my gerbil harold

Question
Harold is a gerbil that i've had for about a year now, and lately i've notcied that his tail is going bald.  I was wondering if you might know what would be the cause of this and if it's serious or not?

Answer
Hi Tiffany

Is your gerbil bothered by his tail?  Is he over washing it or over-grooming?  They can get bald patches due to mites/mange but these are generally on the body area and are easily treated with a drug called Ivermec.  However, hair loss on a tail could be hormonal, or he could be plucking at the fur.

Does he have any other bald patches on him?  Apart from the bald tail, what is he like in himself?  Is he eating/playing normally?  Does he have plenty of things to do in his tank/cage - especially shredding to keep him occupied and stop him getting bored?

What does the tail look like - is the skin sore or dry or weeping?

If the tail looks OK, apart from the hair loss, then I would think this is nothing to worry about. It would be worth watching him to see if he is chewing at it in which case you might be able to buy something from the pet shop to put on it to stop him doing this.  If the skin looks sore or is weeping  or there are other bald patches on him then it would be worth getting someone to check this out.

Hope this helps.

Regards