Okay, who said moving across country was easy???
Yesterday while feeding gerbils in the camper, I noticed one of Ike's eyes
is swollen shut. This morning it is still swollen shut. There is no
discoloration around the eye or any other signs of illness. However, he has
gotten very grumpy. Ike is still the sweetest gerbil with me, but has taken
to chasing Birch everytime Birch gets near him. Birch is missing a toe on
one of his front paws. There are no bite marks on either male, but Ike
keeps chasing Birch quite violently (lots of squeaking and very quick
movements). Birch looks a bit disheveled this morning. I may have to go
buy another cage and separate them for the remainder of this trip.
I hypothesize that Ike is either attacking Birch because he can't see very
well which might make him confused. Or Ike is in pain and this is confusing
him.
Either way, I suppose it's convenient that I've already have a vet
appointment tomorrow. Everyone needs health certificates to travel to and
from Canada. I'll ask the vet about Ike's eye then. If the fighting
continues, I'll go to the petstore and pay full price for yet another cage!
So, we've haven't even left Fairbanks yet and already problems are mounting!
(Angel getting caught in wire, Ike's eye problem and grumpiness, Cindy
discovering ways to escape, AND Patch the ferret is starting to show signs
of adrenal disease!!!)
Deb Adams and her traveling menagerie
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