gerbils genitals

Question
hi
i own two mongolian gerbils. today i noticed that smeagol's genitals seem to be swollen. i have read on the internet that hamsters genitals swell up when it is hot. is it the same for gerbils? im really worried please help! :-(

Answer
Hello. hmmm.. this is a toughie. I've been getting a lot of questions about genital problems in gerbils and have yet to find an answer as to what could be causing it. There could be many things. Something could be irritating him. What type of bedding do you use? Ceder and pine are not the best bedding because they cause allergies and other problems. Aspen bedding is the best bedding to use, that or soft sorbent bedding or carefresh. The best advice I can give you is to take your gerbil to the vet. It could be an infection or tumor or really just something simple such as a bite mark that is causing some swelling. I do believe that gerbils genitals can swell up when it's hot, but the best thing to do is to take your pet to the vet to make sure you know exactly what it is. Does it seem to be bothing him?? I have heard that some animals do develop bumps and they pop in a few days. If the swelling doesn't go down in a week take him to vet. Good luck and keep me posted on your gerbil. :-)