Think this is goodbye

[Kirsty1987]

Sat hear in tears with my gerbil uriel wrapped up in a towel against my chest he is curled up in a ball with his eyes closed and just has no strength :( he has a wound on his chest which was infected and he was taken to the vets and he was on baytril and stuff for pain for 10 days but even though the infection cleared up the wound just got deeper from scratching. I really think this is goodbye :( i.m going to keep him by my side to see if there are any changes and to stop his brother pestering him

[kirsandherbz]

Lots of love and hugs for you and uriel. I hope this isn't the time to let him go. Xx

[Kirsty1987]

Thank you i just gave him some pasta, cheese and mealworms which he devoured seems to have lost a lot of weight the past few days so trying to give him some foods with extra fat and protein and now he is curled up in his coconut so just going to keep an eye on him and OH has offered to lend me money to take him to the vets again to see if they can do any thing for him

[Womblehands]

I hope they can. He sounds like a fighter if he is still eating ok. Maybe the vet can help keep him here with you longer.

[The Hamster's family]

Wishing you the best of luck... Just hope that what ever happens, it goes easy...

Thinking of you both...

Annie xxx

[Stockannette]

Sending good wishes.

[gutterglitterxx]

Sending lots of good vibes in your direction. xx I hope he pulls through!

[mmmim256]

Sending you lots of hugs! uriel is in my prayers. Hope he recovers quick.

[Kirsty1987]

Uriel made it through the night. Still a bit worried about him so going to get OH to go to the vets today and get him an appointment

[Kirsty1987]

Ok he has gone down hill again :( won't open his eyes, bad balance and is really skinny. And the smell from the wound made me gag it was disgusting probably like rotting flesh smell. He has an appointment at the vets at 10:40 tomorrow morning really hoping he makes some improvements but the wound it so big much bigger than it was at first wish they could stitch it up but not sure if that's possible :(

[GhostsInSnow]

I really hope they can do something for him hun *hugs* I can't see why they wouldn't be able to stitch it. When my mouse had a lump removed from by her bum they were going to stitch (but cauterized instead) so I think it can be done.
Keep us updated xx

[The Hamster's family]

Ohhh... I just hope everything goes smooth... Can you give him a little something to eat ? Can you call the vet to see if they can make some room sooner or tell you what to do in the mean time ?

Wishing you both good luck...

Annie xx

[Kirsty1987]

I got him some potato and carrot baby food, mealworms, pasta and cheese he has eaten a little but not much just doesn't appear to have the strength to do anything so is sleeping all the time. The vets that is 24/7 is to far i don't drive and it very cold out. Will just keep him comfy and try to get him to eat and see how he manages if he really takes a turn for the worse then i will call the vets.

[The Hamster's family]

He's resting... Keep him warm and cuddled near you.

I'm thinking of you... Good luck...

Annie xx

[Kirsty1987]

Thank you :) I just hope he does recover as I'm worried about how zach will cope without him there close and have been together for a long time so i don't think that introducing another gerbil to keep him company would be a good idea. But i need to think positive and do everything i can for uri and hope he pulls through :)

[racinghamster]

Sorry to hear that Uriel has went downhill Kirsty. Gerbils are fighters and if they do suffer from illness, it`s usually something bad to get them really ill. I would try to see a vet as soon as possible to determine what his chances are and if the vet can even do something while he`s in the surgery to get this wound healing, but skin wounds can be tricky because of the skin needed to pull any open wound together if he needed stitches.

Adult male gerbils usually take well to baby males, but you have to know the character of your remaining male because if he`s laid back, chances are he would father a baby gerbil, but if he`s quite dominant, a cage splitter could be needed until they bonded.

Lets hope Uriel pulls through. x

[Kirsty1987]

He has the vets this morning just getting ready now warming up some towels to put in the carrier as its freezing out outside. Zach is the less dominant of the 2 but not as laid back very hyper and acts quite young for his age the tank isn't big enough to be split so just hoping everything goes ok. Will update as soon as i get back :)

[racinghamster]

Best of luck Kirsty, hope the vet you see can do something positive for you and Uriel. x

[Kirsty1987]

Just got back from the vets and its sad news :( uriel was PTS there was a large mass behind the wound which the vet thinks was a tumour which took up most of his chest so not even an operation to remove it would have helped. But i know it was the best decision to make and that he is no longer having to suffer at he his last vet visit he was 88g and he only weighted 60g this time so was very poorly. Zach is currently running round the tank searching for his brother and i don't know what to do. May try introducing a younger male so he doesn't become depressed R.I.P uriel i know i didn't have you for a long time but i did everything i could to make you happy

[GhostsInSnow]

Oh no I'm so sorry *hugs* I thought about him this morning and was just coming on to ask how he was doing. You did everything you could for him and I'm sure the time he had with you, no matter how short it was, he had a great life xx

[shiny]

Oh dear, so sorry :(. You did all you could for poor Uriel.

