gerbil with a brokenm leg

Question
My son's 1 and a half year old gerbil (Christopher) broke his leg a week ago. We have no clue how he did it. I have read that the best thing to do in these situations is to let it heal on its own. It is a closed fracture (no break in the skin from what I can see). He is still limping a great deal and I was wondering how long it takes for this type on injury to heal. He is eating normally and chewing on sturdy cardboard. We have taken his climbing toys and wheel out of his cage for now to give his leg a rest. Any other advice will be greatly appreciated. ..Bye for now.
Janet  

Answer
Hi Janet,

Gerbils heal quickly when it comes to injuries like this. If it is a simple break then it will heal without any intervention. If it has damaged the nerves then the gerbil might start to chew on his leg. This can be a very bad thing. If the gerbil is doing fine, not messing with his leg at all then expect him to be better in about 1-2 months. Good luck!

Ashley