Ask The Gerbils

Hallie and Smurf are happy to answer your questions about taking care of, playing with, taming, or getting to know your gerbils. However, if you have questions about breeding or gerbil babies, you should ask an experienced breeder, not Hallie and Smurf. For breeding questions, please see the American Gerbil Society or a site such as the Gerbil Breeding & Development page.

Sunday, April 5, 2009

Hi Hallie,

My gerbil, Daffodil, is a sapphire and her nose is starting to look red. It is not runny, and she is happy and playful. I wondered if she might be allergic to the aspen bedding, or if this is her coloring as she is getting older. She is almost 2 months old. Her sister, Petal, is a burmese and is not having any problems with her nose.

Thanks for your help!

From,

Claire


P.S. Do you have any tips for taking pictures of my gerbils?





Hi Claire!

It sounds like Daffodil may be allergic to her bedding. You might try putting Daffodil and Petal on a different type of bedding, such as corncob (found in the bird aisle of the pet store). You could also try putting them on plain, shredded paper towels (you will need a lot), but you will need to clean their tank more often if you use paper towels instead of bedding.

Try putting them on a different type of bedding, and see if Daffodil’s nose improves.

Most of the time, if a gerbil’s nose gets red, switching to a different type of bedding will fix the problem. :)

If it doesn’t, you may need to take Daffodil to the vet. One of the other gerbils at Twin Squeaks, Marco had a red nose when he first came to live here. His problem was not an allergy. It was an infection. The vet gave him some antibiotics, and his nose cleared up. It worked great, and his nose hasn’s been red since!

You also asked how to take better gerbil photos. We have a set of tips for taking better gerbil photos. I hope the tips help!

Please say hi to Daffodil and Petal from both Herman and me. We hope that Daffodil’s nose is better soon!

From your friend,

Hallie