worried about one...

[Cenn]

Little bit worried about one of our two gerbils atm...

Just suddenly after we'd taken the girls out to play for a while, Sniff (the bigger/dominant girl) has become very quiet.

they were both running over our arms/shoulders, and we decided it was bed time and put them into their container.... Snuffkin (smaller) happily was running around, but Sniff just sat still in the middle, looking very depressed and wobbling a little.

She looks a bit sleepy perhaps, but is just sitting hunched up away from their sleeping quarters.

any ideas?

[Cenn]

OK - getting seriouly worried now.
Sniff is literally sitting totally still... I can go and oat her, pick up the tip of her tail or scratch behind her ear, and she does nothing except sitting and breathing...

i'm scared to pick her up...

/time passes//
her sister has "rescued" her and they are now both in their nest curled up together...

but has ANYONE got an idea of what may be/have been wrong with sniff???

I have never ever seen any gerbil stay motionless even when stroked....

[Doom Gerbil]

sounds like a stroke I think
try reading up on gerbil health at www.gerbils.co.uk
or the links at www.gerbilshows.co.uk will llead you to more specialist gerbil forums such as Petermass and GSUK where you can get more help.
Good luck and I hope she's ok.

[Cenn]

And the amazing thing is.
This morning both of the girls were running around like nothing had happened!

Is it possible Sniff was just sleepy??? Do gerbils just "fall asleep" like ppl with narcolepsy?

[Doom Gerbil]

yes a fit is another possibility

[fluffyfluff1]

Yes sounds like a siezure or stroke.

[Zouave]

I have heard of gerbils who have temporary seizures, but then recover. Glad that seems to be the case with yours! :)

[Cenn]

I read up on strokes: "Elderly gerbils can get strokes. The animal will loose use of part of it's body and fall over or have problems moving. They have the most amazing ability to get over strokes so make sure that your pet can reach food and water and keep him warm. Again you should seek advice from a vet as strokes and middle ear problems sometimes have similar symptoms."

The thing is... the girls just turned 3 months old so they are not exactly "elderly"... though I suppose that maybe it's possible at any age and just more probable the older they get?

I'd like to thank you all for the feedback and well-wishes. :) Just so glad that she is ok now!

[Doom Gerbil]

Cenn I had two three month old boys from my first litter and one day I went to feed them and Whisky, the larger pup, was dead. I'll never know what killed him but one suggestion from an expert was a stroke.
So I guess although more likely in lederly gerbils it is possible in younger ones
although I suspect a seizure is more likely in which case the main thing is NOT to breed from her.