wobbly gerbil

Question
QUESTION: Hi, My Gerbil 6 month old gerbil managed to escape recently, and we found her almost dead in the toilet.  She survived and seemed back to her old self for about a week.  Two days ago she started acting strangely.  She is disorientated and wobbly on her feet. She is sleeping a lot more than usual too.  She is eating and drinking ok though. Do you think it is related to the loo episode? any idea what it could be? do you think she will survive? is there anything we can do to help her?

You advice will be appreciated.

Thanks,

Harley

ANSWER: Hi Harley

Sorry to hear about your gerbil.

When you say you found her in the toilet - do you mean in the actual toilet bowl or just running around the room?

Is it possible that she has come into contact with any chemicals (housecleaners, bleach etc.) whilst she was out of her cage?  I just wonder if she has ingested something that has made her sick.  Gerbils can get illnesses that affect their balance, and this is usually associated with their ears, however, I feel that perhaps it is too much of a coincidence that she had her adventure and now is sick.

This definitely isn't the sort of behaviour you'd expect from a 6 month old gerbil and therefore I would advise you to seek veterinary advice as soon as possible.  If this is related to her ears, then a course of antibiotics should sort it out.  If she has ingested something your vet might be able to give you something to neutralise the effect.  It would be a good idea if you have a look around before going to the vet to see if there is anything that she might have come into contact with that would make her sick so that you can tell them.

I hope you get on OK.

Regards

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

QUESTION: Hi Sheila,

Thankyou for your reply.  My Gerbil was in the toilet and almost drowned.  She was very cold and still.  We dried and warmed her and she was fine.  There wasn't any chemicals in the toilet or in the room anywhere that she could have swallowed.  I think it's strange that she is eating fine, but disorientated. She doesn't seem to have got any worse in the last two days.  

Answer
Hi Harley

It could be that she got water in her ears - this really does upset your balance - I know because I suffer from vertigo and one of the tests the hospitals did to confirm the diagnosis was to inject water in my ears to see how quickly a vertigo attack comes on.

In theory if this is all that is wrong, this should clear on its own if she is left alone.  I would suggest that you make sure she is warm, and that any platforms are removed from her cage if you can.  It would be safest if she currently lives on just one level.  I'd also remove her wheel if she has one just until she shows signs of improvement.  Make sure her food and water are closeby.  This way she should be encouraged to rest for a few days.

The danger with her falling into the toilet (apart from the obvious of drowning) is that if there were any traces of bleach or toilet cleaner actually in the water.  This could have hurt her internally but it would be impossible to know this for sure. If you think that she might have come into contact with a chemical of some sort it would be worth phoning a vet and asking their opinion to see if there is anything you can give her - you could perhaps just give her a little milk but the vet might have something that could neutralise any poison.

If she is kept warm, rests and is monitored for a few days hopefully you will find she improves.  If she does deteriorate I would advise getting a vet to check her out.

I hope she makes a good recovery from this.

Regards