20 05:57:08 · answer #7 · answered by ferrets4ever 4 · 0⤊ 1⤋
Take it to the vet RIGHT away!!! They dehydrate very fast. These little guys only have a teaspoons worth of blood in them, she may be also anemic. I raise hamsters and mice and I know that when they get sick I take them to the vet for treatment.
2007-02-20 05:06:44 · answer #8 · answered by wolfinator25840 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Yes, most probably its been sick since you've got it. Bring it back to the pet shop to exchange for a healthy one. This one probably wont last another day.
2007-02-20 05:06:27 · answer #9 · answered by N L 3 · 0⤊ 1⤋
Take it back to Pet Store sounds like something is wrong, the Pet store should give you another.
2007-02-26 15:54:50 · answer #10 · answered by jumps62 3 · 0⤊ 1⤋