Hi Allison,My family bought...

Question
Hi Allison,

My family bought 2 gerbils yesterday from the refuge league in our town.  One of the gerbils appears to have crusty blood around its nose.  Do you know what this is and what I should do about it?

Also, do we need to be careful not to let our gerbils get overweight?  We are feeding them mixed gerbil food.  My kids have been handfeeding them sunflower seeds and the gerbils have a never-ending appetite for them.  Are their any foods we should limit in quantity?

Thanks so much for your help!

P.S.  Do you know to what extent we can train our gerbils?

Answer
Hi, The red crusty blood is a sign of the red nose disease. Many gerbils get this. I don't know of a way to prevent or cure it. They seem to go through times where they feel better than others. I have had two gerbils who had this. One of them lived for two years with the disease, so I wouldn't worry. If you are feeding your gerbils a mixed feed, than it is fine. Just make sure that they always have food and they will eat only when hungry and will not overeat. Handfeeding sunflower seeds is fine, because that gets them used to your hands. That is the one food that they will overeat though. Feeding them a few a day is ok, just make sure that the gerbils do not have continuous access to them. (A few in their diet is actually good, because the oils are good for their coat). Gerbils can be trained to some extent, but they are not smart enough for tricks or things of that sort. They can get used to your hand and eventually if you just lay your hand in the cage with a treat maybe, they will run on and wait to be picked up. I would say that is pretty much the training extent unless you spend A LOT of time working with them. But, all gerbils are different so....have fun with it. Good Luck and I hope that I have been helpful. :)~Allison