About Zach - we deliberated for ages over introducing another male to our lone 3 year old male guinea pig after his brother died this summer, we went for it in the end with a 6 week old male & were lucky they get on well. We had an extra cage on standby just in case though. I think it's a real risk for lone social animals to get depressed so you will have to weigh up how you think he will be with another vs living on his own.

Sending you all my best wishes, shiny

[Kirsty1987]

Yeah I have been thinking about it and am going to see how zach copes on his own for a little while, if he seems depressed I will try introducing him to a young male breeder near by has just recently had a litter. I don't want for it to not work out and end up with 2 lone gerbils though as I don't have the room for 2 tanks. So maybe the breeder will let me see if it works out and if not take the pup back?

[shiny]

I would keep an eye on Zach's weight as a good indicator of him being a bit depressed / under the weather if he's lonely. I spoke to guinea breeders before who said they would have a baby guinea back if it didn't work out with our existing guinea. Genuine & caring breeders are pretty good like this I think as they place a lot of value on the welfare of the animal and a happy forever home. We didn't think we would be able to part with another guinea though once we had brought him home :) so had the extra cage ready in case. Hope Zach settles soon, he may just need a bit of time to adjust.

[The Hamster's family]

I'm very sorry to hear the sad new... But at the same time, I think he's better off not suffering anymore... You really are a great pet owner and you gave him the cares he needed... It is a selfless decision you took and you should have great respect of yourself for that. Your little one is probably smiling down at you. Hope your heart heals soon and that your remaining baby copes well with the situation...

Rest well, little one... Have fun at the Bridge...

Annie xxx

[HammieandMerlin]

Oh I am so sorry :( you did everything you possibly could, he knew he was loved xxx

[mmmim256]

Oh no! I'm sorry to hear about that. He knew that you tried everything you could do!

[racinghamster]

:( Sorry to hear you lost Uriel kirsty but it did sound as though he was feeling something to make him so ill. Rest in peace little guy. x

A good breeder should be able to let you have even two baby males under 10 weeks of age Kirsty. A split tank is usually a good way of doing it, but when I brought in a youngster for my adult male when he lost his pal, he was just so happy to see his new baby that I had no worries at all and it was wonderful to see them together. Grub did sniff the little one a lot and the youngster did protest by squeaking a bit, but once the initiations were over with, they settled down fine and it was a really easy introduction. Adult males ten to `father` really small baby males because they don`t see them as a threat. But as I said earlier, if the adult male is feisty or has been dominant or nippy, he could be more of a challenge and kept a close eye on. Any signs of aggression at all and I would feel either a cage split was needed, or give up and don`t bother. Although it`s more ideal for them to live in pairs or small groups, it`s never guaranteed that it would work, but it`s always worth considering.

[Kirsty1987]

A have been talking to a breeder and she has 2 8 week old males so i'm going over at the weekend to see them. Zach has never showed any signs of aggression or being dominant when he was with uriel so i'm hoping this does work out. If it doesn't the breeder said she will take the pups back as I don't have to room to house them seprately. Zach has been looking a little lost so it will be nice if he gets on with the pups I think he needs the company

[racinghamster]

That sounds lovely Kirsty, all the best with that. When I brought my youngster in as a companion for my small adult male Grub, I just plonked him in the tank and didn`t bother fully cleaning the tank or doing introductions elsewhere, although given that your tank isn`t very large, I would still keep things minimal and easy for the gerbils to have space and not have too many hiding areas or places where Zach might feel crowded or accessories like tubes. I would remove those and just have the nesting area, substrate and some new ripped up shredded paper or hay for them to nibble on. :) Zach may feel a little overwhelmed and seem to sniff and chase the babies, but this is the time when you watch Zach very closely just to be sure he`s enjoying his new little friends and not looking defensive. I stood alongside my glass tank when Grub saw Munchie for the first time and Grub was such a wee darling of a gerbil, I just told him what a good boy he was and let them get used to one another while watching them.

It was quite emotional actually to see him almost smile (if gerbils did such a thing!) at having a little companion again.

Do update when you have more news. :)

[Moonflower]

Aww.. This is such sad news.... D:
I hope you feel better soon

[Ilovehamsters]

Stay strong xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx