Well, I took Persian (formerly "Jumper," but she jumps less & purrs more now) and Scratchy, my 5-1/2 week old babies, to the vet today. My husband was aghast that it cost $44 per gerbil and said, "Those gerbils are costing us a lot (toys, food, bedding, vet, etc.). We'll do it this once, but not again." (sigh) He's not an animal lover in any sense of the word, so I guess I shouldn't be surprised. Anyway, I was going to have the vet examine just one of the gerbils so I could pay only the $44, but then I decided I'd best have her examine both of them. It turns out that they have respiratory infections, even though they aren't yet clicking. The one with the worst nose may have some skin infection thing going on, too. She said the corn cobbing bedding is not as good as paper-based bedding since there's more dust in it and a fungus tends to grow in it. She recommended using Care Fresh or Yesterday's News, for example. Anyway, she gave me an antibiotic to give them 2x per day for 10 days, and she gave me a sample of block food that's supposed to be healthier for them than mixes I was buying. (I think it might be called "High Performance," or something - I don't have the bag right with me at the computer.) She said that handling the babies from a young age is a good thing, but to not have too much activity going on around them and to not handle them excessively.
Anyway, I got home and checked out the nose on the last gerbil from the last litter and *she* had a little drainage, I think, *and* I noticed she was clicking, so I called the vet and she said I can give her the medicine, too. Maybe I'll get lucky and these babies will survive. She said the ornicycline is kind of a lower-grade antibiotic so it doesn't work as well as this other stuff she gave me (something pink, I don't recall the name of it.) Actually, there's a certain peace of mind that comes from having them under a doctor's care, as silly as it may sound. The receptionist told me, too, that vet visits for a dog or cat run about $35, but they spend less time with the pet and give less information *and* gerbils don't have to be vaccinated and all. At least, that's what I'm planning to tell my husband so he doesn't hit the roof tonight. ;-) -Jean
