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Very Weird Gerbil Health Problem! Advice?

3K views 8 replies 4 participants last post by  Zouave 
#1 · (Edited)
Bet you never heard of this problem. :confused:

Got a young brother and sister from a petstore I know almost three weeks ago, Wendy and Wendell.

Within a week, Wendy started showing signs of paralysis in one of her hind legs, resulting in her gnawing on her side and sleeping that way too.

Soon after, Wendell started showing similar signs, but then quickly both legs became paralyzed, and he looked like a gerbil paraplegic. I had a gerbil with no hind legs once and she got around; I just made sure he stayed hydrated and had food within reach.

A day later I noticed a small "ridge" thing on her back: maybe about 5 mm's long, 3 high, and very thin and hard. (?). It was directly over her spine, if that is relevant.

I found Wendell dead last night, and when I was about to call the one gerbil vet I know whom I trust (far away) about Wendy. . . I noticed a fur patch was lying on the bedding with that "ridge" thing in it; the patch was about the size of a U.S. nickel coin, maybe a bit bigger.

I then found Wendy and that area of her back was now furless and raw, and some rawness extended to the upper tail. (?). I applied bacitracin ointment. MOST ODDLY, she was now frisky and both her legs worked fine!

With my last look at her she looked and acted great, and the wound was cleerly healing.

I saw no other symptoms of any kind.

I asked elsewhere if this was an inbreeding issue, and without more knowledge of the parents and sibling we couldn't be sure.

Has anyone experienced anything such as this??

Wendell is gone, and Wendy is healing. And I have no idea why any of this happened.

- - - - -


That vet, quite distant from me, was very kind when a hamster last August had Cushings Disease; she was very helpful, and did it free of charge. The first vet I went to was so bad I repoprted him to the state for a formal investigation, which proceded, and no doubnt resulted in a formal warning (better than nothing). Any vet can claim to treat ANY animal - which is a joke. I know more than most vets I met regarding small rodents.
So, I was not going to press my luck when there was no need to see her: Wendy right at this moment is happily gnawing away on some new boxes I gave her.

I examined Wendy's raw spot and it just looks raw, less so now. Some raw areas are up the tail a little. When I first saw that big patch of fur on the bedding I thought she had been scalped!


The connection with the legs I have no idea about. Wendell never showed any rawness or back "ridges" as she did.

I could post a photo of her rear back area. but, again, the flash makes it look horridly red, and by now it is clearly healing over. When I applied the ointment she did not even react in discomfort.

I have never heard of anything like this even after reading thousands and thousands of gerbil-related posts.


So, there we are. I don't think any of this is contagious as the two fellows Wendell was in with are showing no similar symptoms. But I will NOT introduce Wendy to a friend until after I figure this out or until I reach a point where I consider it safe. Right now she is happily gnawing behind me.

Anyone with any ideas about this, please pass along your comments.

BTW, They were separated almost at once when I got them home being of different genders.

:confused:



 
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#2 ·
When Sugar Glider have hind leg paralysis it is often cause by a lack of calcium in their diet, and an umbalanced diet in general. I believe the lack of calcium causes the bones to be brittle and a number of fractures can appear.

Sugar Gliders will also self mutilate. Here are some tests that a vet should do for a glider that is self mutilating, some of this might be helpful to you.

Common tests to be run with sm's (do as many as possible), each testing may open a new door that has been opened before.

fecal exam - many times with the fecal, Giardia is found on subsequent tests. run a fecal every two week for 3 months.

Urinalysis- check for anything abnormal

Bacterial culture- must be run before any anti-biotic are administered

Test for yeast infection

Blood test

X-Ray

Barium Test- check for blockage or any thing abnormal in stomach or caecum
http://www.harborpro.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=72

If she continues to chew on her sore spot you might want to consider using an ecoller http://www.harborpro.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=71

I've know this isn't about gerbils but I hoped some of the info would be helpful.

Catherine
 
#3 ·
Thanks for the info. . .

But I never said she chewed on a sore spot, and never said she was "self-mutilating". and I don't see how bad a diet could be in young (two month) gerbils that could lead to paralyzed back legs in one, but the other now doing fine with her back healing.
 
#4 ·
I don't know about Wendell, it's hard to speculate there. I'm sorry for your loss. :(

My guess with Wendy would be maybe some scar tissue from an old injury (maybe one by a littermate as a baby), or something of the like. As long as she's healing well, I'd continue doing what you're doing. The pictures won't load for me, btw.
 
#5 ·
Jade said:
I don't know about Wendell, it's hard to speculate there. I'm sorry for your loss. :(

My guess with Wendy would be maybe some scar tissue from an old injury (maybe one by a littermate as a baby), or something of the like. As long as she's healing well, I'd continue doing what you're doing. The pictures won't load for me, btw.
What pictures? I didn't post any in this thread.
:confused:

If you want to see Wendy try this, although it is three days old and the flash made it look worse than it is.
http://pic3.picturetrail.com/VOL19/924030/7055947/91595632.jpg

My main concern is that it is nothing contagious as I plan an introduction for tomorrow.

The odd thing is I did not notice an injury when I got her; maybe I missed it, but maybe it developed somehow. Both seemed fine, and moved fine, when I got them.

I remain :confused:.

Thanks for responding.
 
#6 ·
Looks like the smilies from the lower half, which you copied from another board. They probably prohibit hotlinking, so they aren't showing for anyone but you. :)

The other possibility that comes to mind is an abscess that ruptured and the hardened tissue tore off when she scratched at it, but that's a very big wound for a simple abscess.

I can't tell you whether or not it's contagious, but if she still has a wound I personally would hold off on introductions and let it heal completely.
 
#7 ·
This very well could be a diet thing...
If the gerbils in the previous home where not being fed well, or even there nursing mother wasn't getting the nutrition she needed it could have put alot of strain on the animals body, like the body useing up it's own resources to keep itself alive (say bonemarrow for instance). I'm not sure if i'm typing this right to make sence or not.
OR say mother/pup ingested something not good for them, this coudl all have something to do with it.

In a clinci I worked in we had a siamese cat come in totally dehydrated, lethargic and paralized from the waist down.
The people went away on holidays for the weekend and probably the first day they left the cat had some kind of a seizure, that made some kind that made a blood clot in teh spine (it was years ago, sorry for my vaguness) and because the family wasn't home to take the cat to the vet right away the cat wasn't able to get water or food (couldn't walk) and so it dehydrated and the condition got worse. By the time we saw that cat (it was like that for 3 or 4 days now) it was too late, the kidnies had shut down and we had to put the cat to sleep.
So what i'm 'try' to make referance to is MAYBE from lack of nutrition the body was takign away from other areas (or poisening of some kind) and that the 'one' got better because she was being properly fed buy you now, for the other it was to late.

Sorry for my rambling, i hope it makes some kind of sence all my jibberish typing.
 
#8 ·
It makes sense, as it does not seem to be an introduced illness. I will wait with the intro; I have another female intro to do any way and they can be tricky, so one at a time. My two recent male intros went very well, especially with Rudolf, a big dove spot twice the size of the little slate guy. I saw Rudolf grooming him tonight! :)

But the diet thing makes at least as much sense as anything; funny though they got here with loads of food and within days the conditon and problem manifested itself.

Wendy continues to heal, and gnaw behind me.

A different interesting problem is detailed in the new "Pus" thread I am starting in several minutes. Check it out.
 
#9 ·
Mite Treatment??

I am now being reliably informed this condition is the result of the wrong treatment for mites: either too much of the right medicine, or a medicine intended for larger animals. I guess that would be considered a type of poisoning.

Anyone hear of this?
 
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