Help my gerbil!

Question

My gerbils tail   QUESTION: Hello,
  
My gerbil has bitten off her tail, strangely i have no idea why. She also has a 3 month old baby in the cage with her and she is starting to bite her tail off too. I have gotten no answers every where i turn. Please Help me!

Thanks!

-Jordan

ANSWER: Hi Jordan

Thanks for your photo - I can honestly say I have never come across this before.  The fact that some of her tail is missing isn't a problem in itself.  Their tails are designed so that if they become trapped at all they can chew them off to release themselves, but I have never known one to actually gnaw their own tail for no obvious reason.  If you accidentally pick up a gerbil by the tail sometimes the end falls off, hence the reason why it is best not to do this. The important thing is to make sure that the end of the tail is clean whilst it is healing.  You might be able to bathe it in warm salt water.  If necessary a vet might need to stitch the end if it won't heal but chances are she will chew the stitch anyway.

I have known gerbils to remove stitches when they have had surgery as they do like to chew, and I've also known some females to be a bit over enthusiastic when it comes to cleaning a new litter and have accidentally bitten off legs etc.

Have your gerbils got plenty of things to do in their tank?  If not, it is important to give them loads to chew.  They love chew cardboard, so it is a good idea to give them loads.  I get all my friends and neighbors to save their toilet rolls etc for mine so that they can shred it and build a really deep nest.  Are they in a glass or plastic tank?  If so, they like to make a deep nest with tunnels etc.  If they are in a cage then this is more difficult as they will make a real mess around their cage.

How is the other gerbil with her?  Apart from the tail chewing do they get on OK?  Have there been any signs of bite marks anywhere else on her body or do you think that the mum is just getting a little too over enthusiastic with grooming her?

One word of advice is that if you need to treat either gerbil with any medication (i.e. you could apply a natural antiseptic cream called Teatree cream which is available from pet shops) then apply it to both gerbils.  If you make one of them smell different from the other this can sometimes cause problems with biting etc. If either of their tails swells, or shows signs of pus etc. then it is worth getting a vet to check them both as they may need antibiotics.

If I find anyone who knows what is causing this behaviour I will definitely get back in touch with you.

Regards
Sheila

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QUESTION: Thanks for your help! All i can say is that they do have a plastic cage that is deep enough and we give then cardboard everyday so i doubt boredom is an issue. We have been putting Neosporin on it. In the picture that is the mom her tail is off. her baby however have eaten the hair and skin off and its just a completely red tail. She has only bit the end of it off because we think that any further she cannot reach. We have not noticed any other bite marks on her body.  

Thank you so much Sheila and if you do find anything out please get in touch with me (  )

Thank you
Jordan

ANSWER: Hi Jordan

I'm going to mention this to a friend who rescues hamsters and gerbils as she has considerable experience and might have some suggestions.  If she has any ideas that might account for this strange behaviour I will certainly contact you again.

Regards
Sheila

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Thank you.. Hopefully she/he will know. Probably not. I am aware this situation is rare and very strange but i would like to know anything about it. Please let me know as soon as you can. Thank you again. You have been a great help to me and my family . They were worried about her too!

Thank you
Jordan

Answer
Hi Jordan

I've been asking around about this and I am afraid I haven't really got any news for you.  The questions raised were more about the relationship between the two gerbils and whether or not they fight, bully, or chase each other and this is why their tails are being bitten. It certainly is an unusual situation as they only really self mutilate if there is a problem.

I'm sorry I am unable to shed any more light on this.  It might be worth you emailing the National Gerbil Society who may have some suggestions.  The link to their site is: http://www.gerbils.co.uk/index.html

Regards
Sheila