my gerbil is paralyzed?
i don't know what happened, but suddenly one of the gerbils went limp, he cannot walk on his left hind legs and everyday it's like he's getting worse and worse -- he just lies there. so what i do is i hand him so food that he can eat while lying down, and try to bring the water to him if he's thirsty. we have been careful when changing the saw dust and we rarely took him out, any idea as to what's going on? im worried that he might die.
Update:i know putting him to sleep may be one good option... im just very hopeful, because i've had a gerbil lose part of her tail from fighting with other gerbils (we separated them afterwards) and she is well right now. i am hoping that this other gerbil will recover, that if he has any broken bones -- i am praying it will heal.
Comments
I had a similar thing happen to one of my gerbils. I think your little guy probably had a stroke. How old is he? If he is still eating and drinking and not in obvious discomfort, I would watch him. Are there any signs that he is dehydrated? Does he feel very light or cold to the touch? You could try giving him kitten formula through an eyedropper (glass because he will try to chew it). Give him some every 10 minutes or so until you see an improvement, then gradually increase the time between feedings. He might not willing take water from you when you offer it. It often has to be forced. Hold him by the scruff of the neck in one hand and push his front paws down with your fingers. Give him a drop or two. You can try stroking his chin to make him swallow. I have brought back gerbils who were in pretty bad shape because they were dehydrated. Unfortunately they stop drinking when they are sick or upset, but sometimes all they need is fluids. If you can't get to the pet store to get kitten formula, try gatorade, whole milk or sugar water. Heat it to about room temperature. Also, you can set up a gooseneck light in a corner of his cage to give him some warmth. If warmth and fluids don't improve his condition, he might be beyond help. Take him to a vet that has experience in exotics. They can help you make the decision if he has to be put down. Sorry to hear your little guy is sick. Gerbils can be quite amusing, but they are pretty fragile little animals.
I'm sorry to hear about your gerbil being sick, although i never owned one only had a friend who had, but life expectancy of a gerbil is about 3-5 years with exceptions, how old is your gerbil? If it is not due to age, it seems obvious that it is ill due to injury or some other illness. It is a good sign that your gerbil is eating, and i hope you are giving it water to hydrate it also. I hope your gerbil gets better soon.
Sometimes hamsters get in fights and get hurt. Also they can have strokes. I had a rat who was older and had a stroke and was paralyzed in his back legs. I had him put down after trying to feed him with a syringe for a couple of days. He just couldn't get around anymore. He was 18 months old.
He could probably have arthritis. take him to the vet and if there is nothing more they can do than you are probably going to have 2 put him 2 sleep. Why? because he can't take it anymore and doesn't want to suffer anymore and you'll be doing to right thing. I am so sorry this has happened.
Take him to a small animal vet. It sounds like putting him down is the best option though. When animals lose motor control it usually means its the end for them.
Give it a little hampster massage everyday, make sure he keeps eating. Sometimes they act like this if they feel like they are not loved, hampsters need a lot of love in captivity.
Put him to sleep so he does not suffer
I dont want the gerbil to suffer
Sorry hun but he is paralized. This happened to my hamster. Put him down straight away because when they become paralized like that then they also can not control their bowels. Sometimes they can not urinate and all the urine gets stuck in their bladder which also causes them to poisen themselves. He is suffering, go put him down please.
THIS MIGHT SOUND FUNNY BUT U COULD MAKE HIM A WHEELCHAIR FOR HIS BACK LEGS LIKE THEY DO WITH DOGS. HE'LL LEARN TO WALK WITH IT BUT U MIGHT HAVE TO CHANGE TO NEWSPAPER FOR BEDDING AND HAVE TO TAKE THE WHEELCHAIR OFF AT NIGHT.