If there is anybody on the list that had to have a gerbil's leg
>amputated I would like to hear from them. I need some idea of how well he
>would or would not adapt. His quality of life is the big issue here. I
>don't want him to be miserable!
I've never had a gerbil's leg amputatad, but I've come accross quite a
number who had missing limbs. It all happened in a lot of 22 gerbls that
had been very badly neglected. 3 had missing front limbs (it went from
'just' paws missing to the whole limb missing), 2 had missing hind limbs.
They'd probably been chewed off as a result of the cage being over-crowded.
It was quite appalling.
Once they'd all be re-homed in bigger cages, all of them did very well,
eating, climbing, etc. On some of them it even took a little while to
notice that they'd been injured, they had completely normal behaviour. One
young female even went on to breed very successfully, and up to now she has
reared 3 huge litters.
I think gerbils can get on very well even with an amputated limb, and even
if the whole leg's gone. I'm sure Pookie will get over the trauma of the
operation and adapt very well.
Good luck !
Noreen
--
Noreen Blanluet - [EMAIL PROTECTED]
sheep, gerbil and jird fan (as always) !
now at :
Peithyll Farm
Capel Dewi
Aberystwyth
Ceredigion SY23 3HU
01970 828 431
