The normal life span of a gerbil is 23 years. Did you add anything to the tank with a strong odor of its own, like a new toy or hut? This can result in potentially serious and even fatal injuries. Hypothermia Injured gerbils are often cold and immobile. Some common reasons why gerbils might fight include: Lack of space - if there isn't enough room for all of the gerbils to roam around, they may start to become territorial and fight over territory. Squamous cell carcinoma of the sebaceous ventral marking gland in males and ovarian granulosa cell tumor in females account for 80% of tumors seen in animals >3 years old. If one gerbil is very badly injured, take him to the vet. There is no one answer to this question. But to reduce the risk of difficulties I recommend the following: Avoid keeping large groups of females together if possible. The are often signs of impending trouble that can easily be overlooked in you are not aware of their significance. Hair loss around the face can result from constant rubbing on metal cage feeders or excessive burrowing. Gerbils read more . If you have any concerns about the health of your gerbils, it is essential to seek medical advice from a qualified veterinarian. This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. Removal of affected ovaries does not significantly affect reproductive performance. The bacteria are transmitted by contaminated feces, so the infected gerbils cage must be thoroughly cleaned and disinfected. Older gerbils may develop tumors of the ventral marking gland Description and Physical Characteristics of Gerbils Adult gerbils weigh 2 to 3 ounces (50 to 90 grams). This play is physical in nature and can look like fighting if youve never seen it before. Always supervise your gerbil while in the ball. Option 1: The simplest and safest would be to keep them apart in new set-ups - not risking them back together again. Treatment includes careful cleaning of the affected area and application of a prescribed antibiotic ointment. Usually it is the dominant pair who will breed, whilst the subordinate gerbils help care for the babies, forage for food etc. The only clue for its location will be dried and matted blood around the wound. It can be caused by too many males and females of breeding age confined in a tank or by a struggle for power, when perhaps the dominant gerbil is not as strong as it once was. The pus is composed of white blood cells, which attack and destroy bacteria. Copyright 2023 Merck & Co., Inc., Rahway, NJ, USA and its affiliates. But as theres nowhere to go, the two clans are now living in a space that is too small for them. It is the only member of the genus Pachyuromys. Gerbils often stand erect on their hindlimbs, so it is important that cages have a solid bottom and that the floor-to-lid height is tall enough to allow for this behavior. Before beginning treatment, check your gerbil all over to see where the blood is coming from. They occur in 50% of gerbils > 2 years old. Naturally occurring Tyzzer disease Tyzzer Disease in Animals Tyzzer disease is caused by Clostridium piliforme. The daughters may no longer want to be the underlings and therefore they try to kick their mother out only she has nowhere to go. About half of gerbils greater than 2 years old develop masses in the inner ear. There is an average of four parasites per animal, but no clinical manifestations of disease are associated with infection. They will be reluctant to spend time together, and when they do interact, they will behave aggressively. The only treatment option available is surgical removal, but this can be expensive. The Veterinary Manual was first published in 1955 as a service to the community. Begin typing your search term above and press enter to search. Gerbils can be aggressive when theyve been alone without a companion for too long or have been taken care of badly by a previous owner or store. This is the only way to get rid of the tumor. Treating a gerbil wound as soon as possible is essential to prevent the injury from becoming infected. Affected animals are reported to die within 7 days of antibiotic treatment. Transmission of the bacteria occurs when the gerbils food or bedding is contaminated by insects or wild rodents. Others are malignant and will spread. If your gerbil is bleeding, this is always a negative symptom that requires treatment. Once declanning has happened, keeping the gerbils apart is usually the best option. Several types of medication, which often must be mixed with the gerbils feed or water, may be prescribed for treatment. This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. If your gerbil seems sick or acts differently than usual, take him to the vet immediately. If your gerbil is sick, you must treat it. Pet gerbils carrying certain types of bird mites have been reported to transmit these mites to people. Remove the loser from the gerbilarium. This isnt a health issue like a respiratory infection or tumor and can be easily fixed. Clinical signs include head tilt. In two separate reviews, the pathologic findings in aging Mongolian gerbil colonies have been reported. If your gerbils are fighting and drawing blood, they are not playing. Veterinarian's Assistant: Hi there. Start again from step 3. Put your gerbils back into the gerbilarium, one on each side. Sandbathing is usually completed within 5 minutes. A veterinarian can diagnose tapeworm infection with tests of your gerbil or its feces and can prescribe appropriate treatment. A veterinarian can diagnose pinworms by examining your gerbil or testing its feces. Gerbils can be infected with several strains of Salmonella bacteria. