Hi Nancy, Does your gerbil live alone? It may be too late now, but gerbils are social animals and prefer to be with another gerbil of either sex. If it has a mate, look carefully for scabbing or bleeding - they may have had a fight, in which case you need to separate them. She would be too old to re-pair up with another cage mate, but could live along for the rest of her life, if necessary.
Goat's milk is wonderful thing to help an ailing gerbil back to health. See if you pick up a can and the grocery store and try it. Hold her mouth close to your ear and see if you hear a clicking noise. If you do hear that, she has a respiratory infection and needs antibiotics. The vet will charge you $60 to tell you that and supply you with antibiotics. Pet stores sell antibiotics - she may have some other sort of infection. >From the experts, I am told that bird antibiotics work fine for gerbils. Just put some into the water bottle. I hate to say this, but she might be at the end of her natural life. Females live to an average of 2-3 years. Did she mate and have pups? That can shorten her life span. I would also change the cage and provide fresh bedding. What do you use for bedding? Cedar and pine shavings that you get from the pet store are not good for gerbils because their aromatic oils can cause respiratory infections and allergic reactions. Being old, perhaps she is more susceptible. I hope that these ideas help and that one of them may help lead to a healthy gerbil for you. Please feel free to write back with any questions, to the LISTSERV group or privately. Yours in the love of small furry creatures, Larry Capuder GerbilStrong Strongsville, OH - suburban Cleveland American Gerbil Society member
