bad tail, please help!

[dipstick705]

Hi, I have a gerble named Bugsy, and his tail is loosing all of it's fur and it is really nasty. We pu some vitamin E on it and it is working really good. But is there anything I should be looking for? Like a warning that something might happen?

[HuskerJade]

I have little experience with gerbils and mine have never been sick. I don't know what to tell you to do--maybe call a local PetCo (I worked at one and SOME are a big help!!) or your vet?? Maybe ask a gerbil breeder online?? Maybe it'll be okay, hopefully!!

[amymlc]

don't call a petstore for help. call a vet and see what he or she thinks. Petstores hire anyone who fills out an application. Most petstores I have been too including all the petcos within two hours of here have clueless employees. Make sure you are not picking your gerbil up your gerbil by the tale, also make sure his wheel isn't the metal kind where his feet can slip through. If it is, you can just get some tape and tape both sides so his feet or tale can't fall through.

[HuskerJade]

Actually, some pet stores can be of assistance. Not ALL hire anyone who fills out an application. The PetCo that I worked at only hired individuals with knowledge of the animals they sold and if they didn't have this knowledge, they were taught or had to stock and work the cash registers. I realize that most pet stores, even chains, do suck and have less than adequate employees, but some actually know what they're talking about.
Did you find anything online??

[amymlc]

well, Petco is under a lot of heat because of their abuse of animals, so I would not go to a petco.....even if you worked at a good one.

[HuskerJade]

Compared to the privately owned pet stores around my area, PetCo looks like a saint!!! I refuse to buy things from so many pet stores around here that PetCo & PetSmart are my only options. I try to go to the one I used to work at because I know how they treat their animals. Over half of my pets (I have a lot!!) I adopted from PetCo. Instead of just killing, feeding, or freezing sick or injured animals there, they treat them and adopt them out (usually to employees, ex-employees, or friends who know how to care for the particular animal).

Anyway, how many gerbils do you have?? I had 5 at one time, but I gave 2 to a girl that still works at PetCo and one to my roommate, but she moved to CA, so I may be keeping her. The other 2 that I bought (the other 3 were given to me by a friend from PetCo) aren't very old. Rogue is a black female with a white chin blaze and has 2-3 week old babies that look exactly like her!! My male is Roscoe and he's a tortoiseshell with a white head spot. They're both about 7-8 months and they were my first gerbils and I am so glad that I got them!!

[amymlc]

The petco coorperation is under a lot of heat right now because of the way they treat their animals. I have been to every petco in my state. I see the way they treat their poor animals. It is disgusting. Here is a website that shows some of the petco abuse: spsac.com/ and here is another one:

anapsid.org/petcocit.html and another one:

thepetitionsite.com/takeaction/443442871?sign[partnerID]=1&sign[memberID]=646956433&sign[partner_userID]=646956433

and another one: petno.homestead.com/index.html\

Petco mistreats their animals all over this country so don't tell me that all of them know what they are doing and take such great care of their animals. Look at these sites......and you will see. You may have worked at a good petco, but most of them are not good to their animals. I am not saying the one you worked at was bad....just the corporation in general.

I have six gerbils (three male, three female), three hamsters, two guinea pigs, two musk turtles, and two firebelly toads. All of my animals are rescue animals which means I either got them from a rescue shelter or from a friend who was going to send them to a shelter. So I know what I am talking about when I say that the pet store abuses their animals. I am a veterinary science major at the University of Arizona, so I am not a dumby when it comes to animal care.

[HuskerJade]

Cool, what are your gerbils' names?? What colors are they??

I didn't say that ALL PetCos know what they're talking about and treat they're animals well. I have told MANY employees of other PetCos (I too have been to all the ones in my state) that they're doing stuff wrong. Every other pet store in this state is worse than PetCo, and the only one I continue to go to is the one that I worked for. They take the smallest, cheapest animal to the VET if something goes wrong and continues to treat it themselves or seek futher treatment if necessary. It sucks that you haven't found a good PetCo, but until you visit EVERY PetCo in the country, you shouldn't make such generalizations.

I never said you were a "dumby" (proper spelling is "dummy") or knew nothing about pet care, I was just stating that THIS PARTICILAR PetCo knows more about pets than most pet stores in NE and most pet owners I've spoken to. You being a vet. science major doesn't make you anymore an authority on pets!! Congrats though. I was going to go to the U of A for psych.

[amymlc]

sorry, spelling isn't one of my strong points. I didn't say my major makes me an authority on petcare, but my experience, love for animals, and tons of research I do (I am a huge nerd and spend all my time reading about animals online or in books :D) allows me some authority on the subject :). I am not saying that every single petco is horrible or anything like that....but there sure do seem to be a lot of them that are horrible to animals....and it isn't just petco. Many petstores are horrible to their animals including petsmart stores that are supposed to be the one of the best. I didn't mean to come accross as attacking you. I reread my posts and it does come across that way. I have just spent countless hours complaining at petcos for them to take care of their animals. They just don't do it and a lot of empoyees (at least here in AZ) are clueless when it comes to animals. I even took in caresheets for EVERY animal including reptiles they had, but nothing changed. YOu should see how they treat their animals here in Tucson. It is sickning!! Well...anyway, my gerbils names are: Piper, Clover, Nosey, Graham, Ilas (he was born without eyes...corny, I know)and last but not least Quincey. What are your gerbils names? As you can tell, I am a little bit animal obsessed, literally. They are my whole life and passion. I am glad to hear that some petstores are decent to their animals.

