Hello Jill,
I didn�t want to attack you - I just mentioned my opinion as well as you can
mention yours. We are responsible for our animals because they can�t care
for their food, health etc. for themselves and so, each of us has made
different experiences that have to be shared so that the others can inform
themselves from it.
I just want to comment your message a bit.
The original poster stated
> > quite clearly that the
> > gerbil still had a good appetite and was active
> > despite the respiratory
> > problems. This does not indicate a "life that is no
> > longer live-worthy".
I can�t agree with that as far as it concerns my (already dead) gerbil,
Speedy: he died last november. Before we had him operated of cancer once,
and then the tumor came back but I was not sure whether I should take him to
the vet�s once more. But I didn�t have to decide whether or not, because
nature was faster: obviously, he had had an apoplectic fit/ cerebral
catastrophe (sorry, I don�t know which translation is correct!), because he
was lame on one side, but he ate until 1 minute before he fell off the sofa
and was dead!
Eating is not (or better doesn�t have to be) a question of how the gerbil�s
health status is, but it�s a question of instinct, I�d say.
> > Before jumping on my advice, you should do a little
> > research of your own-
> > gerbils do not get "colds" as you suggested in your
> > previous post. There is
> > no evidence that gerbils are affected by any viruses
> > (including adenovirus
> > which causes the "cold" in humans), only bacterial
> > infections.
Sorry, but I didn�t "jump on your advice" as I mentioned on top of this
message. I definitely have had one case of bronchitis and another case of
cold - as far as I can trust my vet and several gerbil books. I don�t know
where you live and what the climate is like there, but I live in lower
Bavaria/ Germany and today, it�s only + 13 degrees C. I don�t know whether
my Hannibal really had caught a cold, but the vet said so, and know Hanni is
better - and I don�t care why he was sick.
I didn�t want to be aggressive (and I don�t think that I was) and I hope
that aggression doesn�t find a way into this list, because I hate fighting
and everything.
Bye, Claudia
