Gerbil doesnt seem well

Question
Hello!

About 3 months ago I adopted 2 gerbils.  I don't know how old they are or what kind they are, since they were just dropped off at the rescue's doorstep, but they are estimated to be under a year old.  One is brown and white and one is light grey and white.  After only two weeks they started fighting violently and had to be separated.

The brown one looks good, silky fur, nice weight, clear eyes.  But the white one, Ezri is her name, just doesn't seem quite well.  Her fur always looks a little off, not really clean or smooth, her eyes look slightly cloudy, and she seems too thin to me.  She eats good and is very active, but I just don't like that she looks unwell.

Is there something I can be doing to improve Ezri's health?  Her bedding is half CareFresh half paper shavings.  I wash out her water bottle every other day and clean her cage every two weeks.

Thanks!

Answer
Hi Bethany

thanks for your question.

It is sometimes hard to know what is wrong with a small animal, especially when there isn't anything you can totally identify as wrong.

The fact that Ezri isn't as well as the other gerbil is probably why they were fighting - the other one was probably bullying her and it good that they have been separated.

Possibly she could have been the runt, or as a baby didn't get the same amount of nourishment from mum as her sister in which case perhaps her general constitution is weaker. As there is nothing obvious as such and she is eating, it might worth giving her some vitamins you can buy these in pet shops especially for small animals, or you try echinacea (which boosts the immune system.  if you give echinacea either tablets - in which case you could crush one and add a few grains to her water, or you buy it in liquid form which you could add one drop to her water bottle - it can have a bitter taste so you might need to add a drop or two of blackcurrant to the water too.  If you do give echinacea it is important to only give it for a week or two at a time, then take a break before giving it again.

What are her bowel movements like?  Are they OK or slightly loose.  If they are loose, then it would be worth getting some probiotic as this will help her digestive system.  You can either buy a special one for animals, such as avipro, or if you can't get this you can buy acidophillus from the health shop.  You can empty part of the capsule into her water for a week or two.

Another thing you could try her with is baby food.  This is full of nourishment and helps small animals gain weight, recover from illness.  I always keep a packet of the creamy porridge oats baby powder for emergencies.  If you can get this and add some water to a small amount and give her this along with her usual food this might help improve her condition.

Without actual physical ailments it is hard to know what is going on, but if you do all you can to ensure she is getting a varied diet then hopefully she will improve.  If there is some underlying condition, then I suspect that you will notice other changes in her which might help pinpoint exactly what is wrong.  If you are worried about her at any time it would be worth getting a vet to check her out.

I hope this helps you.

Regards
Sheila