[HuskerJade]

Oh, most pet stores here are TERRIBLE!! I won't EVEN delve into that one!! I try to only go to certain ones and not look too long at the animals because I could find hundreds of things wrong in an hour. =( What year are you @ U of A?? How old?? I'm almost a junior, just turned 20 in February. My maternal grandparents live in Sun City, only been there once but I would MUCH MUCH rather live in Tucson than anywhere in Nebraska!!
I'm online reading about animals ALL the time too...do you have AOL or AIM?? I am a big dork about having tons of pets too--my parents, bf, and friends all make fun of me for having so many, but I like 'em!!

My gerbils are Rogue & Roscoe. I had 3 others, but 2 I gave to a girl from PetCo (got those 3 from a different girl at PetCo in the first place!!) and the other, Charlotte, doesn't have a home right now. Well, she lives with me and I take care of her, but I'm trying to find her a forever home. My roommate nicely moved to CA last week, leaving me her pets AND the bills. =( =( Rogue & Roscoe have 2, 3 week old babies, but I won't be keeping them--already found great homes.

I also have 2 chocolate Labs (they live w/ my ex-stepdad tho), 2 min Pins (who live with my bf in Omaha, I'm there about half the week and moving there in May), and with lives: a Pacific parrotlet, 8 rats (expecting a litter of dumbos today!!), the gerbils, 3 mice (2 that my roomie left behind), 2 Chinese water dragons, a fat-tail gecko, 20 fish (all different kinds), and 3 snails...oh and my latest rescue, a long-haired golden hamster. I am babysitting 9 hermit crabs, but I'm probably going to buy them from the girl...and her 3 rats which I'm trying to convince her to let me keep, but we'll see!! Also, 3 foster rats that my friend brought BACK to me when she moved...they, along with the female dumbo babies, already have homes. =)

Again, do you have AOL or AIM?? If you do, we should chat sometime since we're both online a lot and love pets!! My SN is LRJADE96.

[HuskerJade]

One of my oldest female rats' name is Piper!! Her name was Peaches when I rescued her, so her full name is Piper Peaches. =) I also have a friend who has a cat named Quincy...I always wanted to name an iguana Quincy (from FoxTrot), but the iguana I had with my exbf was Ziggie (her gave her away without asking me if I wanted her first!!!!!).

E-mail me about your other pets--I love hearing what people name their pets!!

[amymlc]

WOW!!! we are like the same person!! I am almost a junior and 20 years old. I wish I could have that many pets, but I am not allowed have any in my dorm....SSSSSSHHHH :) I don't have aim or aol, but I will look into getting it. I do have MSN, and Yahoo messanger though. YOU have dumbo rats....I love dumbo rats!!! I want one. Just kidding. My roommated would kill me. We already have seven cages as it is. We are moving into a house after this semster though!! That is so cool! Sorry about attacking you again. I can go overboard sometimes. Keep in touch :)

PS....my other pet names:

Taika, Guinea pig
Zoey, Gunea pig
Kaibey, hamster
Sadee, Hamster
Hailey, Hamster
Perceval, musk turtle
sam, musk turtle

Why aren't you goint to be a vet? I plan on being (if I get into vet school) a vet for exotic wildlife....a fancy name for a zoo vet.

I also have like a thousand snails, that I was going to breed, but have decided against it....so now I just have too many apple snails. I have four betta fish...three females in with my turtles, and the male in with the snails. I have a gourami fish that I love!! Bettas and gouramis have so much personality!! I also have two giant (well...bigger thant the ones at the stores) plecos. They are ugly and scary, but cool anyway.

haha...sorry, my ps was longer than my message :)

[HuskerJade]

What is your e-mail address?? I feel bad for posting TOTALLY off topics here, but maybe nobody else is reading them?? My e-mail address is LRJADE96@aol.com. I'd love to chat about pets and stuff!! I even have a couple pics of some of mine and will have more soon.

You should totally get AOL Instant Messenger...it's free and really easy, just have to DL it. Do you have a DSL in your dorm room??

E-mail me!!!!

[dagger705]

I found my dumb cat with my gerbil in his mouth. :(:bawling:

[amymlc]

HUH? That's sad, but what does it have to do with this posting? Don't get me wrong, I feel bad for you, I just don't get it. Are you the same person as dipstick705? Well anyway, that is very sad. How did your cat get your gerbil? Next time you should really make sure your cage is safe for everyone involved. I am very sorry.

[dagger705]

Yep, it is me dipstick705, I just changed my username because I changed my e-mail... I was so sad when I found him dead, at first, he was still alive, and he died in my hands.

[dagger705]

Yep, it is me dipstick705, I just changed my username because I changed my e-mail... I was so sad when I found him dead, at first, he was still alive, and he died in my hands.

[amymlc]

oh!! That is horrible!! How sad! What kind of cage was your gerbil in? How did your cat get him? I am so sorry for you and your gerbil!!!! What a horrible death!

[dagger705]

I had him in a tank with a top on it, with a big heavy piece of wood on it, and a big heavy hammer! I have 5 cats but they only go after stuff with tails cause they look more like mice, they are afraid of guinea pigs... LOL!!!