HELP! My pet is losing it's fur!

[Rex]

My gerbil has been losing a significant amount of fur by it's ass. It's only happening with one gerbil.

I looked up some stuff and it could be to either mites or stress, but I don't understand why that would be. How would they get mites? I clean the cage before it gets too dirty, and I don't understand why they'd be stressed. They have a huge cage and lots of room. I give them a wheel, food, stuff to chew, lots of bedding to dig, etc. What more do they want??

This is really disgusting to look at. I haven't seen it scratch itself and they don't fight each other really. So WTF??? I'm thinking of giving them away. I want to get rid of them if it's going to continue to scratch it's fur off. It's unsightly, and I'm getting sick of taking care of them. I thought they were easy pets to manage but I don't want to worry about them if they're going to get diseases and do things like this.

Here are some pics. Look by it's lower body, legs and ass. This is only with one gerbil. The other seems fine.

 

[RationalLunacy]

It's molting.

 

[LilBit]

If it were more patchy, then I'd say it's mites or stress. My guinea pig was prone to foot infections, and when she got them, she'd chew patches of fur out. Your gerbil seems to be losing fur in an evenly-shaped patch, so I'm inclined to agree with RL. If you notice any other problems, though, I'd recommend taking him to a vet.

 

[Rex]

Gerbils molt??? Do you mean they shed fur and grow new fur? How come the other doesn't? I also looked up some gerbil stuff and never read anything about them doing that.

 

[puka-pride]

he likes to trim and look nice for the other gerbils

its only common courtesy

 

[Ram]

The next time you put a gerbil up your arse, tie a string around it so that you don't have to fist your arse and grope around for its hair to pull on.

If it were more patchy, then I'd say it's mites or stress. My guinea pig was prone to foot infections, and when she got them, she'd chew patches of fur out. Your gerbil seems to be losing fur in an evenly-shaped patch, so I'm inclined to agree with RL. If you notice any other problems, though, I'd recommend taking him to a vet.

Take Lil'bit's advice, she took Higher Studies in Gerbil Management in school. She knows what she's talking about.

My Porkchop, bless her, started to lose hair around that region too. A few days later, Porkchop, bless her, started nibbling around that area. I thought it was some weird kinky gerbil sex shit they do when they have got nothing to fuck or zero of their own kids to eat. A few days later, I brought her to this hunky vet and he was pretty sure it was an infection. He gave me something, a cream I think, to apply on Porkchop -- bless her. A few days later, Porkchop, bless her, died.

Observe and scrutinize your gerbil properly Sultan.

 

[Rex]

I just looked it up and some website said they DO molt.....

Well that's a relief. I thought I was doing something wrong of they had fleas or some shit. OK, now I just need to clean the cage soon because it's beginning to smell like urine.

I hope the fur grows back soon. It's so ugly looking like that.



I wish I had a cat or something. Gerbils are quite disgusting and can get tumors and stuff I've read.

 

[RationalLunacy]

After it's done molting, it will shed it's skin and grow scales.

You know, like Michael Jackson.

 

[Garawr]

Gerbils are illegal here, so sorry I can't offer a valid opinion!

 

[JayHawk]

The best cure for a pesky gerbil is a cat.

 

[Ram]

Gerbils are illegal here, so sorry I can't offer a valid opinion!

The hot bear is right!

“It has no natural checks and balances,” Nelms says of the gerbil, which is joined by the lately popular ferret on a list of banned animals originally drafted by the state Legislature in 1933.

http://articles.latimes.com/1998/jul/19/magazine/tm-5052

 

[Garawr]

The hot bear is right!

Err... *blush* Thanks

 

[KaraBulut]

Have you been leaving your clippers by the gerbil cage again?