We all know that good times don’t last long with gerbils.
With an average lifespan of anywhere between 2 and 5 – it is really a bit of pot luck sometimes.
Actual ‘age’ though, isn’t a sign that they aren’t ‘getting older’ as ‘older’ is more a state of physical wellbeing for a gerbil rather than a certain number of consecutive months.
Gerbils can start to show signs of ageing and disease from 2 and a half years really – depending on their own starting health – so any signs your gerbil has of slowing down over the age of 2 could be cared for with the following same steps for an elderly gerbil.
Just like with humans – if something can be made easier – it really doesn’t matter what age they are. Just make it easier already?
Obviously, we would always recommend that if a gerbil suddenly had symptoms of something severe or was obviously limping or injured in some way that you would have sought veterinary advice or equivalent. We do not like to think of gerbils being in pain unnecessarily.
Anyway – on we go:
Making Your Enclosure Safe For Older Gerbils
Needless to say, if your gerbil is finding things a little bit more difficult than usual – then you need to make things a bit EASIER than usual for them.
First thing to consider is the layout of their enclosure.
It is possible that your gerbil is in discomfort or has reduced mobility. It is also possible that they have less energy and strength than before – so we need to look at every part of their set up and assume nothing.
Discomfort: It would be great if nothing in your enclosure was too energetic just for the basics (feeding, drinking, socialising).
So leaving the wheel in would be their own choice – but if your food and water – or their nest – was along or up some complicated ledge system or at opposite ends of the tank – you will be causing your gerbil to do things that may well hurt them just to stay as part of the pack.
Gerbils can’t be seen to be weak infront of their clan – so increasing the chances of them not being able to hide their discomfort or old age will potentially weaken them in the eyes of their clan mates. An older gerbil in a clan getting old or ill is one of the possible causes of a declan that we know. So to avoid your elderly gerbil looking old – make everything senior-friendly.
Reduced Mobility: Ideally you would reduce the levels in your enclosure – making everything either just one level – or with only low level ramps and ledges.
This is especially true if you have the food and water only available in one place – high up. Assume that – while you had a twisted ankle – your own food appeared on the roof of your house or hanging from a basketball hoop outside – would you eat as much food as normal – or would you think – ‘ah, I can’t be bothered today’?
Also, if a gerbil can’t easily reach food, get first dibs on the good stuff or interact with you for treats (due to lack of mobility or discomfort) they will lose weight and become more ill.
Less Energy: Similarly to above – loss of energy (or care for things) can affect their appetite – which in turn will affect their health. Offering them a reduced enclosure size will help them feel more at ease with the whole set up – nothing will ever be too far away again.
Even the toilet needs to be close by (so ideally put in a smooth shiny (washable) surface near their sleeping place – or have a very shallow-sided sand bath/toilet). If they start to soil anywhere due to lack of energy to hunt out a good one – and potentially not in the usual toileting position (as they don’t have the energy or strength to squat properly) – they may well soil themselves – and this is very uncomfortable for them.
It also increases the chances of infection and other hygiene issues. Many older gerbils can’t clean themselves effectively anymore as they can’t bend right over!
Reduced Strength: Having places in the enclosure where your elderly gerbil has to leap, climb or balance can all hamper their movements due to reduced strength. Pushing away from the sides in a tube is very difficult for the same reason. Even if they are still doing it – to get out for a run or to reach their food – it doesn’t mean it isn’t hard for them. It means they have to do it as it is their only option. They will only stop when they are near death – it is just the gerbil way.
Balance is very important and if gerbil feels unsteady – or are already unsteady – they will be more likely to have an accident – like a foot slipping through a rung – or a back leg falling off the side of a platform. Righting yourself to prevent a fall can actually hurt more than just falling – like people reaching out with a hand to stop a fall when the wrist is weaker than the side of your body.
Gerbils too can injure themselves by trying to recover from loss of balance. Feeding in the kangaroo pose can also become harder for an older gerbil too as they may not be able to use their tail well enough anymore to lean back on it.
We aren’t saying stop your gerbil running around with any of the above – just make the essential easier and they can stay healthy for longer.
Feeding Your Older Gerbils
As touched on at the end of that last section – what and how you feed your older gerbils can make all the difference to them, so think about the holistic approach.
Don’t just think ‘they are old’ – think how they actually eat – from choosing and holding the food – to digesting and utilising the food.
The best way to imagine this is to think of your gerbil as a coin-eating money box. Weird right – but it helps visualise food intake and use. Each coin they eat goes in the money box as savings – but every time they use 10 units of energy – a coin is lost in payment.
So, collect 2 coins – but have to run across the whole cage twice to get them costs a coin = only 1 coin saved.
