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> From: Mari�lle Gerritsen <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
> To: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
> Subject: gerbil with a stroke
> Date: 07 February 2000 08:40
>
> Hi everyone,
>
> My sister just called me; she owns two gerbils that are both a year and a
> half old. Last night she came home after a weekend being away and she
found
> one gerbil lying on his side in his sandbath. The other gerbil tried to
be
> there in the sandbath too, lying on top of him. When that became too much
> the sick gerbil would go away to be on his own in a little jar. The
gerbil
> can move but his paws don't function well, he lets himself drop from high
> altitudes and sometimes falls to his side. He doesn't want to eat.
> Today the situation is somewhat better, the gerbil sometimes sits upright
> but still doesn't want to eat.
> My questions:
> Reading Julian's pages I think the gerbil suffered a stroke. Does that
have
> to do with his heart?
> I think I'll go to my sister now and bring her some metacam (a
painkiller-
> do you think he has pain?), and I'll show her how to feed the gerbil with
> nutrilon soy- soybased baby porridge. I hope I can do that myself. Are
> those the things I should do?
> I don't think the vet could do anything in this case, do you?
Sorry to hear about your sister's gerbil. I think she should take it to a
vet. It could be a stroke but something you say makes me wonder. I have
had several gerbils with strokes. They do have mobility problems, but
usually they do want to eat. It is more the case that they cannot balance
to hold the food.
If you offer them some baby food on your finger, they will lick it readily.
Good luck
Sue
