general quiries

Question
i recently came across a gerbil in a petshop that was ill with wet-tail.its mate seemed fine.they wouldnt sell the healthy active gerbil to me saying it is likely to soon get the disease.how long does wet tail take to come out in a cage mate.also i bought a winter white female hamster but the assistant had handled our hamster to show it us,after she had picked up the sickly gerbil with wet tail.does this mean the winter white is likely to get wet tail?if so what can we do to prevent it happening.should i take it to my local pdsa as i cant afford to see a vet.she seems healthy and alert at the moment.Also as this is our first winter white do they tend to be nippy like the campbells russian is.we've left her to settle in 24hrs and thought we'd handle her for a short while tonight.also should hamsters,and gerbils have their cage in a quiet bedroom away from loud stereos and televisions.trouble is they make a noise on wheel at night so have to be transferred into the lounge overnight otherwise cant sleep with their noise on wheel,or are they best kept in your lounge at all times so they can get used to noise or would this stress gerbils and hamsters.i ask this as my teenaged son constantly has loud tv on all day.yours sincerly ms hazel wykes,birmingham uk ps if you could text me or something when you are answering my e-mail,my number is 07807-073-931,or you could send my reply direct to cky3852.bass@btinternet.com  

Answer
Hi,
I will also email this to you with the email address provided.

Wet-tail is highly contagious so within a couple of weeks the cage-mate could get it, but it depends how long she/he has been in a cage with the infected gerbil.
AS I said, wet tail is very contagious and can easily be passed on by touching uninfected gerbils after touching gerbils with Wet Tail without washing your hands, so it is possible she will catch it.
Keeping the cage clean, giving her a small amount of vegetables weekly and making sure her bed and area where she poos most will give her the best chance of not catching it, but apart from that there is little you can do but wait and see. If you see any signs of wet tail, immediately take her to a vet or yes, the pdsa, although she may not get proper medical care she needs there.
Winter Whites are not usually nippy and are generally good natured, but to not take kindly to being mishandled, so just be careful.
I would not subject them to loud noise so it is a good idea to move them during the day to a quieter room.
Best wishes,
Kathryn