# Is my gerbil okay? [RIP]



## Becca (Aug 11, 2009)

I'm a bit worried about my gerbil Pip.. she is 3 and a half years old and when we came back from holiday this Saturday she looks a different shape... her top half is skinny and her bottom half is fat.. what does that mean?

She isn't tame she just hates being picked up.. she never has so its difficult for me to pick her up.. but I'm a bit worried :?


----------



## Becca (Aug 12, 2009)

Bump


----------



## Flashy (Aug 12, 2009)

Im sorry Becca, I don't know. Maybe take her to the vet if you're worried? Or join a gerbil forum?

I hope she's ok. She is very old by now, so it might just be that age is catching up with her.

Let us know if you get any info.


----------



## Becca (Aug 12, 2009)

Good idea Tracy.. I was on a gerbil forum a while ago then it moved and when I found it again it was extremely disturbing people talking about vacuuming up their gerbils!?!?! So I didn't go back there 

She is very very old!

She seems okay in herself..


----------



## irishlops (Aug 12, 2009)

http://gerbilsuk.proboards.com/index.cgi

http://pub1.bravenet.com/forum/static/show.php?usernum=68947120&frmid=269&msgid=0

http://gerbilforum.proboards.com/index.cgi
here is some gerbil fourms


----------



## Becca (Aug 12, 2009)

Thank you so much I'll join now :nerves1

She lives in the shed because dad says she smells but I don't care what he says later I'm going to bring her in... if it is her time I want to be with her.. :expressionless


----------



## irishlops (Aug 12, 2009)

glad i could help. i wanted a gerbil... but i decided on bnnies


----------



## Becca (Aug 12, 2009)

Oh god. Oh god  Look what someone on the gerbil forum said:

Hey

It sounds like Pip has ovarian Cysts, or it could be some sort of infection in the bladder. The Ovarian Cysts are one of the more common problems in elderly females, the cysts are operable, however at 3 Â½ Iâm unsure whether I would want to put them through the stress of surgery â it all depends on the general health of the Gerbil.

A vet visit may be the best option so they can either give antibiotics for a bladder infection or offer advice if they are cysts.

3 Â½ is great for any Gerbil, especially a female! 


:| Poor Pippy  

I just went and took some pictures I'll post them in a minn.


----------



## Becca (Aug 12, 2009)

Pictures of my gorgeous Pippy


----------



## Sabine (Aug 12, 2009)

So sorry to hear about poor Pip. Rather than bringing her to the vets I have little advice to offer. My two gerbil boys are relatively young and I only had two scares with the older one. Thankfully he recovered each time although we had almost written him off. Hope she does get better.


----------



## Becca (Aug 12, 2009)

*Sabine wrote: *


> So sorry to hear about poor Pip. Rather than bringing her to the vets I have little advice to offer. My two gerbil boys are relatively young and I only had two scares with the older one. Thankfully he recovered each time although we had almost written him off. Hope she does get better.


Thanks for sharing that :hug: i hope she does :nerves1


----------



## irishlops (Aug 12, 2009)

awh, she will.
my mam has/had ovarian cysts and she was fine.
(even though anotmy of people and animals are diffent)
she will pull through


----------



## kirsterz09 (Aug 12, 2009)

I hope she will be okay but, again all I can advise is taking her to a vet. I will be thinking of you.


----------



## Boz (Aug 12, 2009)

Three and a half is a good age for a gerbil. They live 3-5+ years. 

Is she eating and drinking and going to the bathroom? Does she look sick? Are he eyes half closed and she's sort of "puffed" up?

It does sound like a cyst. I think know someone who had a gerbil with a cyst, I'll ask her what she did for hers.


----------



## CKGS (Aug 12, 2009)

I am sorry to hear your gerbil is ill but she has lived a fairly long life. I used to have 2 gerbils and I think your dad may be way off about their smell. Gerbils are very clean, non smelly pets. Easy to care for and don't require much. I loved my gerbs. 
They actually don't urinate often being 'desert' type animals. Maybe once your dad doesn't smell anything she can then live in the house. 
Good luck with such a cute lil girl! She looks very good for her age.


----------



## Boz (Aug 12, 2009)

Your gerbil lives outside?
Gerbils really don't smell. I think they smell more in cages though. A fish tank works way better because it provides with a more natural environment. Gerbils are born diggers (and chewers), not climbers, and so a tank with 4-8 inches of bedding (no pine or cedar) works great! They LOVE it!

My two gerbils have been in the dining room most of the summer because it gets hot upstairs during the day (If it gets hotter then 74 I don't like it so I assume it's got for them!). My mom is not one to allow stinky pets in her house but they don't stink. It's been 4 weeks since I cleaned the tank and there is no smell at all. I can't smell a thing and I think I have a fairly good nose!  I usually can go 4-5 weeks without cleaning their tank.

Here's some of my tank set-ups. 

http://i78.photobucket.com/albums/j117/CoolBozPup14/2009/Pets/Gerbils/TankSetups/PC292982.jpg

http://i78.photobucket.com/albums/j117/CoolBozPup14/2009/Pets/Gerbils/TankSetups/P6170398.jpg

http://i78.photobucket.com/albums/j117/CoolBozPup14/2009/Pets/Gerbils/TankSetups/P2083729.jpg

http://i78.photobucket.com/albums/j117/CoolBozPup14/2009/Pets/Gerbils/TankSetups/P6230007.jpg

Here are more basic set-ups for foster gerbils when I'm working on taming. As they become more tame I add more toys. I have yet to clean my newest foster gerbils tank and it's been 3 weeks. No smell either. 

http://i78.photobucket.com/albums/j117/CoolBozPup14/2009/Pets/Gerbils/TankSetups/Foster/P7219279.jpg

http://i78.photobucket.com/albums/j117/CoolBozPup14/2009/Pets/Gerbils/TankSetups/Foster/P7239383.jpg

How often you have you clean the tank depends on the number of gerbils and size of the tank. Ideally you'd have a pair of gerbils in a 15-20 gallon tank with about 6-7 inches of bedding. I can go 4 weeks in a 20 gallon LONG tank with 6-7 inches of bedding without cleaning.

