what do i do?

Question
hello I got my gerbil a couple of months ago at a local petsmart, and i noticed that he is always rocking back and forth. he seems to be fine but i was wondering if he could have been dropped but my greatest concern is anything wrong with him physically?

Answer
Hi Alicia

Gerbils can suffer from neurological illness - but this tends to affect their balance, or they go round in circles.  

The rocking backwards and forwards - is it that noticeable?  I have had a few gerbils who have behaved like this, almost as though they were in a trance or nodding off to sleep while sitting upright.

Providing he is behaving normally in himself (alert, burrowing, shredding, playing and eating), then there is probably nothing to worry about.  If you find he is losing his balance at all, can't walk in a straight line or tilts his head to one side, then it would be worth getting him checked out by a vet.  If he had been dropped he is more than likely to have suffered a broken bone which would be quite obvious.  Any other internal injuries would probably be presenting other symptoms, not just the rocking.  

If you suspect he has been dropped and are worried your vet should be able to put your mind at rest.

Good luck with this - hope he is OK.

Regards