> I think he landed wrong on his neck and has broken it. Take a look at
him
>when he looks up at you and see if his head is turned sideways. I had a
>gerbil who broke his neck and is still alive. I didn't think he would make
>it. I think he was a very lucky gerbil!
The rolling over and over like they are on a spit stuck through them
through mouth to rear, is head trauma.
I have animals break backs and necks and there is a definite crick to
the spinal column, and the usual inability for the animal to move
anything below the break.
The head cant is common, for either head trauma or stroke. I had
a male syrian hamster have a sudden stroke at 8 months and he lived
for 9 months after that, eating and all, but a permanent head cant.
Equilibrium problems are not unusual either, in either case.
Most of the time the animal learns to adapt.
Again, a hamster, dwarf; she had a stroke and if she rose up (to
try to escape, or box at my hand or whatever) she would literally
flip over backwards and to the right. If she went fast, she would
go in clockwise circles. If she went slow, she could go any direction
she wanted. After a week, she calmed down and started to adapt,
and tended to keep herself low and take her time toodling around
the cage. She is still alive, well except for that, and on her third
litter since then.... She is still being allowed to breed despite her
having a stroke, as she should stop any time now as she's approaching
a year old. None of her offspring to date have shown any signs of
the same (strokes).
> Anyway, there isn't much you can do, I don't think. Try not to pick him
>up to much. His equilibrum (spelling?) is thrown off and I think it will
>fix itself. Try not to pick him up to much. My gerbil rolls when I pick
>him up also. What I do when I have to pick him up is I grap him by the
base
>of the tail so he won't walk/fall off my hand and I put my hand under him
to
>keep his balance.
Is your gerbil rolling lengthwise, or sideways? If he's still rolling, it
may be permanent damage to equilibrium...any animal I've had with
head trauma after the first week quit the rolling like they're on a spit.
Veering to the side and rolling more like somersaults is equilibrium.
Head cant is not equilibrium.
> I wish you good luck. E-mail me if you would like anything else.
Either one of you, feel free to email me privately.
Deb
Rebel's Rodent Ranch