Let’s say that searching for food costs 1 coin; climbing ladders or tubes costs 1 coin, or having to wait while the more dominant gerbil eats the best bits first – 1 coin. As you can see your gerbil is already at a loss.
Now imagine that the food you offer is in a shell – 1 coin lost (it costs energy to crack it open first) or the food you are being offered isn’t very nutritious (cucumber or dried corn) – another coin lost. Chewing, digesting and passing that food costs more energy than it collected.
Anything your older gerbil needs to do physically is costing them their savings – so extended playtimes; not being able to settle properly due to being in a high traffic or noisy area; and having to wander around giant enclosures to find their friends is all costing them energy.
If your gerbil is always equal or at a loss in the energy bank – they will find it harder to stay on top form. Basically they will never have any spare savings in the bank to try to improve on.
Now, imagine that your gerbil is in a place where food is scatter everywhere – wherever they are sitting there is energy available. They can eat without even getting up! Now imagine that it is all highly nutritious food (like sunflower hearts, porridge oats, scrambled egg, kale, and almond flour) – nothing in shells or empty calories. Every bite is storing energy. Bonus.
Add to that, they are never disturbed by noises; they never have to run around and up and down anywhere to be with their friends; and they aren’t expected to run around at playtime every day for ages (especially not in a hamster ball). Ching, ching, ching.
Finally, if they are nice and warm – they don’t have to worry about generating their own heat (which costs energy) or keep making cosy beds (costs more energy). Similarly – if they aren’t too hot (depending on where they live) this will be the same.
Staying warm or staying cool are quite energy intensive!
Making The Right Environment For Your Older Gerbils
We have already touched on peace and quiet – but this shouldn’t be overlooked – it is so important.
Gerbils are so nosey that sometimes they can’t switch off and can endlessly be checking things – like when they sniff a new toilet roll being dropped in the tank!
So, that example right there sums things up: avoid disturbing them with treats and toys when they are asleep – or at least not out and about. Save things up for when you already see them on the loose!
If they are already up they can investigate and chew or eat if they want – but if they are all cosy in bed (finally catching some Zs) and they hear the enclosure open – they are using energy to stay alert and/or get up again to investigate. Poorly or older gerbils need their rest – just like hoomans – so avoid any unnecessary interruptions – even if they used to be something really fun.
Gerbils are motion sensitive too – so moving the enclosure to somewhere that isn’t disturbed by people walking around – especially if that place has a light source and it creates shadows. Gerbils always run from shadows – and running costs extra energy. Avoid scaring them at all costs.
Something as simple as standing up a piece of sturdy cardboard against the most people-exposed side of the enclosure can reduce disturbances 10-fold. All great for relaxing your elderly gerbils and reducing additional energy expenditure.
Older Gerbil Vet Care and Medicines
If you have medication while caring for your older gerbils – this should ideally only be given orally (by feeding it to them in a concentrated form). Make sure you make your vet aware that diluted mediations (things that go in the water bottle) or large quantities of anything (over a level teaspoon) really don’t work effectively enough to get the desired results.
Gerbils also have small face flaps in their mouth to stop unwanted chewed stuff from falling in their throat – so syringe feeding can be a struggle – always seems like more comes out than went in? Also, tipping a gerbil too far back – or having a wiggly gerbil – can mean that some of the medication goes up their nose and into their lungs (‘is aspirated’) – all very bad news if the intention was to make them better.
Ideally you want to be giving medication that they can eat on or in something. So score open a sultana or dried berry and drip the medication into that new hole – then hand feed the fruit. Obviously find out your gerbils favourite things to make it more readily eaten each time – but if they like it – they will soon be waiting for it.
Alternatively squirt the medication into a small portion of moist food – so it is camoflaged! It needs to be small so you can guarantee they will eat it all of course – and it needs to be tasty – so pureed vegetables, porrige, scrambled egg or baby food usually works a treat. Just enough to hold the medicine and be eaten in one sitting.
Separate out the other gerbil(s) if needed before medicating either way – or give them something just as tasty first so they run off with their ‘distraction’ stash before the reall meds come out. Not that te meds will be dnagerous to your other gerbils – just that you don’t want your older gerbil not getting what they need!
So, Caring For Older Gerbils Is Easy Really
Once you start to think of all the ways you can make your older gerbil happier, healthier and safer – it opens you up to a whole new angle on gerbil life.
Understanding that gerbil keeping is about the needs of your gerbil – rather than just housing them in the same old way as you always have – you can start to experiement with all different things. New treats, new toys, new enclosure set-up – it just goes on. Always something new and exciting for you and for them.