My Gerbil Itchy....

Question
Hi, My names Lisa and I am an animal lover...but i don't seem to have much luck with gerbils, I've had 2 gerbils and both have died...Itchy is my sisters gerbil but the gerbil's currently living in my room. Itchy's (she's a girl)nose bleeds alot..now I'm guessing that just mucuos becuz gerbil snot(excuse the rudeness of that word lol)  is red. I know plenty about animals and i quite often get questions from ppl regarding there pets but now I've found a problem with my own pet that i can't seem to answer for my self. on the right side of her face, beside her nose where her whiskers are there is a strnge red growth or something, it wasn't there before..now I'm quessing it could be some weird infection or simply a side effect of an allergy becuz gerbils can be allergic to pine bedding which can cause their nose to run. but I'm really not sure, my parents won't take Itchy to a vet(can't afford it) but i don't want to lose her. if you can help me in any way please let me know...thnx again!  

Answer
Hi Lisa,

It very much sounds as if your gerbil has a respiratory infection.  You need to clean the cage and change the bedding *immediately* to either Aspen bedding or Carefresh bedding.  Pine and cedar are widely know to cause respiratory infections.  After you change the bedding, continue to monitor her.  If her symptoms don't improve, there's really no choice but to take her to a vet.  In my area at least, vets don't charge much for smaller animals, especially rodents, and perhaps yours is the same way.

P.S. In the future, it's better to get two same-sex gerbils.  They are very social creatures, and they're much healthier when they live in pairs.

If you have any other questions, please feel free to ask.

Kelly