At 04:52 PM 7/22/00 -0400, Janet Morrow wrote:
>Hi,
>
>My daughter, seventeen, is keeping two of Hanna's daughters. The third
>one we have not sought a home for as I do not want her to be a solitary
>gerbil.
>
>The three sisters are now seven weeks old. This after noon we noticed
>that all three of them have a slight discharge from the nose. It looks
>like old dried blood. they are eating and drinking fine. I have not
>noticed any other symptoms.
>
>We are using aspen wood chips, although the do have a wooden house made
>out of old pine lumber.
That is probably the culprit.
>
>#1. Should I give them any Tetracycline? We could only get the fish kind
>we could find. It is 250 mg Capsules.
>
>We have been told by Gary that it can be used, but must be changed every day.
>
>#2. The directions say to use one capsule per 10 NET gallons of aquarium
>water. How much would we use for a water bottle, 8 oz. and 4 oz?
I wouldn't worry about tetracycline at this point, it is probably just an
allergy. Their noses have been running, so to speak (nasal and eye
discharge in gerbils is red, it's not actual blood). Probably getting rid
of the allergen should take care of it. If removing the house doesn't seem
to make a difference, it's possible they are allergic to aspen. I have a
few that are like that, I have to keep them on corncob or Carefresh. One
of my poor girls is allergic to EVERYTHING and I'm having to keep them on
nothing but plain toilet paper. I think at least some of it is
environmental, as I've noticed when I have a bad allergy attack, she does
too. Poor thing sneezes and wipes her nose just like I do! It worsens,
though, if I put her on anything but plain paper, and if I don't keep her
near the air purifier. She's an extreme case, though, all my others are
able to handle some sort of normal bedding.
If they wipe their noses enough to make them bald and sore you may need to
dab a tiny bit of Neosporin on their noses. I wouldn't mess with that,
though, if all you are seeing is the nasal discharge.
>#3. Since the sisters have been together since birth should the make good
>tank mates? My daughter is concerned that the 'blood' might be from fighting.
>
I seriously doubt it. If they seem to be behaving themselves, I wouldn't
separate them. Just keep a VERY close eye on them and be prepared if the
situation changes. The alternative is to remove one of them and try to
pair her with another female, and that can be pretty difficult.
Tana and The Little Rascals
http://thesanctuary.tripod.com
http://gerbils.freehosting.net
http://www.geocities.com/tinypaws68/
ICQ #: 44846928
