Gerbil with a brroken/hurt leg

Question
Hi Jackie! I have a 3 year old gerbil who fell from my shoulder and hurt her front leg. Now she is sleeping a lot and does not eat so much. Do you know if there is anything I can do? Will a broken leg heal on its own? Thank you alot!

Answer
Wow, 3 years old? That's amazing! Congratulations on taking good care of her for so long :)

Unfortunately, there isn't anything a vet can do for a broken leg, as the animals are too small to have it set in a cast. What you can do is let her rest a lot, and take any exercise equipment out of her cage.

If she isn't eating or drinking, you might try stimulating her to do so by giving her different tasty foods such as yogurt, cooked chicken, or baby food (stay away from baby food with onions or garlic). You can also try using a small syringe (without the needle tip) to get some water into her mouth, though I would be careful about that, as she could try to push you away, causing more injury to the broken leg.

Please let me know if I can be of further assistance.

Jackie