"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."
I didn't think she said anything about lack of appetite, but it is a
frequent response to a crisis like stroke. Stroke signs/symptoms have much
to do with where the damage &/or swelling occurs, so her sister's gerbil may
have had a stroke in a different area of the brain than yours did. Many
human stroke sufferers have dysphagia or difficulty eating and swallowing.
I just presumed that was going on with this gerbil because of the porridge
comment.
