Sick Gerbil??

Mr. Nibbles : gerbil +4yrs, male (I've had him for about a year)



He first started acting strange after I moved to a new place, and it seemed like he caught a cold= so I added a heat lamp. He seemed to get more energy after this, but recently hes gotten worse. Hes been on antibiotics for 2 days, and I've changed his bedding, and I clean it once a week.

his current symptoms are : red drainage from left eye, lump on the left side of his face halfway between his eye and nose, small red sorer next to his tooth inside his mouth on the left side. And it has bled quite a bit, and he keeps scratching/bathing it obsessively. His teeth aren't over grown or too short- he has plenty to chew on, and he seems to still be eating- (sunflower seeds- I've been spoiling him because I'm very worried). He sleeps more then usual and seems a little unsteady on his feet- he still fights me when I clean his eyes

I live in the country where vets are limited and the ones around aren't very competent regarding gerbils. So I have nowhere else to turn, if he gets any worse I'm afraid I'll have to put him to sleep. I cant lose another pet so soon, last September I had to put my 12 year old dog asleep. But I wont be selfish, I wont make him suffer- But I have to try everything before I will give up.

Anyone know whats going on? whats wrong with him or any advise?

this is him shortly after I adopted him:

Lady ElDi wrote:Hello,

Sorry I missed this topic, and I hope your gerbil has improved, but I fear the worst.
At 4 years old, he's pretty aged for a gerbil, they average 3. This sounds like an abscess or a tumor to be honest. Both can be quite devastating for such a small body. The abscess could've been caused by a small puncture on the inside of his cheek or gums. It happens to rabbits as well.
A tumor could be caused because, sadly, lots of small animals like rats, mice and gerbils are descendants of lab animals that were used and those animals have been bred to develop tumors easily.

Thank you for the reply, It meant a lot to me.

Unfortunately you were right, he fought so hard, but he didn't die alone or cold. I know some people think its stupid to get attached to a "rat"- But he was so sweet, my cats loved him, and I loved him. He died earlier this morning curled up on my heating pad- I only got on the computer to distract myself and I noticed the response. Thank you Lady ElDi