For a single girl (like my current foster) a 10 gallon tank with 4-6 inches of bedding is great! She also gets LOTS of cardboard to chew! 


Whew! Anyway, hopefully she pulls through. Gerbils can be amazing little fighters. I'll ask my friend about what sort of treatment she went through with her gerbil that had a cyst for you. 

If you need to talk, PM me or talk on messager. I love to talk gerbils.


----------



## Luvr of Wabbits and Polar Bears (Aug 13, 2009)

Becca I'm sorry to hear your Gerbil is ill. 

HUGS


----------



## Becca (Aug 13, 2009)

She doesn't live outside OUTSIDE lol in the summer house 
But shes in the house now.. she looks really tired 

She used to love cardboard and a cardboard tube would disapear in 3 mins but the one fromm yesterday is still in there :|

Tbh.. I don't think she smells either.. but dad just hates things with fur (so he says but I still see him talking to the bunnies sometimes lmao)

x


----------



## Boz (Aug 16, 2009)

Oh! That makes more sense. 
How's she doing?


----------



## Becca (Aug 17, 2009)

Still the same really :/
Seen her eat... and drink. But thats kinda it. She isn't boucning and scrambling around in her cage. 
I found this little gerbil carry case thing yesterday so now trying to persuade her to take her to the vet..

If what she has can't be sorted I want her to be PTS.
It heartbreaks me to say that but I don't want her to die in pain. My sister keeps going NOOOOO but I don't want to be selfish, if I was in a lot of pain I wouldn't want to DIE in pain


----------



## irishlops (Aug 17, 2009)

*Becca wrote: *


> Still the same really :/
> Seen her eat... and drink. But thats kinda it. She isn't boucning and scrambling around in her cage.
> I found this little gerbil carry case thing yesterday so now trying to persuade her to take her to the vet..
> 
> ...


im sorry your gerbil is ill..
at least she is eatting


----------



## Luvr of Wabbits and Polar Bears (Aug 17, 2009)

Becca is very brave of you to think of the gerbil first. I hope you take her to vet and find out if you can help her.


----------



## Becca (Aug 22, 2009)

Shes dying :|

Shes laying on her back and breathing really slow


----------



## Becca (Aug 22, 2009)

Her arms and legs keep twitching.


----------



## Becca (Aug 22, 2009)

she rolled over and i stroked her to see if she was cold and she is but shes still breathing.... she's moved to the corner of her cage next to her water so i wondered if she was thirsty so i took off the bottle and put it near her mouth and she grabbed the bottle with one of her paws but didn't drink.now shes leaning up against the wall.


----------



## Becca (Aug 22, 2009)

Shes just moved over to the otherside of the cage!!! Shes laying in her cardboard tube now. Does anyone know what that means?


----------



## undergunfire (Aug 22, 2009)

Are you still "poking around at her"? If so, then she may want to be left alone. 

When my rat, Louie, was dying....I took him out of his cage to hold him while he passed. He didn't want then and crawled his way into a box that I had on the floor. That was my cue to leave him alone...I left the room and went back in a few minutes later and he had passed away.


----------



## Becca (Aug 22, 2009)

*undergunfire wrote: *


> Are you still "poking around at her"? If so, then she may want to be left alone.
> 
> When my rat, Louie, was dying....I took him out of his cage to hold him while he passed. He didn't want then and crawled his way into a box that I had on the floor. That was my cue to leave him alone...I left the room and went back in a few minutes later and he had passed away.


Nope I'm not poking her :tears2: She's laying in her tube I just keep going to check on her.


----------



## Sabine (Aug 22, 2009)

Let her go peacefully. It may be her time. I am so sorry.


----------



## Becca (Aug 22, 2009)

I know I'm just leaving her. Just looking through the cage to see if shes breathing or not.
Shes still hanging on!

x


----------



## Becca (Aug 22, 2009)

:cry1:


----------



## kirsterz09 (Aug 22, 2009)

awwwww hun :hug:


----------



## Sabine (Aug 22, 2009)

I am so sorry. My heart goes out to you.


----------



## Becca (Aug 22, 2009)




----------



## JadeIcing (Aug 22, 2009)

ray:


----------



## Happi Bun (Aug 22, 2009)

I'm very sorry for your loss Becca. :hug2:

Rest peacefully Pip :rainbow:


----------



## Becca (Aug 22, 2009)

Thanks guys


----------



## slavetoabunny (Aug 22, 2009)

I'm so sorry Becca. :rainbow:


----------



## irishlops (Aug 23, 2009)

im so sorry becca, she had a lovely life with you


----------



## Becca (Aug 23, 2009)

Thanks Patti & Elena x


----------



## irishlops (Aug 23, 2009)

your welcome.
im going to do that art i promised you of her.
xoxox- R.I.P


----------



## Becca (Aug 23, 2009)

*irishlops wrote: *


> your welcome.
> im going to do that art i promised you of her.
> xoxox- R.I.P


Thank you so much ray: I look forward to seeing it.

x


----------



## irishlops (Aug 24, 2009)

yeh, but ut will not be ready till... september


----------



## Becca (Aug 24, 2009)

*irishlops wrote: *


> yeh, but ut will not be ready till... september


Don't worry. Take your time. I'm just happy your doing it for me, its so sweet ray:


----------



## irishlops (Aug 24, 2009)

:hug:


----------

