Gerbils tail thinning!!

Question
Hello, I have two gerbils, both (females)seem healthy but one is showing signs of hair thinning all along it's tail and now very pink...my little girl, India is very concerned as it is her pet!  Please can you tell me why it's tail is loosing hair? thank you. Alka and India

Answer
Do you have an extra cage? They should probably be seperated for now, becase he may be able to pass it on to the healthy one. My guess is that he has mites. If you go to the petstore, you may be able to find a comercial mite killer that is safe for pets. Also, I would wipe him down with a damp wash cloth and cage his bedding ASAP, as it is probably filled with mite eggs. I would suggest doing all this with rubber gloves, unless you want bugs in your hair.
Good luck,
Hannah