injury on tail

Question
Earlier today I injured a gerbil that I am babysitting for my class.  I accidentally grabed it by its tail.  The hair and skin was torn away from about half way down its tail.  The cartilage remains. There was some bleeding. I tried to wipe the blood clean with a cotton ball soaked in hydrogen pyroxide. I don't know what else to do. Will it die or get sick if I don't take it to a vet.

Answer
Hi, this is an unfortunate accident but it does happen. I do suggest that you take it to a vet to get it checked, but it will heal in time. I suggest moving the gerbil to another cage if it is in with other gerbils as they might try to chew on the end of the tail. Disinfect the cage and keep the floor covering to a minimum to reduce dust . The gerbil might seem stressed for a while but it will adapt to having half a tail.

I hope your gerbil gets better!

Julianne.