This is a great place to look:
http://www.rodent.demon.co.uk/gerbils/ailments.htm#Infections
this is what I found for you...
Sore Ears
Gerbils will often injure their ears by excessive cleaning. Because
gerbils clean their ears with the long claws of
their back feet they can sometimes do themselves an injury. This will
often bleed profusely. Usually this injury
results from excessive cleaning and can be due to mites. Mites can be
treated with the sprays etc sold in petshops
for birds. A serious infestation needs veterinary treatment. Gerbils will
sometimes have a benign growth on the
ear that can grow quite fast. It can look like a pink cauliflower. If the
gerbil catches this when cleaning it can
also bleed. These growths are harmless and do not need to be removed
unless they grow so big as to block the
e
Inner Ear Problems
Again this is more common in older gerbils, and is recognisable when the
gerbil has a head tilt. This is caused principally by a cyst in the ear
known
as a cholesteatoma. These cysts are common in gerbils and are
untreatable. However, my experience is that the chronic condition caused
by these cysts, where the gerbil loses balance and often circles whilst
holding its head at a very unusual angle, is treatable. Presumably this
chronic condition is caused by an infection that is secondary to the
cholesteatoma. The best treatment is an anti-inflammatory injection
administered by your Vet, and treatment with antibiotics such as
Baytril. In the majority of cases a reduced head tilt remains even
though the chronic phase of the condition has passed, but your gerbil
will adapt to this and will enjoy life as much as he ever did. Be aware
that
this problem can reoccur. If the chronic phase of this condition is not
treated then the gerbil will often become totally incapable of caring
for
itself, it will collapse and quickly die.ar canal.
~*~Fran~*~
*********************************************************
Home to the Angelica Clan of...
33 Gerbils,~~ 1 Hamster, 5 Dwarf Hamsters ,~~ 2 Dogs ~~ 2 Cockatiels
Member of the AGS, Save the GGMLEs!
Married to a Wonderful Man, Homeschool 1 child. (Creslin Hall Academy)
Herman, Nebraska. USA
ICQ# 54180915
http://angelica_clan98.tripod.com/homepage
----- Original Message -----
From: S. M. <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
To: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Sent: Thursday, August 24, 2000 7:43 PM
Subject: SOS. sick gerbil please help!
> My name is Sara and I am new to this list so please bear with me.
> Two weeks ago I noticed one of my gerbils, Sparky, had blood in his
left
> ear and on the hair around it and he was scratching it. I checked for
signs
> of fighting with his cage mate Obsidian but found nothing (Obsidian was
> actually grooming him and cleaning his ear). Sparky was just fine after a
> couple of days so I wrote it down and stopped worrying.
> Yesterday I noticed Sparky was acting sick so I looked closer and
> discovered he had a pinkish red goo in his left eye and blood around his
> nose. Today he is also tilting his head to the left side. I gave him
some
> fresh fruit to help keep him hydrated (which he eagerly started eating)
and
> plenty of normal food (which he ate some of). He doesn't seem to have a
> respiratory infection but one may develop. I must be very bad at treating
> respiratory infections because most of my gerbils die of them. Does
anyone
> know what these symptoms are from? Can anybody please help me? I'm
afraid
> he might die!
>
> Respectfully, Sara
> ________________________________________________________________________
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