Elderly Gerbil with a leg issue

Question
I have a gerbil, noel, who's about seven years old.  Last week i found him in the twenty gallon aquirem cage with a lot of blood around splattered around.  He was breathing heavly and really fast.  In the cage i have a cge extender, which is a metal cage placed on top with a ramp going up in it.  Upon further inspection i find my gerbil is missing it's nails on the foot that it's limping on.  Noel just kind of hops around and drags the leg.  There's no obvious discoloration and a few weeks later the nails are growing back but the leg is still very motionless.  I am unable to take him to the vet but do you have any idea what happened or what i could do to help? Also the breathing issue is getting better.  My gerbil often rolls over on one side and has to move itself up.

Answer
Hi Miranda

Sorry to hear about Noel.

I think that possibly the main problems are coming from his age.  Gerbils life expectancy is really only 3-5 years anything over this is incredibly old. When they get old they can develop all kinds of problems, tumors being one of them. Also their mobility can be affected, they can shake, and wobble about.

First of all I think you need to make his cage 'Noel' friendly - this means only having one level, no platforms, nothing to climb or crawl through.  Make sure his food and water are close by so he doesn't have to go far.  This way he won't be tempted to use his leg and this should give it time to heal.  What does his leg look like colour-wise? Is the circulation OK?  Does it look the same as the other one, just motionless?  Is it just this leg, and not his front paw on that side too?  It could be a stroke that has caused paralysis; it could be that he has fractured his leg and it isn't healing properly (these can take 6 weeks to heal and they need to rest); it could be that the blood was more to do with him injuring his foot and not his leg, and that his limping is down to an abdominal tumor that is putting pressure on his leg.

Is there any sign of any blood coming out of his rear end?  Has there been any increase in his water consumption lately that might indicate a tumor?

If there is a tumor then this could account for the breathing problems.  These can also be down to old age.  It could be some sort of respiratory infection but this would need treating with antibiotics and you would need to see a vet for this.

I suggest you make sure his foot injury is kept clean so that it doesn't infect. If there is any way of getting him to a vet then I would advise that.

I hope this helps you.

Regards
Sheila