Baby gerbil is really ill :(

[Gazmo]

I went to my boyfriends place yesterday, and he showed me one of the other litter that was clicking and squeaking when it breathes. i know this is a respetory infection.

I woke up thismorning to check the litter im keeping, as many of you know, and picked up one of the little ones to continue to tame them, he was clicking and sqeaking too. im really worried, and i need advice about what to do, im scared. also is it contagious? i don't want all 7 of the pups to get it

[BrainGirl]

Uhoh. It's been a long time since I had gerbils (and gerbil babies) but I think it is contagious. Is the affected one old enough to be away from his mom? If you can get them to a vet I think that would be best but for now ensure there are no drafts and that his bedding is clean. Disinfect the water bottle too. Fingers crossed for the little guy.

[Gazmo]

their about 4 weeks old :/ one of thems already on solid food, so if that's the one that's ill then i guess i could x

[BrainGirl]

Make sure he continues to eat on his own. If he doesn't you'll need to give him a boost by handfeeding or make it easier for him to eat by making a mash out of his pellets if that's what he gets. What kind of bedding are they on?

[Bailey]

Until very recently, I raised gerbils and they would have a couple of litters a year (I kept it to a minimum). When they got respiratory infection at weaning age, around three weeks old(and they usually did get it), I went to Petsmart and bought Ornacycline (which I think they are phasing out so hurry) It's tetracycline re-branded. Some gerbil forums will tell you it has little effectiveness, but I know for sure that it saved my litters. Yes, RI is contagious to the whole litter, but the parents won't get it. I sprinkled the most of the contents of one packet into their water bottle for a couple days at a time, then freshened it up with new water and the same amount of meds for up to a week, stopped a couple days and watched for improvement. I only lost a couple of gerbils, but most got through it by five weeks of age or so. I would not recommend breeding from the parents again, if you can help it, because the ability to catch RI is likely inherited. Good luck!

[Gazmo]

im in the uk, so I don't know if I can get it, but ill try. we wont, we didn't mean to breed, we thought they were boys and we put another boy in, but he got them pregnant

[BrainGirl]

Whew, someone with recent experience! Thank-you! That's interesting about the genetic component. The gerbils I had when I was younger (into my early teens) seemed very different from the gerbils I've met lately. I had several litters (my mother wanted them, don't ask) and I never experienced any illness with them. It's probably impossible but I wonder if there was one mutation that got passed on and if the source of that mutation could be determined by mapping.

[Bailey]

One more thing: Don't put antibiotics in the water if the pups are still with mom if she's pregnant again, and if the dad is there, she is. The antibiotics could be harmful to her unborn pups. But it's ok for the current litter to have access to treated water otherwise. I never had to use antibiotics longer than ten days at the most. The gerbils never seem to contract respiratory infection again once they get over it in their youth, in my experience.

[Gazmo]

we figured out she was pregnant before she gave birth and sperated them

[Bailey]

I bet there is a UK equivalent for a suitable antibiotic. I know you have tetracycline there, which is what Ornacycline really is (sold for birds btw) Check egerbil; those people are tremendously helpful and based out of the UK. BrainGirl; I have noticed the same thing. Many years ago when I raised gerbils, they never got RI, ever! Now, every litter I've raised goes through it with rare exception ( I no longer own or raise gerbils, unfortunately) . So, it may be a mutation, but could be due to constant inbreeding over decades.