I still say it's scent gland secretions soaked into the wood house. If it
were excessive urine, you would also notice a great deal more water
consumed than normal,(or severely dehydrated gerbils) and the post said
they were drinking normally. I have one tank (15 gallon) with 2 females who
get along well, but are very territorial. That is to say, one marks
something, then the other marks over that, then the first marks over that,
and so on. They have two wood house toys in the tank, both of which reek to
high heaven! I have from time to time sanded the top layer of the wood off
the house to try to get down to a new, less pungent layer of wood, and it
does help somewhat.
I have 3 tanks, all the same size, all with female pairs- but the
"wood-markers" are the only ones who stink. I suggest removing the wood
house after the next cleaning and replacing it with something cardboard, or
maybe an upside-down terra cotta pot. See if that makes any difference with
the smell.
Jill
----------
> From: Donna Anastasi <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
> To: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
> Subject: Re: more the detail concerning the "urine problem"
> Date: Wednesday, July 12, 2000 5:29 PM
>
> If you have two gerbils, the tank should not smell much at all even at
> its two weeks cleaning. This is my experience and sounds like that from
> the people on the list as well. It sounds like everything in the cage
> is pretty standard. So unless you have a very sensitive nose, there is
> probably a problem with one or both of your gerbils. Have you done a
> sniff test to see if the urine of both is pungent? If yes, perhaps it
> is something contagious.
>
> Bottom line is that there seems to be agreement from the list that this
> is not the condition of healthy gerbil. You would probably have to
> consult a vet to get a proper diagnosis and treatment. People on the
> list are great for healthy-gerbil tips, but it's best to consult a
> medical expert with a sick pet, especially for the serious on uncommon
> ailments. Good luck to you and your pair. Donna
>
> gerbils4 wrote:
>
> > hello ,here are some more details , maybe it will help someone to
> > identify the problem -I have two gerbils , I don't use wood chips
> > bedding , only toilet paper and cardboard .after someone has mention
> > it could be a problem of a dripping water bottle , I checked , and saw
> > it is dripping but only a little bit.maybe this causes the problem ...
> > but I dont understand why .oh , and I put fresh sand every three days
> > so they can play in it.the last thing is that they have a wooden house
> > as a nest and it smells worst then anything else .does it help to find
> > out the origin of the problem ?I don't think it is a bladder problem ,
> > because both gerbils are doing it , and it seem quite natural , they
> > even make this "digging" movement right after
> > .thankshila.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
-------this
> > is the first message , in case you have no idea what I am talking
> > about
> >
.---------------------------------------------------------------------------
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------hello
> > allI love my gerbils and I dont mind giving them all the space they
> > need in my room , I dont even mind the animal scent they producethe
> > problem is with ... well , their urine .I dont know if it just my
> > gerbils , or maybe all gerbils are like that , but when ever they are
> > in a "new" place the first thing they do is to mark it with their
> > urinethe thing is that they consider their place as "new" every time
> > after I have cleaned it !so in a few hours it has such a smell that
> > I'm having a problem to even get near it .does anyone has this kind of
> > problem too ?do you have any suggestions what can I do
> > ?
thankshila.-----------------------------------------------------------------
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