Snowball died tonight. I don’t think I can handle any more little pets for awhile. I get too attached.
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She has become less active and less active today so I took her to the vet. She either has a respiratory infection or she has something common in gerbils, epilepsy, which caused a stroke. They said it’s hard to tell in gerbils. So, they gave me this itty bitty bottle of cherry flavored antibiotics and said if the help, it’s the infection. If not, she had a stroke. Even if it’s a stroke there’s a chance she could come out of it.
I brought her home and tried to syringe some water into her and she was unresponsive. I put her back in her cage, covered her with some bedding and she is just laying there. In fact, she tilted over onto her side because the bedding was uneven. Just kind of fell over.
Then I did more research and one site suggested trying to give them a bit of a grape because it’s full of water. I tried that but she didn’t move her mouth at all. I can fell her heart beating and she’s still having involuntary movements, and her chest is rising and falling as she breathes.
I don’t know what else to do about her, and I know it might seem silly to ask for a little rodent, but we love that little gerbil. Say a prayer or send a thought out for Snowball.
I just wish I could get more fluids in her. That’s what will kill her if the other doesn’t first. She’s so tiny and she’ll get dehydrated really quickly.
If anyone knows anything about gerbils and they have any advice for me, anything I could do for her, I would appreciate it more than you know.
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Heather, I am so sorry. You really did everything you could. Thinking about you and your family today.
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[...] easing, but it’s still there. If you haven’t read my update last night, Snowball died. That made me sad, I cried. What was bad though is my girls were out of control crying for a [...]
This sounds similar to what happened to our rat “splinter” — he was weezing and then ultimately the antibiotics didn’t work. He was a “free” rat we got at the petstore, and I said I’d never buy a rat not even a FREE one and then I go and get totally attached to the smart little thing. UGGGG I feel for you. I’m sorry, I know especially with kids it can be tough.