Gerbil, big, hard fall, paralyzed?

Question
My daughter got a gerbil in September for her 6th Bday. She has taken very good care of him, handling him with caution and such. Her 9yr old friend was holding the gerbil yesterday(without permission or my knowledge)and either he scratched or nibbled a little to hard and she slung/dropped/ threw him and he fell on to the hard desk chair. They put him back in his cage and came and told me somethings wrong with "Fuzzy". I still am not sure what happened, but either way he is hurt bad. I hate to say I CAN NOT take him to the vet so don't suggest that. I don't have the money and I am very sorry for that. He acted disoriented and lethargic, which is to be expected after a fall like that. His hind legs are not moving much, he tries to walk and drags them behind him. But then he laid and jerked them in a twitchy scratching motion. So he could move them, just not to get up and walk on them, he seems to have a hump on his back also. I don't know if it's his legs or back or both. I read that broken gerbil bones can heal on their own and the gerbil will be fine. But he twitched and jerked for a while and I know gerbils are prone to seizures from shock or fright and I wonder if that also my be playing a part in what happened. I feel bad and want to help him but, I can't take him to the vet. I don't want him to just lay and die slowly. It has been a whole 24 hours since it happened, he is seemingly paralyzed from the mid section down, no leg or tail movement at all anymore. I assume it's a spinal injury because of the lump on his back and the lack of movement waste down. What can I do?

Answer
Hello Teresa,
I am so sorry that the gerbil was hurt. It does sound like he has a serious spinal injury as well as seizures. There are some things that you can do since you don't have the money for a vet, but there is no guarantee that he will get better.
The first thing to do is to make sure that he gets plenty of food and water. You may have to use a dropper and give him water that way, but he needs to stay hydrated. Also, about food generally my best recommendation is to smash up food and give it to him that way if he isn't eating. Generally the best food to smash up is the Mazuri hamster & gerbil block food. It has all the nutrients in one block and it's easier to use when it comes to a sick animal needing nutrition. If he is able to eat on his own, try and make everything in his cage more comfortable. Soft bedding like carefresh or soft-sorbent bedding is great and soft enough to where he doesn't have to worry about struggling around.
This is all I know and I hope he gets better.