I am not much of an authority on this but you sounded so worried I thought I should reply anyway.
My guess is that it's a completely solvable problem, especially since it's not coming from the inside of the ear and he's acting fine. Somehow he injured it - by himself, or is there anyone in the cage he might have fought with? Or - can anyone help me on this? - it might possibly be a mite or something? If you're really worried and want immediate answers, I would call your vet. But in the meantime I would think about how long it's been there. It sounds infected, or on its way to be infected. If it does not heal properly by itself, then you may need medication to treat it. Still, if he is eating and behaving normally, and only scratching occasionally, and as long as if there are other gerbils in with him they also seem to be fine and are not also scratching a lot (an indication that you have a pest problem), it should not be anything really serious or difficult to fix. Again, I am not the best source on this, but unless these are special symptoms I do not recognize as being significant, it's probably nothing to get out-of-control worried about. This may seem like a ludicrous idea, but whenever I get especially worried about strange things I notice in my little ones, I find it awful but also comforting to read over the archive of some of the really serious and horrific injuries or other emergencies that others have dealt with. It helps me to put my own babies' health into perspective, so I can help them with the calm that they (and I) need. There is a difference between life-threatening problems and other health problems, and it's sometimes helpful to be able to assess the signs so you know what level of problem you're dealing with, and how to react. If you're ever really concerned that it may be an emergency, just like they tell people, it's better to call a doctor and ask their advice than to just assume everything's fine. But usually with pets, you can tell if something is really wrong because that's the only time it shows. By the way, thanks to all who helped with my own worries - Sunshine and Daisy are drinking normally and regularly now, and now appear to be at a more healthy weight. When I saw that Sunshine's stomach was not what was swollen, I realized I was feeding them too much. They are adjusted back to a normal amount and a healthy variety of food. Dana :) __________________________________________________ Move your email to a better address. Over 1,000 domains to choose from! FREE! PRIVATE! http://www.MailSpace.com
