>they looked fine at the pet store but when I brought them home they could
>hardly walk then I just found them dead after I ate dinner I don't know
what
>could have caused that
Dehydration.
First guess by what you said. The store could have had a jammed
waterbottle, and they were in enough decline that by the time you
got them home and in their new cage, they had no interest in
drinking from the waterbottle you provided that worked.
When buying animals, I always check out the cage and the equipment
and the state of all the animals in the cage (and if there are more
cages of animals (hamsters, gerbils, mice, and rats) right next to
the one I'm looking in, those too) BEFORE buying.
Dehydration is usually a secondary effect of some other illness,
when a gerbil gets ill they stop eating and drinking, and the
dehydration kills them quickly.
It takes 8-72 hours for dehydration to kill, depending on the general
condition of the animal and other factors. I am betting they were in
the middle stages of decline when you picked them out (still moving
and appearing to be fine but...perhaps light in weight when you
picked them up) and moved to third stage which is last decline and
death without prompt intervention, partly caused by the stress of
being brought home. The time elapsed that you mention is not
unusual, on the short side, but possible.
If the pet store had a guarantee and you get replacement animals,
double check things like the waterbottle in the cage is working and
all...and the animals themselves should be bright eyed, sleek coated,
alert and curious. When picked up they should have a solid feel to
them, and the stomach area should not be sunken, but moderately
full (not concave). Dull eyes, preferring to stay in sleep ball instead
of at least looking up with curiosity at things bothering the cage or
a hand put in the cage, fluffed out fur, or a wheezing or clicky sound
to the breathing, are signs of problems. Also the animal seems
light, not solid and rather weighty for it's size....
Please don't get discouraged Jenny, but try again.
Deb
Rebel's Rodent Ranch
