Is my gerbil ill?

Question
I have a gerbil that is less than a year old. I got him September 1st at the pet store. Today after I cleaned his cage, he has not been acting like himself. I always line his cage with newspaper on the bottom and layer the newspaper with napkins. Immediately after we change his cage, he always starts shredding the newspaper and napkins to make his nest. He's always busy for 3 or 4 hours, until his nest is the way he likes it. Since we changed it he has not been shredding at all. When we give him a napkin or a sunflower seed he attempts to shred it but he isn't able to. He's not the spunky little gerbil that he usually is.

Answer
Hi there John,

It is very hard for me to say without seeing him or having someone examin him!! He obviously isn't his normal self, so i would keep an eye on him for the next few days to see if he goes back to normal. Is he eating and drinking as usual? If not then i would consider taking him to the vets now as this does mean something is up!! Or if he is drinking excessive amounts of water!! Also are his eyse bright and open, with no crust or discharge? And is his bottom, nose and ears all looking clean and healthy?? If the answer to any of these is no then again he is not well and needs to go to the vet!!

If none of these symptons are present and he does not revert to his normal self within 2-3 days then i would still pop to the vets for a check over as it maybe something is wrong!!!

I hope this helps, i am sorry that i can not tell you more on what may be wrong,

Thanks,
Charlie.