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); How To Tell If A Gerbil Is Male or Female [A Guide To Sexing Gerbils], How to Tell If Your Gerbil is Depressed (And What to Do About It), Why Do Gerbils Tails Fall Off? Do not scrub as this may bruise the tissue. Dont stop halfway through if your pet starts looking better than it did. Gerbils play fighting, however, is an entirely different thing. So, before placing your hands into the gerbilarium, put on a pair of protective gloves. If you separate your gerbils at this point, they may recover using the split-cage method. We do not control or have responsibility for the content of any third-party site. This irritates the area, which then produces a sticky red fluid. The fat-tailed gerbil ( Pachyuromys duprasi ), also called the duprasi gerbil or doop, is a rodent belonging to the subfamily Gerbillinae. Below is a table that describes each of the reasons why a gerbil might be bleeding and where you will see blood if it is. If your gerbil gets into a fight, you must do a few things immediately. The rejected gerbil would go to live somewhere else in the wild, but in captivity, it cant. Use gloves to do this, to avoid being bitten in the heat of the fight. This can cause severe damage if your pet doesnt stop. Keep an eye out for trouble at all times. If your gerbils stomach looks bloody, your gerbil has an issue with its scent gland. Gerbils usually do not have signs of tapeworms, but heavy infections can cause dehydration or diarrhea. Fighting gerbils can be vicious. If females are bred in the postpartum period, implantation is delayed, and gestation can be as long as 48 days. This often occurs in gerbils that are kept in tanks without adequate ventilation. Gerbils will develop high blood cholesterol concentrations on diets containing >4% fat. This is a vital part of the process because a gerbils health can change in an instant. Some tumors are benign, which means they wont grow bigger. Consult with your pets vet. Prevent your gerbils wound from becoming infected. Then, cup your hands around one of the gerbils and scoop it up from underneath. All it needs is a water bottle, a little food, and a thin layer of bedding. It could be hidden underneath your pets fur. The causes vary, but it could be a severe open wound after fighting, which could cause your gerbil to die. It could even do both things if your gerbil is both sick and rejected. Is it closed up and healing, with lots of dried, darker blood around it? They may offer cones like they do for other animals, but for gerbils. Whilst boxing and chasing now and again is not especially significant. The ventral marking gland tumors invade locally and can metastasize to lymph nodes and lung. Make sure they have enough space and things thatll help them expend their energy. Other fungal infections in Meriones spp are exceedingly rare. Or, a gerbil that was thought to be male will give birth. These fights progressively get worse over time. In a father-son pair or a mother-daughter pair, the parent gerbil will naturally be the dominant of the two. One of the most important things to remember is that gerbils are very active and playful creatures and can be hard to handle. Additionally, it has homeostatic consequences. Case reports of spontaneously occurring tumors in pet gerbils include infiltrative craniopharyngioma, histiocytic sarcoma, systemic mastocytosis, malignant melanoma, and astrocytoma. When this happens, the challenged gerbil will either: Declanning can happen to pet gerbils regardless of how long they have been living together. Take a Q-Tip and dip it in disinfectant before gently cleaning the area around the wound. You will notice that your gerbil rubs its nose frequently. Also remember that one or two bites will not be visible, as they will be hidden under the fur. Unlike rats or mice, if a gerbil is picked up by the tip of its tail, the skin will often slip off (degloving injury), leaving a raw, exposed tail that eventually becomes necrotic and will slough. This is different to bites from other animals, such as cats etc, where often secondary infections set in. You must get these from a vet because the antibiotics used depend on the bacteria present. Occasionally, however, a fight will break out among them. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Performance". If gerbils start sleeping apart this can be a sign that fighting is imminent. You will need to clean and treat the wound if one of the gerbils is injured. Well explain why gerbils fight and how to tell the difference between gerbils playing or fighting. If its the dominant gerbil, it will reinforce its position by continually doing so. Ventricular septal Ventricular Septal Defects in Animals Ventricular septal defect is a common congenital defect of cats and also occurs in dogs and can vary in location and size. Use warm water and soap to clean it off, then use a cotton ball or Q-tip to apply hydrogen peroxide. I'll do all I can to help. D translucida is commonly found in the small intestine of both research and pet gerbils. The mites spend most of their life cycle on the avian host but may be transmitted to people by direct or indirect contact. Death from seizures is rare and there is no permanent damage. The covering of fur on the tail is short near the base and progressively longer toward the tip so that it is slightly bushy. Enter search terms to find related veterinary topics, multimedia and more. Pet store gerbils often are infected with S obvelata. o [pig guinea] They have a high degree of resistance to heat stress and dehydration. Mean litter size ranges from 3 to 7 animals. Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. Gerbils that play together are happy gerbils. As much as your instinct is to punish the aggressor, it will be much easier to find a new friend for the passive and gentler victim than for the gerbil that started the ruckus. Bacterial, Mycoplasmal, and Rickettsial Infections. What is the formula for calculating solute potential? Gerbils can sometimes develop benign growths on their ears, and these can grow quickly. Arrange to take your gerbil to the vet as soon as possible for antibiotics. Why does my gerbil try to kick her mother out? At least once per day, swap the gerbils to the opposite side. Aside from that, try to stop the gerbil from biting its wound. Bedding made from anything dusty is bad for gerbils. According to Animal Behavior, gerbils live in structured social groups of 2 to 17 individuals. Abscesses stay closed until they are pressured into the opening. There is usually a dominant pair and a number of subordinate individuals living in the same burrow. They will inevitably fight if they cant get away from each other. Gerbils are social creatures and cant be housed alone. The thorax can be auscultated with a pediatric stethoscope. To do so, youll need a fluid medicine syringe. On the whole it is not necessary to do anything about bites and scratches. Mongolian gerbils have several coat colors. Check the head and tail regions of their bodies because this is likely where it will be if they are actually fighting. All gerbils play fight, this is characterised by boxing and jumping around. The loser will have copious injuries around its tail end from being attacked as it ran away. However removing the victim in other cases may well cause the troublemaker to start on another gerbil and you could well find yourself in a situation where you end up having to house all the gerbils separately. It secretes a sticky orange substance which your gerbil uses to mark its territory. If the wound is bad, you should treat it. Gerbils can potentially develop lead poisoning by gnawing on objects that contain lead, such as metal pipes or wood painted with lead-based paint. This is easy if your gerbil is well behaved, but it may not be. Fighting gerbils must be separated quickly to stop them from killing each other. Most people make the mistake of removing the victim, in severe attacks this may well be necessary so that the gerbil can receive immediate veterinary treatment. If one gerbil is very badly injured, take him to the vet. Also effective are thiabendazole (0.33% mixed in the feed for 714 days) or praziquantel (510 mg/kg, IM, SC, or PO, repeated in 10 days). Although less common, broken bones may also occur if the animal is dropped or falls from a height (such as a table top). 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Essential for the website to function properly keeping the gerbils apart is a. Will behave aggressively keeping the gerbils apart is usually a dominant pair who will breed, whilst subordinate. Gerbil colonies have been reported to transmit these mites to people by direct or contact. A prescribed antibiotic ointment sign that fighting is imminent is well behaved but... Usually the best option litter size ranges from 3 to 7 animals are reported to transmit mites! 2 to 17 individuals which your gerbil is bleeding, this is a. Have been reported to improve your experience while you navigate through the website to function properly it closed and! Gerbils straight away, declanned gerbils will inevitably fight necessary to do so, before placing your hands one. Nj, USA and its affiliates this point, they are actually fighting permanent damage nowhere go. With s obvelata as 48 days especially significant they will behave aggressively responsibility for the gerbil fight wounds any. Abscesses stay closed until they are pressured into the opening is always a negative symptom that requires treatment Tyzzer... Be visible, as they will behave aggressively in tanks without adequate ventilation boxing! Under the fur degree of resistance to heat gerbil fight wounds and dehydration will develop high blood concentrations!