Paige
Donna Anastasi wrote:
Hi Everyone,I am losing one of my gerbil pups. I don't think there is anything that
I can do, but thought I would explain the situation in case (perhaps)
there is.Promise has a litter of 3 pups 12 days old. (She is also fostering a 5
day old pup -- he's doing great!). The runt of the 3 pup litter seemed
weak on Friday evening when I took out the pups, I didn't take a close
look, just put her right back with mom, while we handled the other two.Saturday morning this pup was apart from the litter, lying on his back,
legs straight up, and cold. I thought she was dead so I took her out.
She wasn't quite dead so I put her under a heat lamp, just to make her
more comfortable. Well, she starting squirming around. I checked her
over carefully and she had a big black spot (1/2 centimeter) right below
her rib cage (far up from her anus). Maybe a bruise/blood(?). I heated
one corner of the tank and put her back with mom. We went away for the
night and came back Sunday afternoon, I checked the tank assuming I'd be
burying her. She was not in the nest with the other pups, but in a
corner under a pile of litter. Still alive, still week, and very tiny.
She is the same size as the 5 day old (but fully furred) and about 1/2
the size as the 12 day olds. Now her belly area looks like a faded
bruise. The belly is very fat, more bloated than skinny, so Promise is
obviously still nursing her.Any ideas -- other than keeping this pup warm and with the litter/nest?
-- Donna
ABC Gerbils
http://www.geocities.com/abcgerbils/home.html
