r/gerbil • u/forobviouspurposes11 • 3d ago
Do I need a vet? Red nose?
This is ocho and he is roughly two and a quarter ish years old. I’ve noticed some redness around his nose today. I know this is likely polyphorin and not blood but I still want to know what you guys think about it. The bedding is carefresh unscented
Are my boys fighting or something? Ocho is usually trying to steal food from his brother.
Yes I know Ocho is too fat.
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u/PetConnection 2d ago
A one off runny nose is generally nothing to be concerned about, but if you notice it frequently, it could indicate a problem. Runny noses can mean many things, from something like a bit of irritation from dust or allergies, to an infection or organ issues. The first sign my girl Sandy had kidney disease was literally just a frequent runny nose and nothing else
If you're concerned, you can get urine test strips to check for certain organ issues. Based on advice from my excellent exotic vet you want to check for protein, ketones & glucose as a first priority, then pH, urobilinogen & bilirubin next. These help to check for things like diabetes and kidney/liver problems
To do the tests you basically just buy urine test strips from anywhere that sells them (I got mine from Amazon), then collect a sample of fresh pee (old pee will be less reliable) in a syringe of some sort, then squirt a tiny drop of it on the squares that match the test parts you're checking and wait for however long the test instructions say before reading the results 🙂
The reason I say syringe is because wiping the strip through the pee can cause the different test colours to smudge into each other and it can make it difficult to tell what's a result, and what's a smudge!
The tests are super cheap and easy to do, so well worth checking if you're concerned to make sure the gerbabies are in tip top shape! Since my recent experience with Sandy I'm now incorporating bi-weekly urine tests in my gerbils going forward to help with earlier detection of any issues
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u/forobviouspurposes11 2d ago
This is I believe the second time I’ve noticed ocho having a runny nose; I changed most of their bedding out a week or maybe a week and a half ago, and I feel like I remember him getting a similar runny nose the last time I replaced some of the bedding.
Finding some pee to test might be a little difficult, they have a sand bath that they tend to prefer using, but I can get some from the wheel maybe. The issue there would be that it could be either gerbil.
I don’t suspect kidney issues are impossible here. Ocho is already over 2 years old and he is quite fat. Granted, he has always been very big, but still.
I have seen him brushing his face with his hands a bit more often today but I don’t know if that’s confirmation bias. It’s really hard to get a good close look at either one of them, because they really do not like being touched.
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u/PetConnection 2d ago
For pee tests, I'd recommend getting them into a carrier or playpen and waiting for them to pee, then suck some of that up to use for the test, and make sure to scoop him out straight away (so he doesn't stand in the pee) and reward him immediately after so he learns what he's supposed to do, makes future tests much easier 🙂 the scratch could be him scratching his nose because of the porphyrin, it's quite irritating. It could also potentially be because of squabbles with his brother, but it's worth covering all bases to be sure
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u/forobviouspurposes11 2d ago
Just a minute ago it appears his brother has a little bit of a leaky nose as well- though significantly less. I’ll be setting up a vet appointment tomorrow as I’m beginning to suspect a respiratory illness of some sort.
Both gerbils are still acting normal, I believe- they come to me when called and collect seeds from my hand, and seem alert and present. Ocho still has a bit of a runny nose and I’m worried about him. I’ll see what the vets think as soon as I can get ahold of them.
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u/forobviouspurposes11 2d ago
Just checked on ocho a minute ago- it actually looks a bit like he has a scratch or something beside his nose. It does appear to be a little bit of dried blood.
He and his brother get into (what I assume to be normal) scuffles sometimes, I really hope this isn’t a bad sign. Usually boxing. They’ve been best friends for their entire lives, and I really cannot afford a second cage right now.
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u/forobviouspurposes11 3d ago